Chapter 18
“I’ll be there p>
After we hung up, I stayed seated for a minute, phone still in my hand.
I hadn’t slept much. Not because I was scared. Mostly because my mind wouldn’t slow down. Every time I closed my eyes, I replayed things out of order. The sound of glass breaking. Zane’s voice when he told me to shoot. The way my hands wouldn’t stop shaking afterward.
I stood up and got ready without thinking too hard about it. Jeans. A simple top. Shoes I could walk in. Nothing that drew attention.
By the time I reached my grandfather’s house, the driveway was already crowded.
Lucas’s car was parked near the front. Noah’s beside it. One of the staff opened the door before I even knocked.
Inside, the house felt exactly the same as it always did. Quiet.
Ivy was in the living room, standing near the window. She turned the second she saw me and walked over quickly.
“Elaine p>
She hugged me tightly, arms wrapping around my waist. I hugged her back, steady, familiar.
“You okay?” I asked.
She nodded, but it wasn’t convincing. “I will be p>
I pulled back slightly and looked at her. “You don’t have to do anything today you don’t want to p>
She nodded again. “Okay p>
Lucas came in from the hallway then. He looked tired. Not angry. Just worn down.
“You made it,” he said to me.
“Of course. Did you hear from Caleb p>
“No”
His eyes flicked briefly to Ivy, then back to me. “He’s serious about this p>
“I know,” I said.
Noah followed a moment later, already irritated, already pacing. “This is insane,” he muttered. “Dragging her in like this p>
“Lower your voice,” Lucas said.
“I’m not wrong p>
“No,” I said calmly. “You’re not p>
The house fell quiet again.
No one said what we were all thinking.
A cane stick hit the ground p>
Ivy stiffened beside me.
“That’s him,” she said quietly.
I rested a hand on her arm. “I’m here p>
She nodded, swallowing.
Footsteps approached the door. Voices murmured. The sound of my grandfather’s cane tapping against the floor as he moved toward the entryway.
I stayed where I was.
Whatever happened next, I wasn’t stepping aside.
Not today.
My grandfather didn’t waste time.
He stood near the doorway of the living room and said, “Let’s move to the study p>
No explanation. No room for argument.
We followed him down the hall like we always did. The study smelled faintly of old books and polish, the same way it had my entire life. Heavy desk. Leather chairs. Curtains half drawn even though it was still bright outside.
Ivysat beside me on the couch, knees pressed together, hands folded too tightly in her lap. Lucas took the chair closest to the window. Noah leaned against the bookshelf instead of sitting, arms crossed, jaw tight.
We waited.
The silence stretched. Not awkward. Just tense.
Then we heard it. A car pulling into the driveway.
Ivy’s shoulders stiffened immediately. I felt it beside me, the way her body went rigid like she was bracing for impact.
“That’s probably him,” Noah muttered
I didn’t say anything, but my pulse picked up. I kept my face neutral, even as my thoughts raced ahead of the moment.
Footsteps approached.
The door opened p>