Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 151

Chapter 151

Victoria’s POV

The jeep idled in the parking lot, directly across from the psychiatric facility.

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I stared through the windshield at the building sitting beneath the dull gray morning sky. It was all concrete, dark-tinted windows, and perfectly trimmed hedges that somehow made the place feel even colder.

It barely looked like a hospital. It looked like the kind of place built to keep people from leaving rather than help them find their way back out.

I sat in the passenger seat, my hand resting over the seatbelt strap as I stared at the main entrance.

Slowly, I turned my head to look at Elijah.

He was staring straight ahead at the steering wheel, his grip on the leather so firm his knuckles were pale.

The reluctance in his posture was almost tangible. He looked like a man standing on the threshold of a room he had spent months trying to lock away forever.

I knew with absolute certainty that if I hadn’t pushed for this, if I hadn’t looked him in the eyes last night and told him it was the right thing to do, he would have burned that envelope and never driven down this road.

“We can turn around right now,” Elijah said softly, his voice low as he turned to face me. “Just say the word. We

can leave.”

I offered him a gentle smile, reaching across the center console to slide my fingers into his.

“No. We’re already here, Eli. Let’s go see her.”

He held my gaze for a long beat, searching my face for any sign of hesitation. Finding none, he nodded slowly.

He cut the engine, stepped out into the crisp air, and walked around to open my door, extending a hand to help me down.

I took it, holding on tightly as we walked toward the heavy glass doors together.

Inside, the atmosphere was thick with the smell of floor wax, clean linen, and heavy antiseptic.

We passed through a secure security check where a guard checked our IDs before directing us down a quiet hallway into the central visitor’s lounge.

The room was bright but muted, furnished with heavy vinyl armchairs, soft carpet, and a glass-enclosed reception desk near the far wall.

A woman was already sitting on one of the armchairs near the back, her fingers clutching a paper cup coffee.

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Chapter 151

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The moment the receptionist gestured in our direction, the woman rose from her chair and slowly walked

over.

As she got closer, I finally got a good look at her.

Trinity’s mother looked exhausted.

Her hair had been twisted into a messy clip that seemed like it had been thrown together without a second thought.

Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her face had the washed-out look of someone who hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in a long time.

She couldn’t have been very old. But worry had aged her.

It showed in the way she carried herself, in the tired slump of her shoulders, and in the sadness clung in her

eyes.

When her eyes landed on Elijah, a heavy exhale escaped her lips, her shoulders dropping as if a massive rock had just been lifted off her chest.

Elijah and I stood up as she approached.

“Elijah,” Mandy breathed, her voice raspy. She took a step closer, her arms rising slightly. “You actually came.”

She reached out, clearly asking for a hug. Elijah stayed rigid, his entire body locking up, his eyes dropping to the floor between them. He didn’t move to embrace her.

I reached out, giving Elijah’s hand a subtle, firm squeeze against my side.

Feeling the reminder, Elijah took a short step forward, wrapping his arms around Mandy’s shoulders for a brief, distant second before stepping right back out of her space.

“I can’t tell you what this means to me,” Mandy said, wringing her hands together, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “I didn’t know if you’d even open the letter. I’m just… I’m so thankful you’re here, Elijah. Truly.”

Elijah’s expression remained guarded. He shifted his stance, bringing his arm around my waist and pulling me securely against his side.

“You should be thanking her. If it weren’t for Victoria, I wouldn’t be standing in this building.”

Mandy’s eyes slowly drifted off Elijah and landed on me.

I had been prepared for a lot of things-grief, tired appreciation, maybe even a soft, relieved smile. What I didn’t expect was the sudden, frigid drop in her expression.

Her eyes narrowed into tiny, icy slits, scanning my face, my hair, and the way Elijah’s arm was wrapped possessively around my waist.

The desperation on her face vanished, replaced by an ugly, defensive sting.

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Chapter 151

“Your girlfriend?” Mandy asked, her tone dropping into something brittle.

“I think that’s obvious,” Elijah replied emotionlessly.

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Mandy looked me up and down one more time, letting out a short, emotionless laugh that sounded more like a cough.

“Right. Well… I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Though I didn’t think you’d replace Trinity quite so fast, Elijah. Considering the state my daughter is in today is the direct result of how you two ended things.”

Cold air settled in my stomach. The nerve of what she’d just said lingered between us, leaving behind the same uneasy feeling as a bad smell that refused to go away.

Elijah’s jaw set, his brow lowering as a dangerous edge crept into his posture. He was about to snap, but before he could utter a single word, I stepped forward.

I’d spent my entire life around people who used emotional manipulation to mask their true intentions.

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