Chapter 157
Chapter 157:
“Get out, Hilliard,” Kegan said. It wasn’t a request.
“I need to speak to my wife,” Hilliard said, looking past him, trying to catch Cailin’s gaze.
“I am not your wife!” Cailin pushed herself upright, ignoring the sharp protest of her bruised ribs and the scraping fire in her lungs. “You lost the right to that title five years ago p>
Hilliard stepped into the room. The door drifted shut behind him. The air seemed to contract, leaving a vacuum filled with nothing but tension.
𝘞𝗵𝖺𝘵 е𝘷ery𝗈n𝗲 i𝗌 re𝖺𝖽𝗶𝗻𝗴 o𝗇 𝗴а𝗹𝗇о𝗏е𝘭𝗌.сo𝗆
“We are still married, Cailin. The papers were never filed — you know that,” Hilliard said, his voice dropping an octave, vibrating with a strange and terrifying certainty. “That was my daughter in the water. And I have a feeling she is not the only secret you have been keeping from me p>
Cailin went still. Her hand moved to her throat. The denial rose and died on her lips, choked by a surge of panic. He didn’t know everything — but he suspected enough.
“We can discuss custody later,” Kegan cut in, his voice slicing cleanly through the tension. “Right now, you need to look at this p>
He didn’t wait for permission. He pressed the tablet against Hilliard’s chest.
Hilliard caught it instinctively and looked down at the screen. His eyes moved across the document. Sea Witch. English Holdings LLC.
The color drained from his face. He stared at the words, his legal mind working fast, hunting for the loophole, the error, the explanation that didn’t require the woman he had almost married to be a monster.
“This proves ownership,” he said, swallowing. “But it doesn’t prove intent. The boat could have been stolen, or used without her knowledge p>
The plastic water cup on Cailin’s bedside table went airborne.
She threw it with everything she had left. It struck Hilliard square in the chest, splashing water down his shirt before clattering to the floor.
“Stop defending her!” The scream tore out of her and collapsed into a ragged sob. “My daughter was thrown into the ocean, Hilliard! And you are standing there talking about stolen boats p>
Hilliard didn’t flinch. He let the water drip down his shirt. His fists clenched at his sides, knuckles whitening.
“If she did this,” he said slowly, his jaw working, “if she actually hurt Elia p>
Ashely appeared in the doorway, her face flushed and furious. She had clearly argued her way past the nurses’ station and followed the noise.
“The proof is in your hand, you blind idiot!” she shouted. “She tried to kill her — just like she tried to kill Cailin p>
Hilliard looked at the document again. Then he looked at Cailin — her face pale and bruised, her eyes holding a mixture of fear and hatred that hollowed him out.
He thought of Elia’s small body on the deck. He thought of the seawater coughing from her lungs. He thought of the arm that had reached for him and found only air.