Vivian looked weary, worry etched into her face. Grant had that forced neutral expression again, like he was waiting to be told how to play his next move.
Eli stepped in front of them, blocking the doorway. “Why don’t you give her a minute? Let us talk to her alone.”
Vivian frowned. “I think she needs her mother right now.”
“Maybe. But she definitely doesn’t want him in there,” Eli said, cutting a look at Grant. “And if we’re going to help your daughters, we need to keep things calm.”
Grant didn’t like it. His jaw tightened, but he didn’t push. Vivian looked conflicted but gave a small nod.
Eli waited until they both stepped back before he turned and walked into the room.
Inside, Olivia was sitting stiffly on the edge of the hospital bed, arms crossed tight, her eyes rimmed with red. Delaney sat beside her, close but not crowding, her tone low and steady.
He stepped in quietly and shut the door behind him. Olivia looked up—and then she broke.
Tears burst from her eyes as her shoulders collapsed forward. “He could’ve gotten us out of that hellhole,” she choked out, her voice raw. “Grant knew. He could’ve done something.”
Her sobs grew louder, rougher, as if everything she’d bottled up finally cracked wide open. “This isn’t my fault. I didn’t try to kill Ava. I never would. That recording has to be fake.”
Eli exchanged a look with Delaney, then walked slowly to the foot of the bed. “It’s her voice,” he said gently. “But we don’t know the circumstances. She might have been coerced.”
Olivia’s head shot up, fury flashing through her grief. “Of course she was forced. Do you really think she’d say that on her own? Maybe Grant made it happen. He’s probably behind all of this.”
Eli didn’t respond right away. Her pain was sharp, but so was her rage. And while he couldn’t rule out what she said, that flare of anger—it stirred something uneasy in him.
She was spiraling, and he saw it. But he also couldn’t shake the question forming in the back of his mind.
What if there was a sliver of truth in what Ava said?
Delaney shifted a little closer to Olivia. “Did your mom know about your grandfather’s connection to Dr. Hale?”
Olivia gave a small shrug and wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. “I don’t know. Maybe? She never said anything.”
Eli stayed silent, but in his gut, he was already sure. Hale had said he treated Vivian years ago. That meant she had to know who he was. And if she knew that much, what else had she known?
Delaney’s voice stayed soft. “Do you think your mom knew you and Ava were at the institute?”
Olivia looked up, startled. “Why? Do you think she did?”
Delaney opened her mouth, then hesitated. “No,” she said finally.
But Eli heard it. The slight hitch in her tone. That brief pause. It scratched at the edge of his instincts like a warning.
He studied Delaney for a second, then turned his attention back to Olivia. She looked exhausted,confused, and utterly betrayed. But Eli’s thoughts were racing now.
Vivian had been desperate to find the girls. She’d made noise, pushed authorities, hired help. But what if all that effort was smoke and mirrors? What if the search was more for show?
But why would she fake it? What did she gain from pretending to look for her own daughters?
Eli didn’t like the direction his thoughts were heading, but he wasn’t about to ignore them either.
Not anymore.
Hell. Now, he might be chasing his own tail. It was entirely possible that Olivia and Vivian were both victims in this.
Olivia dragged in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. Her hands were still trembling, but the anger in her voice had started to cool.
“I wanted to talk to you both,” she said, glancing between him and Delaney. “To tell you… I didn’t try to hurt Ava. No matter what she said, I swear I didn’t.”
