Chapter 207
Chapter 207:
Charla had brought a knife to kill Cailin. When that failed, she had jumped to destroy her instead.
It was madness. Pure, distilled malice. And he had let Cailin be arrested. He had forced her to sign a restraining order.
“Oh god,” Hilliard breathed.
His phone rang. The hospital.
“Mr. Holloway?” It was the ER nurse. “We have a problem. Ms. Morton is gone p>
“What?” He gripped the phone.
“She’s not in her cubicle. She left against medical advice. We can’t find her anywhere p>
“Did she check out p>
“No. She just… vanished p>
𝖠𝖽𝖽і𝖼𝗍i𝘃𝘦 𝘴𝘁𝗈r𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝗼𝗻
He hung up. Panic clawed at his throat.
She was injured. She had no phone. And she was out there somewhere, believing he was the enemy — that he had chosen Charla’s side.
“Gavin,” Hilliard said, spinning around. His voice was sharp enough to cut glass. “Get the car. We’re going back to the hospital p>
“To find Cailin p>
“No,” Hilliard said, his eyes dark with a fury that made the security chief instinctively lean back in his chair. “To have a word with my fiancée p>
Hilliard didn’t walk down the hospital corridor — he marched. He was a man on a warpath, propelled by guilt and a rage so potent it blurred the edges of his vision.
He reached Room 304. The door was closed. He didn’t bother with the handle. He kicked it open.
Bang.
The door slammed hard against the wall.
Victoria startled, dropping the spoon she had been using to feed Charla soup. “Jesus! Hilliard! You scared us half to death p>
Charla looked up, eyes wide. “Hilliard? Did you — is she in jail p>
Hilliard walked to the side of the bed and looked down at Charla. He took in the cast, the bandaged nose. He used to feel protective of her fragility. Now he saw only the cracks running through a porcelain mask.
“I went to the park,” he said. His voice was low, vibrating with suppressed violence. “I watched the security tapes p>
Charla went still. The spoon clattered onto the tray.
“It was dark,” she stammered. “It was raining. You couldn’t possibly have seen p>
“I saw enough,” Hilliard cut her off. “I saw you hanging. I saw her pulling you up. I saw you jump p>
“No!” Charla cried, tears spilling instantly. “That’s not what happened! She tried to throw me! The camera lies p>
“And the knife?” Hilliard asked. “The fruit knife they found on the ticket booth roof — does that lie too p>
Charla’s mouth opened and closed. She looked at Victoria for help.
“Hilliard, stop this!” Victoria shrieked, moving to block him. “She is the victim here! Look at her leg p>
“She broke her own leg to frame my wife,” Hilliard said, turning to Victoria with disgust. “And you probably helped her plan it p>
“How dare you p>
“Hilliard, please!” Charla sobbed. “I did it for us! She was trying to take you away from me! She’s evil — she has secrets p>
“The only evil in this room is you,” Hilliard said.