Chapter 38

Cora doesn’t show up for her shift at work. Frowning, I call her phone, but it goes straight to voicemail. I text her, but it remains on unread.

“Where’s Cora?” I ask Shelly.

“She didn’t tell you?” she replies, raising her brows. “She called in sick today. Stomach bug, she’s going to be off for at least three days. I’m going to need you to do a couple of extra shifts to cover the shortfall.”

“Sure thing,” I tell her, distracted.

Cora seemed absolutely fine when I left her.

Guilt swirls in the pit of my stomach. Maybe I pushed her too far. Moved too fast.

As I reluctantly agree to cover Cora’s shifts, worry gnaws at the back of my mind. She’s always so reliable, never one to call in sick without good reason. I can’t shake the feeling that something more serious must be going on.

After work, I decide to stop by Cora’s dorm. Maybe she just needs some extra rest and care, or maybe she’s having doubts about the two of us being together and just needs a little reassurance.

But as I knock on her door, there’s no answer. Concern growing, I try the doorknob and find it locked.

No problem. I leave the corridor and make my way outside and around to the back of the building. I know which room is Cora’s, and luckily for me, it’s the one right beside the fire escape. I climb up to her floor and peer through her window in the darkness.

I almost mistake the room for empty until her phone screen lights up, and there’s movement within. Cora, sitting naked and curled up against her bedroom door, flinches.

What the fuck?

My heart races as I watch Cora through the window. She looks pale and fragile, eyes wide with fear as she clutches her phone tightly against her chest. Without thinking, I start climbing over the railing of the fire escape, my only thought to reach her and make sure she’s okay.

I knock on the window lightly, hoping to catch her attention without startling her. Cora jumps at the sound, but when she sees me, relief floods her features. With trembling hands, I slide up the window and push it open.

“Cora, what’s going on? Are you hurt?” I ask urgently, climbing into her room and rushing to her side. She looks up at me, tears welling in her eyes. Her lip is split, and a bruise is blooming across her cheek.

She’s hurt. Rage burns through my veins at the sight of her injuries, but I push it down, focusing on her well-being first.

“Cora, who did this to you?” I demand, my voice tight with anger and concern. Cora shakes her head, fear flashing in her eyes as she looks past me toward her door.

My blood runs cold as realization dawns on me. Someone hurt Cora in her dorm room and could even still be lurking nearby.

My mind races with thoughts of how to keep Cora safe. “We need to call the police,” I say firmly, reaching for Cora’s phone.

But she grabs my arm, shaking her head frantically. “No police,” she whispers hoarsely. “Please, they’ll make it worse. I...I can’t explain right now. Please, just hold me,” she whispers, burying her face in my chest. I wrap my arms around her, feeling the tension in her body slowly ease as she clings to me.

Confusion swirls within me, but I respect her wishes for now. Instead, I focus on comforting her, wrapping her in a blanket and keeping her in my arms.

Why is she naked? She’s absolutely frozen and shivering. How long has she been like this?

Cora’s body trembles against mine, her skin cold to the touch. I stroke her hair gently, trying to soothe her without pressing for answers she’s not ready to give. The room feels suffocatingly quiet, broken only by the sound of Cora’s shaky breaths and occasional sobs.

It breaks my heart. I hate seeing her like this. Hate not knowing what’s caused her to be this upset.

After a while, Cora speaks, her voice barely above a whisper. “I...I...I was so scared.” Her words trail off, and she clings to me tighter, as if seeking refuge in my presence.

I can feel the weight of unspoken horrors hanging in the air around us, but I decide to wait for Cora to open up at her own pace. For now, all that matters is that she’s safe in my arms.

As the night wears on, Cora’s breathing steadies, and she eventually falls into an exhausted sleep in my embrace. I move us both to the bed, but remain vigilant, listening for any sign of danger and ready to protect her at a moment’s notice.

The first light of dawn filters through the window, casting a soft glow over Cora’s face, which is still lined with fear even in slumber. With a heavy heart, I gently disentangle myself from her grip and cover her with a warm blanket before tiptoeing out of her room.

As soon as the door closes, a terrified scream rents the air, and I race back inside to find Cora thrashing on the bed.

Her eyes are squeezed shut, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wrestles with unseen terrors in her sleep. I rush to her side, calling out her name in a desperate attempt to wake her from the nightmare that grips her so tightly.

