Chapter 54
Kade
Iwatch the doctor leave the room, then shift my gaze to Trent, searching his face for any sign of how he's really holding up.
“Six to eight weeks... for fuck’s sake,” he mutters, throwing his head back against the pillow. His fists clenched tightly at his side.
Before I can say anything, Aubrey steps forward. She reaches for his hand, wrapping her fingers gently around his.
“It’s going to be okay,” she says softly, her thumb brushing over his knuckles.
Trent lets out a humorless laugh. “I’m not going to be able to walk, Bree.”
“That’s not what the doctor said, you just have to be careful.” she says, “follow the guidance from the doctors and you’ll be back to normal before you know it.”
He stares at the ceiling. “He said it’s not going to be easy.”
“Nothing worth having ever is,” Aubrey replies, her tone quiet but unwavering.
“Can you not be so fucking positive right now, Bree?” Trent snaps, turning his head away.
“I’m trying to help,” she says quietly.
“Well, you’re not. You’re making it worse,” Trent snaps, not meeting her eyes.
I step in, keeping my voice steady. “Trent, ease up. She’s not the enemy—she’s on your side. We all are.”
Aubrey’s smile falters, a flicker of hurt crossing her face before she looks away.
I get it, Trent’s frustration is raw and real, and Aubrey’s optimism probably feels like a suffocating mask to him right now.
“Maybe I should go,” she says quietly, stepping back from the bed.
I lean forward, trying to ease the tension, and gently guide her a little farther from Trent. “You don’t have to leave. Why don’t we grab a coffee? Give him a bit of space.”
She glances at Trent, then back at me. “I’m good. You go. I think it’s better if I just head out.”
I look over at Trent. His eyes are closed, like he’s trying to shut everything out.
I’m about to push back when Brandon rises from his chair and subtly shakes his head at me. “I’ll walk you to your car,” he says to Aubrey, then turns to me. “I’ll meet you at the cafeteria after—I need to call Lucy anyway.”
I nod silently, watching as Brandon and Aubrey slip out of the room. Once the door clicks shut behind them, I turn back to Trent.
“You know she’s just worried about you, right?” I say, my voice low but firm. “She cares about you—and you're being a dick.”
Trent doesn’t move. His eyes stay shut, jaw clenched.
“I know you’re in pain. I know you’re scared. But damn it, Trent, it’s Aubrey.”
Trent exhales sharply through his nose, still not opening his eyes.
“I didn’t mean to…” His voice cracks, and he trails off, shaking his head, disappointment and guilt written all over his face.
I step closer, my tone firm but steady. “Look, man, I know this fucking sucks right now. And yeah, it’s gonna be a long road. But we’re all here—right by your side. You’re not alone in this.”
I pause, making sure he hears me. “You’ve got your mom, me, my whole family. Don’t push us away just because you’re scared.”
Trent nods, unable to meet my eyes.
I let out a quiet sigh, guilt tugging at me for laying into him when he’s already dealing with so much. “I’m gonna grab a coffee, and meet Brandon at the cafeteria. You want anything?”
He shakes his head. “Nah, I’m good.”
“Alright,” I say softly, stepping back toward the door. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”
I close the door and take a left heading in the direction of the cafeteria just as my phone vibrates against my leg in my pocket. I pull it out and see Liv’s name. The memory of how distant I was with her this morning hits me hard and that I haven’t given her a single update yet.
I slide to answer, continuing down the corridor. “Hey, baby, I’m sorry I haven’t called, things have been—”
My words cut off suddenly. A different voice fills the line, cold and familiar. I pull the phone from my ear to double-check it really is Liv’s name on the screen.
“Liv?”
“I never meant to hurt you. I just… I was scared, I didn't know what to do.”
“You didn’t hurt me, you embarrassed me, humiliated me. And now I'm here to collect what was owed to me.”
The male voice is icy, merciless and knots my stomach tight. I hold still, waiting, straining for her voice.
“You don’t have to do this, Caleb.”
My blood turns to ice the moment I hear Caleb’s name on her lips. My heart pounds in my ears as panic floods through me.
Suddenly, a commotion rattles the line—and then Liv screams, raw and gut-wrenching.
My body moves before my brain can catch up.
“Liv! Liv, I’m coming for you! Liv!” I shout into the phone, my voice breaking as I bolt forward.
I tear down the corridor, phone clutched tight to my ear, shoving past doctors and nurses, heading for the stairs like my life depends on it.
Then Caleb’s voice, louder now, as if the phone is in his hand:
“Now you’ve just complicated things. Get the fuck up. We’re leaving.”
The line goes dead.
“No. No, no, no!” I shout, scrambling for the security footage of Liv’s house.
And then I see the man holding her: Glen Woods.
A hand clamps down on my shoulder, stopping me cold. I spin around and come face-to-face with Brandon—clearly on his way to meet me at the cafeteria.
“What’s going on?” he asks, eyes sharp, brows furrowed.
“I need to get to Liv.” My voice comes fast, breathless. “Glen Woods isn’t who he says he is—he’s Caleb. Her abusive ex. She ran from him, Brandon. He’s found her.”
Without waiting for a reaction, I take off down the corridor, heart hammering in my chest.
“I’m coming with you,” Brandon calls, catching up without hesitation. “Aubrey’s already on her way home. I’ll text Mom to come sit with Trent.”
He’s typing with one hand as we burst through the hospital doors and race toward my truck.
“Give me your keys,” he demands.
I hand them over without a word.
“There’s only one way in and out of Mayridge,” Brandon says as he unlocks the truck. “If he’s leaving Liv’s, we might be able to cut him off before the bridge.”
We dive into the truck, and the engine roars to life, the tires screeching as Brandon slams the gas, tearing out of the parking lot.
I fumble with my phone, pulling up the security footage again—my stomach sinking with every second that ticks by. “His car’s gone.”
“We’ll get to her. I promise.” Brandon floors it, racing toward Mayridge.
Brandon’s hands tighten on the steering wheel, the truck slicing through the quiet roads like a shot. The city lights blur past as every second drags like a lifetime.
“We’re close,” Brandon says, voice low but steady. “We’re going to reach them.”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. Memories of Liv telling me about Caleb flash through my mind, tangled with every uneasy interaction I had with Glen Woods. How did I not see it? From the first moment, something about him was off and all along, he was Caleb.
My blood boils as I replay everything: Liv getting drugged, her front door left wide open, the strange, silent calls she was getting at the office.
I should have dug deeper. Maybe even Trent’s accident wasn’t an accident. He didn’t show up that day. Was Caleb watching? Did he sabotage the scaffolding? Was he hoping it would be me on there?
All I know now is this, when I get my hands on that fucking bastard, I’m going to make him pay for everything he’s done.
Because when it comes to Liv, I’ll burn the whole fucking world down if I have to, to keep Liv safe.