Chapter 161: WORRY AND FEAR
CALLUM’S POV
The news had reached me before I even stepped inside the mansion.
I had only just returned from the council hall when two kitchen maids hurried past the entrance, their hushed conversations making me stop in my tracks as a few words registered.
Hospital. Keisha. Doctor. Those three words were enough to send a cold feeling through my chest. After everything that had happened over the past several weeks, hearing those words together no longer left room for optimism. My mind immediately raced through every possibility, each one worse than the last, and I abandoned whatever work still waited for me. By the time I reached the staircase, I was already preparing myself to hear that another attack had succeeded where the others had failed.
Instead, I found laughter and for a moment I simply stood outside the door, allowing myself to relax before pushing it open.
Nadia was sitting beside the bed with a bowl of melting ice resting across Keisha’s ankle. The swelling was obvious, but beyond that she looked unharmed. Colour remained in her face, her breathing was steady, and the doctor who had just finished examining her was gathering his things quietly.
Thank goddess.
Nadia wasted no time explaining everything. By the time she finished, I understood that the situation could easily have ended far worse than it had.
I looked at Keisha for several long seconds before finally speaking.. "What were you thinking?"
She lowered her eyes. "I didn’t know the horse was injured."
"I’m not talking about the horse." The frustration in my voice surprised even me.. "You’re carrying twins, Keisha. Every decision you make affects more than just you now. If something had happened today, you wouldn’t have been the only one paying the price, and even if it was, do you not care about yourself?"
She didn’t interrupt.
"I understand wanting one ordinary afternoon," I continued more quietly. "I understand wanting to forget everything that’s been happening. But there are some risks you simply cannot afford to take anymore."
Her shoulders slumped. "I’m sorry."
Seeing that softened some of the irritation building inside me, though not enough for it to disappear entirely. Before I could say anything else, another voice entered the room.
"It wasn’t her decision alone." Vera stepped inside, her expression filled with guilt. "I encouraged them. If anyone deserves the blame, it’s me."
I turned toward her. "You couldn’t have known the horse had been injured."
"No," she admitted, "but I’m the one who suggested riding in the first place."
The room went quiet.
There was little point continuing to assign blame when the outcome could no longer be changed. The doctor had already confirmed that Keisha and the babies were safe, and dwelling on what might have happened would accomplish nothing beyond upsetting everyone further.
I let out a slow breath. "Just... be more careful from now on."
Both women nodded. Satisfied that the matter was settled, I left them to rest and returned to my study.
The peace lasted only until I sat behind my desk.
I picked up the secure communication device resting beside several unfinished reports and contacted the guard assigned to monitor the former kitchen maid. Ever since questioning her, I had kept discreet surveillance in place despite releasing her. Something about the entire situation still refused to make complete sense together, and until I understood why, I wasn’t prepared to dismiss her completely.
The report arrived within minutes.
There was still nothing unusual.
She had followed the same routine every day. She travelled between her home and work exactly as expected, visited her elderly mother, purchased groceries from the same market stalls, and met nobody who stood out as suspicious.
There was nothing.
I leaned back in my chair, staring silently at the pages spread across the desk.
Part of me felt relieved. If she truly had nothing to do with the Heat Incident, then an innocent woman had narrowly escaped punishment for a crime she hadn’t committed.
But then again, if she wasn’t responsible... I was still chasing someone else.
By evening, I abandoned the paperwork and stepped outside.
The grounds surrounding the mansion had grown quieter as the sun began going down beyond the trees, leaving only the distant sounds of guards having conversations.
Dane was already waiting, looking way better than he had been a few days ago. His recovery had been tremendous and he had been up and about lately.
We walked without speaking for several minutes. Then finally, I broke it. "Any activity at the hideout?"
He shook his head. "Our people have kept watch since the raid. Nothing. Whoever escaped hasn’t tried returning, and nobody else has shown up looking for the place."
"So they abandoned it." I muttered.
"Looks that way."
That was disappointing, though hardly unexpected.
An organisation capable of operating in secrecy for years would undoubtedly have more than one safe location.
Dane glanced toward me. "How’s Keisha?"
"Resting."
"I’ve barely seen her today."
I turned to him. "You wouldn’t have, considering you were buried under recovery reports."
He gave a faint grin before it gradually faded. "I miss her."
I studied him briefly. "You haven’t heard what happened today."
His expression changed immediately. "What happened?"
I explained everything as we continued walking.
By the time I reached the part about the injured horse, he had stopped listening quietly and launched into a questioning, his face twisted in horror.
I answered each question as calmly as I could. "The doctor confirmed they’re all fine. It’s only a sprained ankle."
The tension slowly left his shoulders. "I should go see her."
"You should recover first."
He looked ready to argue before thinking better of it.
I wasn’t ordering him because I doubted his concern or anything. I was ordering him because nearly dying a few days earlier didn’t suddenly become irrelevant simply because he could walk again.
Night had settled completely over Ashveil by the time I returned to the mansion.
Most of the lights had already been extinguished, leaving everywhere almost dark. I made one last round through the mansion out of habit, exchanging nods with the guards still on duty before my footsteps eventually brought me outside Keisha’s room.
The door was slightly ajar.
I hesitated only briefly before pushing it open just enough to look inside.
She was asleep.
She looked far more comfortable than she had that afternoon. A strand of hair had fallen across her forehead, hiding part of her face, and for a long moment I simply stood there, watching the slow, even rise and fall of her breathing.
Relief settled quietly inside me.
Today could have ended very differently.
I stepped closer to the bed as quietly as I could, careful not to wake her. Gently brushing the loose strand of hair away from her face, I leaned down and placed a soft kiss against her forehead before lingering there for the briefest moment.
"You frightened me today," I whispered, my voice barely louder than the night surrounding us. "Please don’t do that again."
A faint smile touched my lips before I straightened.
Certain she was sleeping soundly, I turned toward the door.
Before I could take more than a single step, warm fingers slipped around my hand and I stopped in place.
Looking back over my shoulder, I found Keisha still lying exactly where she had been, her eyes remaining closed even as her hand held onto mine and suddenly, I didn’t want to leave again.