Chapter 263 Chapter 263: Olive's POV

Chapter 263 Chapter 263: Olive's POV
Chapter 263: Olive's POV

It had been two weeks since the death of an enemy I never knew I had. Two weeks since Zane decided to blow up an entire warehouse, and a few hours after that, the military had come to the area and according to Nikolai, found nothing but debris. Leaving Zane's actions unfound, and perhaps every other thing that happened in that building buried along with it.

I'd spent the past two weeks off from work duties, away with a therapist Nikolai had recommended.

"So does his voice still come to you? Do you still dream of his face, or has that reduced over the past two weeks?"

The therapist asked, and I was still slightly surprised every time he brought up the explosion, the moment Zane killed multiple men in front of me, Simon's death. Most people would have danced around it. Mr Cosmo didn't dance around anything.

"It's hard to actually believe he's dead," I said. "Even though I know. Even though I was there. I only knew Simon for a short time. The first time I saw him was at his brother's funeral, and he only told me to be careful. That was it. I never thought anything of it. And right now I keep thinking about what comes next. Does every new person I encounter have to be a potential enemy? Simon is dead, but what he destroyed over the past few years left so much damage behind him."

I breathed, watching as Mr Cosmo sat across from me with the kind of stillness that didn't feel like silence, it felt like space.

"I'm not going to use big words with you," he said. "And you don't require any medication. I just want you to know this." He leaned forward slightly. "Simon is dead. Buried in his own ash. His family cannot even recover his body. He will never see you. He will never come for you. He will never breathe anywhere near you again." He paused. "I saw the footage of his death."

My eyes widened. "You watched the footage?"

"Yes. You should know Zane doesn't take any chances when it comes to his enemies, and for his mental health, one of his men recorded what happened that day. I didn't want to tell you about it until you were ready to believe that Simon is truly dead, and that no one is coming after you or your family." He held my gaze. "Because Zane would find them first. Believe me on that."

He stopped, letting the words settle.

"You are safe, Olive. Say it. Say it to me."

"I am safe."

"Again."

"I am safe."

"Again. Scream it."

"I AM SAFE!"

"Good." He smiled, and it reached his eyes. "That's it. You are safe, little one. No one is coming for you. Think of your family. Think of Brenda. How safe they all are without a single mark on them. Then you'll know. And anyone who does come for you is as good as dead."

I nodded, and for the first time in two weeks I felt something heavy physically leave my body. Not gone entirely, but lighter. Manageable.

"And are you okay with Zane quitting hockey?"

I froze.

I didn't have an answer for that, and not because I didn't want to give one, but because I genuinely hadn't let myself feel anything about what Zane had decided to do with his own career. He had encountered so much, survived so much—

"I don't care what Zane decides to do with his life," I said finally, and the moment the words came out I felt a lightness I hadn't expected. "If he decides to quit hockey altogether, I will support him in everything he does."

Mr Cosmo smiled slowly.

"Great. Ensure you complete the practical assignment I gave you, and journal your thoughts every single day and send them to my email." He ended with a laugh that was completely contagious.

Mr Cosmo was exceptional at his work. Now I understood why he'd been Zane's and Nikolai's therapist ever since Zane left the military. He somehow kept Zane grounded, stopped him from going somewhere too dark to return from.

The second I stepped out of his office, as if she'd timed my exit perfectly, Brenda's call came through instantly.

It had been almost a week since I'd seen her last. I picked up at once, already preparing myself for the how dare you forsake me voice.

"Have you checked the news?"

That was the first thing she said. I shook my head instinctively before remembering she couldn't see me.

"No. What's going on?"

"It's Williams."

My head snapped up.

"What about Williams?"

"He's been arrested. Charged for several crimes. Money laundering, but mostly including murder." Her voice dropped on the last word.

My entire body went cold.

"Murder."

"Yes. Just check the damn news, it's everywhere. I can't believe he was such a horrible man."

I stepped outside, pulling out my phone, and the cold February air hit my face as I searched his name.

Brenda was right.

Williams Mercer was trending everywhere. Charged with multiple crimes, but the one that had stopped everyone in their tracks was the murder of Serena Mercer, who had died of physical abuse. And attached alongside the arrest report were videos. Videos of Williams hitting Serena, speaking to her in a way that made my toes curl inside my shoes. So many videos that painted a picture I had never once considered.

I had thought he was just a sadistic bastard who hated his son. I never knew he had physically abused and eventually killed his own wife.

"So have you seen them?" Brenda's voice pulled me back. I'd forgotten she was still on the call.

"Yes."

"What are you going to do? I think Zane must have known about all of this. Who even released these videos?"

I could hear JT's voice somewhere behind Brenda, probably complaining that she'd forgotten to take her supplements again. I almost smiled at the thought. JT couldn't handle the idea of Brenda managing the pregnancy alone, so he'd come back, and even though neither of them knew exactly what they were to each other right now, they were there, together, and the odds were leaning heavily toward them finding their way back to each other properly. Which meant competing with my mother over who owned that baby, but that was their problem, not mine.

"He totally deserves it," I said, and ended the call.

I stood there for a moment longer, watching the city move around me. Everyone going about their ordinary mornings, not knowing what I had survived, not knowing about the hockey star who had filled the news with his retirement announcement and who had no idea how much he had quietly protected every single one of us without their watching eyes.

My phone rang again.

And instantly, a huge smile broke across my face at the name on the screen.

HMM.