“Cora, wake up! It’s just a dream, Cora,” I plead, shaking her gently. Slowly, her thrashing subsides, and she jolts awake, gasping for air as she looks around wildly, confusion clouding her eyes.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You’re safe,” I reassure her, laying a comforting hand on her trembling shoulder. Cora blinks rapidly, trying to orient herself in the dim light of the room.

“What...what happened?” she whispers, her voice hoarse from screaming. I hesitate for a moment before deciding to tell her about the nightmare that seemed to grip her so fiercely.

“You were having a bad dream. It must have been terrifying,” I say softly, giving her a reassuring smile. Cora’s breath hitches as she remembers fragments of the nightmare that still linger in her mind.

“It felt so real...” she trails off, shuddering at the memory. I pull her into a gentle embrace, letting her lean on me for support as she recovers from the ordeal.

“Cora, you have to tell me what happened,” I tell her gently but firmly. “I can’t stand seeing you like this, and I need to know who hurt you.”

She shakes her head, tears still streaming down her face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her cry so much. She’s clearly still terrified. “I-I can’t. I need to see my mom. She’s not called me, and I’m worried about her.”

I frown. That’s such a random thing to say, a complete one eighty on the conversation I was trying to have with her, but something tells me the two things, Cora’s fear and her worry for her mom, might actually be related somehow.

I nod slowly. “Okay. I’m not working until later, so I can take you over to her house.”

I help Cora get dressed and then gather a few essentials, and we quickly make our way to her mom’s house. The tension in the car is palpable, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Cora absentmindedly plays with the hem of her shirt, a troubled expression etched on her face. I steal glances at her, wondering what demons are haunting her.

As we pull up to her mom’s house, Cora’s anxiety seems to escalate. She practically bolts out of the car and rushes to the front door, fumbling with her keys in her haste to unlock it. I follow close behind, concerned for her well-being.

The door swings open, revealing a dark and quiet interior. Cora calls out for her mom, her voice echoing through the empty house. Panic creeps into her tone as she searches each room, but there’s no sign of her mother.

Just as Cora is about to dial the police, a soft voice comes from the kitchen. “Cora, is that you?”

Relief floods Cora’s features as she rushes toward the source of the voice. In the kitchen, Cora’s mom sits at the small wooden table with her head in her hands. Cora falls to her knees beside her, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Mom, I was so worried about you,” Cora chokes out, enveloping her mother in a tight hug. Her mother pats her back gently, murmuring words of comfort, but there’s something troubled in her expression.

“Is everything okay, Marissa?” I ask. She startles and looks up at me, giving me a tight smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. She looks tired and overworked as always, stressed too, but there’s a fraughtness to her that I don’t remember being there before.

“Slater, yes, yes, everything’s fine. It’s good to see you.”

“Mom, why didn’t you call me? I’ve been going out of my mind with worry.”

I stand back, giving them their moment of reunion. As I watch them cling to each other, a sense of warmth washes over me. I can’t help but feel a surge of protectiveness toward them, a desire to shield them from whatever troubles may come their way.

Cora’s mom pulls back slightly, cupping her daughter’s tear-streaked face in her hands. “I’m sorry, honey. I had to deal with some unexpected work issues, and my phone is on the blink again. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Cora sniffles, nodding as she wipes away her tears. “Just...please promise me you’ll let me know next time. I hate not knowing if you’re okay. You did pay the bill…right?”

“I promise,” her mom replies softly, pressing a gentle kiss to Cora’s forehead and ignoring her question about the bill. Then she finally looks up at me, her eyes meeting mine with a mixture of gratitude and weariness. “Thank you for bringing Cora home, Slater. You’re always such a good big brother to her.”

I offer her a reassuring smile, though my mind is still reeling from the events of the night and the fact that the last thing I want to be to Cora is a big brother. There are too many pieces of the puzzle that don’t quite fit together, too many unanswered questions lingering in the air.

As we sit around the kitchen table, sipping on hot tea to ward off the remnants of tension hanging in the air, I can sense a heaviness settling over us like a shroud. Cora’s mom seems preoccupied, lost in her own thoughts as she absentmindedly stirs her tea.

“Mom, are you sure everything’s okay?” Cora ventures tentatively, reaching out to place a hand on her mother’s arm. Her mom startles slightly, as if snapping out of a trance, and gives Cora a reassuring smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Yes, sweetheart. Everything’s fine. Just a rough day at work, that’s all,” she replies, though her voice lacks the usual conviction.

