Chapter 4

Elias looked panicked and quickly covered Zoe's mouth.

I gave a dry, self-mocking smile.

"The terms are all in there. You get the child. I only want what is rightfully mine. Ms. Holden, isn't this exactly what all of you wanted?"

Something flickered behind Naomi's eyes.

Elias began to cry softly. "Naomi, this is all my fault. I'll move out. Please don't be upset with Wyatt..."

Naomi took a deep breath and pushed the alarm out of her eyes.

She picked up the agreement, gave it a glance, and sighed. "Wyatt, you know how I work. Everything has a price."

She slid the agreement back across the desk, her gaze steady.

"If you go to St. Callen's Monastery in the next town and bring back a blessed medallion for Elias, I will sign these papers on the spot.

"The catch is that St. Callen's requires you to kneel at every step, all 999 of them, before they will give you one.

"You've never been one for hardship. If you'd rather not, then—"

"Fine," I cut her off before she could finish.

I put the agreement back in my bag and turned to leave.

Naomi froze.

She probably had not expected me to agree so easily, without even taking the out she had so carefully built into the deal.

"Let him go, Naomi!"

Dad's voice came from behind me. "He's been spoiled rotten since the day he was born. Let's see how long this little tantrum lasts."

I did not look back.

I was not getting that medallion for Elias.

It was for my own freedom.

Once I had it, Naomi would sign the agreement, and I could sever every last tie to all of them.

The closer I got to the neighboring town, the darker the sky became.

A severe storm warning flashed across my phone screen, and I tightened my grip on the steering wheel instinctively. The fever felt like it was surging back.

The rain came down in sheets. The radio kept warning about dangerous road conditions, but there was no turning back now.

St. Callen's sat high in the mountains. The winding road up had turned to mud under the downpour.

A truck came barreling around the bend from the opposite lane, completely out of control.

Its high beams blinded me. I wrenched the steering wheel hard, and the car slammed into the guardrail.

Everything went red.

The airbag pinned me in place. I used the last of my strength to fumble for my phone. Zoe's call came in at that exact moment.

"Zoe, call an ambulance for me... I've been in an accident."

Her voice came through flat and impatient on the other end.

"You're lying again. Mommy's right. You're just a bad man who likes to make trouble over nothing.

"I'm not calling because I care about you. I'm calling to tell you that you'd better bring that medallion back. The sooner you do, the sooner you can get out of the way and make space for Eli."

The line went dead. The phone screen flickered twice and went dark.

As my consciousness slipped away, I felt something close to relief.

There was no one left in this world waiting for me to come home, so maybe it was all right to just let go.

...

Elias had only mentioned a slight discomfort in his chest, and Naomi had treated it like a full-blown emergency, rallying everyone around him and rushing him into an exam room.

Now, she stood in the hospital corridor, staring at her phone in frustration as the call failed to connect for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Still can't get through to Wyatt?" Cassie walked over and handed her a cup of coffee.

"Elias is fine, by the way. The doctor said he just needs rest."

Naomi shoved the phone back into her pocket, her expression cold. "Forget it. He'll come crawling back once he's done sulking."

The words had barely left her mouth when hurried footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor.

A team of paramedics came sprinting past, pushing a gurney at full speed.

The person on the stretcher was covered in blood, with an oxygen mask strapped over his face.

Naomi stepped aside to let them pass.

As the gurney brushed by her, a drop of blood splashed onto her shoe.

Her phone buzzed again. She snatched it up, but it was not my number. It was an unfamiliar landline.

"Hello, is this a family member of Wyatt Raines?

"This is the emergency department at Ridgeview General. Mr. Raines has been in a serious car accident. He's currently in critical care. We need you to come in immediately to sign the consent forms."