Chapter 1456
Chapter 1455:
Side by side, Cole and Allan descended the staircase.
Before they reached the landing, Cole stretched out a hand and caught Allan by the arm. “Hide. Don’t let them see us,” he whispered urgently.
Allan was about to ask why when the murmur of three women talking below stopped him in his tracks.
The tone alone was enough to know this wasn’t a conversation meant for male ears.
Without another word, Cole pulled him into a shadowed corner. They stood there, perfectly still, listening.
In the living room, the three women were huddled together on the sofa. Hailee’s eyes were swollen and red from crying, and she clung to Elliana as though she were the only thing keeping her upright. “Elliana, what am I supposed to do?” she repeated between sobs.
The tension showed in Elliana’s every gesture, her concern deepening by the second. Her friend kept asking what she could do, but every time Elliana tried to get her to explain what had happened, the young woman faltered.
“Hailee, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what happened,” Elliana said, frustration and anguish mingling in her voice.
From the other side, Adah watched her closely, taking in every detail.
Hailee was a wreck. Her hair was tangled, her clothes were torn, and her neck was marked with pink and reddish blotches. Even her lips were so swollen it was obvious they hurt.
It didn’t take much effort to piece things together. Something had happened between her and a man the night before. And from the way she was crying, it was clear it hadn’t been consensual. She had been attacked.
Elliana was afraid of pushing too hard and making things worse. Still, after several minutes without progress, Adah lost her patience. “Hailee, just tell us who did this to you. I swear he’s going to regret ever laying a hand on you p>
Slowly, the young woman raised her head to look at her. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. In the end, she lowered her gaze again and the crying returned, louder and more uncontrollable than before.
Noticing Adah’s rising fury, Elliana placed a hand on her arm gently, asking for calm. Then she turned back to Hailee and softened her tone. “Hailee… after the party last night, did you leave with Merlin p>
𝗗іѕсо𝗏𝖾𝗿 𝗇𝗲𝘸 s𝘵o𝗿𝘪𝘦𝘀 o𝗇
After a brief pause, the young woman gave a reluctant, barely perceptible nod.
Elliana’s expression changed immediately. Merlin had always been excessively protective of her. If they had left together, the logical thing would have been for him to stay by her side or at the very least make sure she got home safely. Allowing another man to get near her would have been unthinkable.
That thought led her to a far darker one. If it hadn’t been someone else… what if it had been him?
The suspicion took hold in her mind and refused to leave. She knew how much Merlin cared about Hailee. Normally he was polite, controlled, and careful — but alcohol had a strange way of bringing out the worst in people.
Guided by her instincts, Elliana picked up her phone and pulled up the security footage from Rosewood Villa. She needed to know what state the man had been in when he left the party.
It didn’t take long to find the video.