Chapter 88 The breaking point
Chapter 88: The Breaking Point (Elena’s POV)
The car smelled like wet leather and heater dust. I sat wrapped in Liam’s heavy jacket, my bare feet tucked under my legs to keep them from shivering. Outside, the rain had slowed down to a dull drizzle, blurring the neon signs of the city.
I looked at Liam. His profile was sharp against the dark window, his jaw locked tight as he watched the road. He looked older. The boyish, arrogant look he used to wear on the hockey rink was completely gone, replaced by something rough and desperate.
"Liam," I said, my voice barely louder than the hum of the engine. "Talk to me. You’re scaring me."
He didn't look at me, but his hand reached across the console and gripped mine. His fingers were burning hot. "You don't need to be scared anymore, Elena. I told you. The hospital is paid. Julian has nothing on us."
"But your uncle," I insisted, pulling his hand slightly so he’d look at me. "Marcus. I know your family doesn't talk to him. What did you promise him?"
"It doesn't matter," Liam said, his voice flat. "He wanted leverage against my dad. He wanted me to leave Northview and work for his firm once the semester ends. I gave him what he wanted."
"You gave up your career? For me?"
"For your mother’s life," Liam corrected me, finally turning his head to look at me as we stopped at a red light. "There’s no hockey career if I have to watch you destroy yourself just to keep Julian happy. I couldn't live with that, El. I’d rather be a nobody working in the city than a captain who let his girl walk into a den of snakes."
A lump formed in my throat, hot and heavy. I leaned my head against his shoulder, closing my eyes. For months, I had been the one carrying everything—the medical bills, the eviction threats, the bullying at school. It felt strange, almost terrifying, to let someone else carry the weight.
We pulled into the parking lot of a small, quiet clinic on the edge of town. It wasn't the massive, towering structure that the Vance family funded. This place was low, private, and surrounded by a brick wall. Two men in dark suits were standing by the glass doors, watching our car as we approached.
"Are those your uncle's men?" I asked, tightening the jacket around myself.
"Yeah," Liam said, turning off the engine. "Marcus doesn't take chances. He had your mom transferred here twenty minutes ago. Julian’s family doesn't own this place. They can't even get past the front desk."
He got out of the car, walked around to my side, and opened the door. Before I could even attempt to stand on my swollen knee, he lifted me into his arms. I buried my face in his neck, hiding from the cool air.
The security guards opened the doors for us without a word. Inside, the clinic was bright and clean, smelling of antiseptic and fresh paint. A nurse met us in the hallway, looking at a tablet.
"Elena Obi?" she asked, her voice gentle.
"Yes," I murmured.
"Your mother is in Room 104. The transfer went smoothly. She’s currently resting, and the surgeon we brought in from the city is reviewing her charts. The prep for the procedure will begin at dawn."
I felt a tear slip down my cheek, soaking into Liam’s shirt. "Thank you," I choked out. "Can I see her?"
"Of course. This way."
Liam carried me down the short hallway and placed me gently into a plastic chair next to my mother’s bed.
She looked so peaceful. The constant, rhythmic beep of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room. Her face didn't look as pale under these lights, and for the first time in weeks, the heavy bruising on her arms from the IV lines seemed to be fading. I reached out and took her hand, pressing it against my cheek.
"We made it, Mom," I whispered. "We don't have to look back anymore."
Liam stood behind me, his hands resting on my shoulders. His touch was steady, grounding me. I reached up and covered one of his hands with my own.
"You should get some rest too, Elena," Liam whispered, leaning down. "You’ve been awake for over twenty-four hours. There’s a small sofa in the corner."
"I'm not leaving her side," I said. "Not until the doctors come in."
"Then I’ll stay right here with you," he said. He pulled up another chair and sat beside me, his eyes never leaving my face.
For the next three hours, the world was completely still. The storm outside finally stopped, leaving nothing but the gray, early morning light filtering through the window blinds. I watched the regular rise and fall of my mother's chest, feeling a sense of peace I thought I’d lost forever.
But peace never lasts long in Northview.
Around five in the morning, the door to the room clicked open. I expected the nurse with her morning medication, but it was one of Marcus’s security guards. He looked tense, his eyes darting to Liam.
"Vance," the guard whispered, beckoning him forward. "You need to come to the lobby. Now."
Liam frowned, standing up slowly so he wouldn't disturb me. "What’s going on? Is there a problem with the wire transfer?"
"No," the guard said, dropping his voice even lower. "It’s your father. He’s outside with the local police. He’s claiming you stole the car you drove here, and he’s threatening to file a public injunction against the clinic for harboring a minor."
I stiffened, my hand slipping away from my mother’s. I looked at Liam, my heart instantly racing again. "Liam... your father."
"He’s bluffing," Liam said, his face hardening into that cold, unreadable expression I had seen at the hotel. "The car is registered under my name and his. He can't claim grand theft."
"He’s Vance," the guard reminded him grimly. "He doesn't need to win the case. He just needs to make enough noise to get the press here. If the media catches wind that a major donor is accusing this private facility of insurance fraud and theft, the clinic board will cancel the surgery just to protect their reputation. They won't risk a public scandal."
I stood up, forgetting the pain in my knee for a split second before a sharp ache forced me to lean against the hospital bed. "He’s going to stop the surgery again. Even with the money paid, he’s going to ruin it."
Liam walked over to me, grabbing my face in both of his hands. His eyes were fierce. "He’s not stopping anything. I told you, I’m done letting him dictate my life. Stay here with your mom. Don't look out the window. Don't listen to anything happening in the hall."
"Liam, don't go out there alone," I begged, clutching his wrists. "He’ll ruin you. He’ll take everything."
"He already took my captaincy, Elena. There’s nothing left for him to destroy," Liam said, giving me a quick, hard kiss on the forehead. "I’m ending this today."
He turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
I stood there by the bed, my breath shallow. The silence of the room suddenly felt suffocating. The rhythmic beep of my mom's heart monitor felt like a ticking clock, counting down the minutes before the Vance family tore our lives apart again.
I couldn't just sit there. I limped to the door, pushing it open a crack so I could hear what was happening in the main lobby.