Chapter 178: ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHT

Scarlett's POV

The news reporter's voice continued to echo from the small speaker.

They spoke at length about the magnitude of the fire, the huge number of missing students, and those who had unfortunately died in the blaze.

Surprisingly, they didn't mention much about the missing students in particular, nor did they give any specific identifying details about us. My heart beat rapidly against my ribs as I wondered if the authorities were just going to let us go after all.

The anchor framed the situation as if we were simply lost or unaccounted for in the chaotic fire, rather than a group that had deliberately escaped the institute entirely.

Orion reached over and changed the station to an upbeat pop song, leaning back before moving over to the fairly modern television set across the room to try to get it working too.

I left him to it and returned to the kitchen to meet Rachael, who was busy cutting up various fresh vegetables on a wooden board. I leaned against the counter, looking at the spread. "Where did you find them this fresh?"

"Somewhere in a small garden plot at the back," Rachael said, not looking up from her knife. "They were totally overgrown with weeds, but there were plenty of good, healthy plants hidden amidst them."

We spent the next hour cooking together, fixing a large pot of vegetable stew, and then sat down with the rest of the crew to eat. Afterwards, I wanted to go into the back bedroom to check on Blue, but the nurse firmly refused to let me through the door, stating that her patients were not to be disturbed under any circumstances until they had fully rested.

Seeing as there wasn't much else to do, Rachael and I went to one of the guest rooms to rest as well.

It was late evening by the time the television in the living room finally flickered to life. The static cleared, displaying a bright news broadcast channel—which was precisely everything we needed at the moment. Everyone gathered in the living room, watching intently.

The news anchor on the screen shuffled her papers, her expression turning grave. "In a developing story regarding the Bellamy Institute, evidence has surfaced indicating that some students sent to the facility may never should have been placed there in the first place. Most notably, new records have emerged concerning a female student whose name has been withheld, whose prior charges have now been revealed to not actually be murder..."

A photo flashed on the screen beside the anchor. The face was blurred out to protect her identity, but my breath caught in my throat. I recognized the picture—it was my intake photo.

I stood there in the middle of the room, completely reeling. How on earth did that happen? What the hell was going on?

Then, the realization hit me hard.

Blue.

I turned on my heel and ran down the hallway to the back room where Blue was resting alongside Tanner. The nurse was nowhere to be seen, likely grabbing supplies, so I quietly opened the door and sneaked inside.

Blue was wide awake, lying flat on his back and staring up at the wooden ceiling. I tiptoed silently toward his bedside, intending to surprise him, but before I could take another step, his quiet voice cut through the room.

"Red."

I let out a soft laugh, stepping up to the frame of the bed. "You caught me."

"Yeah," he murmured, his eyes shifting toward me with a faint glint of amusement. "I have something called peripheral vision."

"Did you hear the news from in here?" I asked slowly.

Blue remained silent, simply looking at me which basically meant he had heard every single word.

I leaned down slightly, staring into his eyes. "Did you have anything to do with that?"

"Maybe," he said plainly.

I reached out and lightly slapped his bare, uninjured chest. Blue feigned a deeply pained expression, groaning softly.

"Cut it out and talk to me," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

Blue let out a breath, dropping the act. "I did. Before everything went down at Bellamy, I had Jax send out a video recording I had taken of what actually happened that night."

I stood there in total shock, my jaw dropping. "Why didn't you say you had such a thing this whole time?!"

"Because," Blue said, his voice dropping an octave as he looked away for a split second, "I was sc—concerned that you would leave me and go off on your own the very moment you were legally free."

I narrowed my eyes at him, leaning closer. "Really? You are absolutely unbelievable."

Even though I was slightly upset that he had kept it hidden for so long, I definitely didn't miss his deliberate slip-up. He had almost said he was scared.

Blue remained silent, watching my reaction.

"So," I continued, piecing it together, "after you confirmed that I would stay with you after we left Bellamy... you finally had him release it?"

He gave a single, slow nod.

"So if I had said I wished I could enjoy some personal freedom," I asked, crossing my arms, "what would you have done then?"

"I would still have sent it, I guess," he answered honestly.

I slapped his chest lighthearted again, but this time, I leaned down and wrapped my arms firmly around his neck, burying my face against his neck. "Thank you," I whispered softly. "They will probably revisit the whole case now and treat it as self-defense. I am finally free, Blue."

I felt the warm press of his smile against my hair as his uninjured arm wrapped around my waist. "Yes, you are. You should go to the police, clear your name completely, and regain your normal life back."

I pulled back slightly to look at him. "What about you?"

"I can't do the same," Blue said, his tone shifting into something serious and realistic. "My father's empire is crumbling fast, especially with the exposure from Bellamy. He has dangerous enemies that will come after me the second I step into the public eye. Even my father himself will not leave me be if I show my face out there."

"Then we will stay hidden together until it all dies down," I said without a second of hesitation.

"Scarlett, that could take years," he warned gently.

"We have each other," I replied, holding his gaze. "That's all that matters to me."

Blue gave me a soft, wistful smile, his hand sliding up my back to pull me even closer against him.

"So," I murmured, resting my chin on his chest, "all that's left now is to go sort out that money Greg left me."

"Yes," Blue agreed.

"Would we still stay here at the ranch after securing the money?" I asked.

"It depends on you," he said, smoothing a strand of hair behind my ear. "What would you prefer?"

"We can find a private house like this somewhere close by," I pondered thoughtfully, "so that we can have our own privacy. And then I think I will enroll for college online."

Blue looked at me, a genuine warmth filling his eyes. "That's wonderful, Red. Maybe I will get a college degree too."

"Hmm," I chuckled softly, picturing him sitting through a lecture. "Imagine that."

Blue's hand shifted down my side, his fingers pressing lightly into my hip. "Your tits are rubbing deliciously against my chest right now," he whispered, a dark, mischievous smile spreading across his face. "Why don't you take your shirt off?"

I looked up at him, meeting his wicked grin, and reached down to lift the hem of my shirt.

Suddenly, Tanner’s raspy voice called out loudly from the dark corner of the room. "Oh no, you don't!"

All three of us burst into laughter, lightening the atmosphere.

"Go outside then!" Blue called back with a grin, before tightening his grip on my waist and pulling me down into a scorching kiss.