Cora exchanges a worried look with me, silently communicating her unease about her mother’s demeanor. I can see the gears turning in her mind, trying to piece together whatever traumatic events of the night she suffered and her mother’s strange behavior.

I clear my throat, breaking the heavy silence that hangs over us like a suffocating blanket. “Marissa, if there’s anything you need help with or if something is troubling you, please don’t hesitate to tell us. We’re here for you.”

Her gaze flickers between Cora and me, a conflicted expression crossing her face before she finally sighs and places her hands on the table, as if gathering her thoughts.

“I...I don’t even know where to begin,” she starts slowly, her voice laced with uncertainty. “Something happened at work today. Something...unexpected.”

Cora leans in closer, concern etched on her features. “What do you mean, Mom? What happened?”

She hesitates, as if debating how much to reveal. Finally, she takes a deep breath and meets our eyes with a mixture of fear and determination. “There was a break-in at the office on the ward. Important, private files were accessed and copied and I’ve been asked to remain home while the matter is investigated because my login was used.”

Cora gasps, her hand flying to cover her mouth in shock. I feel a surge of protectiveness toward them both, my mind already formulating plans to keep them safe from whatever danger may be lurking in the shadows.

Cora’s mom continues, her voice shaking slightly as she recounts the events of the day. “They...they knew exactly what they were looking for. It wasn’t just random. They targeted specific files, ones that are crucial to some ongoing cases we’re handling at the hospital.” She pauses, her eyes darting between us as if gauging our reaction.

Cora’s grip tightens on her mother’s arm, a mix of fear and disbelief clouding her features. “But why would anyone break in for hospital records? What kind of cases are so important that someone would go to these lengths?”

Her mother lets out a heavy sigh, her shoulders slumping with the gravity of the situation. “I don’t know, Cora.”

Silence hangs in the air, thick with tension and unspoken dread. I can see the turmoil in Cora’s eyes as she processes the gravity of her mother’s words. The danger that now looms over their lives, threatening to shatter the fragile peace they’ve held onto.

“Is that everything?” I ask gently, feeling like Cora’s mom is still holding back. Her gaze flies to mine, pleading, but it’s too late, I’ve asked the question, and she knows she has to come clean.

“I…I got a call this morning. Just before you arrived, actually.”

“Who was it?” Cora asks nervously.

“The property manager. For some reason, the landlord needs the property back and I have to move out by the end of the month,” Cora’s mom admits, her voice heavy with resignation.

The news lands like a heavy blow, casting a shadow over our already tense atmosphere. Cora’s face falls, her eyes wide with disbelief and fear. The uncertainty of their future hangs in the air, a weight pressing down on all of us.

I can see Cora struggling to process this new development, her mind racing with the implications of having to uproot their lives once again. It’s a harsh reality to swallow, especially on top of the recent break-in at her mother’s workplace and whoever hurt Cora last night.

I don’t believe in coincidences.

Not when things like this happen in triplicate.

Bad news comes in threes. Cora. Marissa’s job. The house. Bullshit is this a coincidence.

But amidst the turmoil and uncertainty, a fierce determination flickers in Cora’s eyes. “We’ll figure it out, Mom. We always do,” she says, her voice surprisingly steady despite the tremor of fear that I can detect beneath the surface.

Cora’s mom looks at her daughter with a mix of pride and gratitude, a silent understanding passing between them. In that moment, I see the strength that runs through their bond, the unbreakable connection that has carried them through hardships before.

“We’ll find a way through this,” I chime in, offering what little reassurance I can muster in the face of such adversity. “Do you have anywhere to go? Can I help you find another property?”

Cora’s mom grimaces. “I didn’t think that far ahead,” she confesses. “Probably not on such short notice, but I was thinking of asking your father for some help, Slater.”

“Sean? No!” Cora shouts, blanching. She was already incredibly pale and exhausted from last night and this morning’s nightmare, but somehow she’s turned completely colorless.

Two and two fall into place together.

“Motherfucker!” I growl, making both women jump.

I turn on my heel and slam my hand into the wall, making Cora yelp.

“Slater?” I don’t answer. I can’t.

This, all of this, is his doing.

Meaning, he’s the bastard that hurt Cora yesterday.

He’s about to find out that he’s a dead man walking.