Chapter 5 - Awakening in the Shadows
Grant stopped short when he saw Liam sitting beside my bed. His eyes darted nervously between the federal agent and me, his posture shifting defensively.
"Elena," Grant said, stepping forward with his hands raised in a placating gesture. "Thank God you're awake. The police wouldn't let me up here at first, but I told them I was your fiancé."
"Former fiancé, Mr. Blackwood," Liam corrected coldly, not bothering to stand up.
Grant ignored Liam entirely, fixing his gaze on me with an expression of wounded betrayal. "Elena, please. You have to drop this. Do you have any idea what kind of nightmare this is causing? The press is camped outside the hospital. Mom is sitting in a county holding cell, and Julian’s wedding is practically ruined. If you press federal charges against my mother, our lives are over."
I stared at him—really stared at him—wondering how I had ever mistaken his cowardice for stability.
"Your mother tried to kill me, Grant," I said, my voice eerily calm.
"She didn't mean to kill you!" Grant snapped, his mask slipping instantly, revealing the arrogant entitlement beneath. "She’s under an incredible amount of stress! You know how delicate your health is—you’re always collapsing, always needing attention, always making things difficult! Mom just panicked because you were making a scene in front of her high-society friends!"
Liam stood up slowly, towering over Grant. The air in the tiny hospital room dropped ten degrees.
"Mr. Blackwood," Liam said, his voice dangerously low. "You are standing in a federal investigative zone, attempting to intimidate a witness and victim of a violent crime. If you do not walk out of this door right now, I will personally add obstruction of justice and accessory charges to your family’s growing rap sheet."
Grant glared at Liam, his face flushing crimson. He pointed an accusing finger at me. "You’re throwing away a five-year relationship over a misunderstanding? You’ll never find anyone else who will put up with your medical bills and your constant drama, Elena. You'll end up completely alone."
He turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door so hard the glass pane rattled in its frame.
The room fell silent once more.
I looked down at my hands, my chest tightening slightly not from sadness, but from the sheer weight of what I had finally escaped.
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"He's wrong," I whispered, more to myself than to Liam.
"Of course he's wrong," Liam said softly, stepping closer to the bed. He reached down and gently picked up my hand, his thumb brushing reassuringly over my knuckles. "You're one of the strongest people I've ever met, Elena. You survived living in the lion's den. Now it's time to take it apart."
