Page 144 of Only Be Mine

He must have seen something flicker across my face, because his tone softened immediately.

“Hey,” he said, gentler. “Listen to me.”

He leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine for half a second.

“They’re going to ask questions. Some of them will be stupid. Some of them will be painful. None of them will change what happened.” His hands tightened around my knees like an anchor. “But you don’t have to go through it alone.”

I blinked hard, trying not to cry.

He kissed my forehead.

“You don’t even have to talk much,” he added. “I’ll handle the logistics. I’ll make sure they don’t bulldoze you. All you have to do is tell the truth.”

He stood, smoothing his shirt like he’d just finished a meeting instead of calling about…

I couldn’t finish the thought.

“First,” he said, “we need to get you out of here.”

Out of here.

Not home.

Just… out.

He glanced at the pile of things I’d half-packed in the corner, my old life reduced to cardboard and tape, and something sharp passed through his expression. Gone as fast as it came.

“We’ll go back to the house,” he said. “You can rest. I’ll order lunch. We’ll go over what to expect.”

I opened my mouth.

To argue, maybe.

To say I wanted a minute. To say I wanted to call Seth back. To say I didn’t want to be managed like one of his case files.

But the words didn’t come out.

Because part of me, loud and exhausted and terrified, wanted exactly what Trevor was offering.

A plan.

A path.

A way to keep moving so I didn’t have to feel the weight of standing still.

I picked up my purse with numb fingers.

“Trevor,” I said quietly, “should I… should I call Seth?”

Trevor didn’t hesitate. Not even a beat. “We’ll update him later,” he said, like it was obvious. “After we talk to Marshal. There’s no point in everyone spiraling at once.”

My stomach tightened again.

He smiled like he was soothing a child. “I’m not cutting you off, Cate. I’m protecting you from too many voices.”

Too many voices.

Too many truths.