Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains (Victoria and Elijah) novel Chapter 179

What Have You Done, Carter?

Elijah’s POV

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The moment Victoria slammed into my chest, her entire frame shaking with harsh sobs, something inside my head snapped clean in two.

I didn’t ask questions. I didn’t need to. Hearing her sound that broken, seeing the raw, ruined look on her face. as she pressed into my neck, was all the explanation I needed.

Months of holding myself back, months of watching that pathetic bastard drag her through hell while I stayed in my lane, burned down to ash in a split second.

I felt her relax just a fraction in my hold, her hands clutching at the back of my shirt.

Gently, I peeled her off me. I didn’t say a word as I pushed her sideways, shoving her firmly into Miles and

Nate’s arms.

“Hold her,” I commanded, my voice flat, cold, and devoid of life.

Before anyone could move or react, I lunged forward.

Caleb had just cleared the top step of the stairs, his breathing heavy, his face pale as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Tori, I-”

I didn’t let him finish. I drove my right fist straight into his jaw with everything I had behind it.

The impact cracked through the narrow hallway like wood splitting.

Caleb’s head snapped sideways, his knees buckling instantly as he crashed hard against the wall before sliding down onto the floorboards.

“Elijah!” Nate yelled from behind me, his boots scraping against the floor as he tried to step forward.

I didn’t listen. I stepped over Caleb, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and hauled him back up only to slam him against the wall again.

I brought my left fist down across his mouth, feeling his lip split under my knuckles.

“You fucking coward!” I roared, the anger tearing out of my throat. “You think you can keep messing with her?! You think you can keep pulling this sick, manipulative shit with her?!”

Caleb coughed, blood pooling in the corner of his mouth as he raised a trembling hand to block his face.

“Eli… wait… let me explain-”

“Explain what?!” I spat, driving another punch clean into his cheekbone. “Explain how you’ve been using her for years?! Explain why she’s crying her eyes out right now?!”

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11:32 Tue, Aug 25

Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains

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I raised my fist to hit him again, my knuckles bruised and burning, when the hallway erupted into noise.

Doors slammed open down the corridor. Adele, Lexi, Nova, Jace, and Fallon came spilling out into the hallway, taking in the scene with wide, terrified eyes.

“Oh my God,” someone whispered nearby.

“Elijah, what are you doing?! You’re going to kill him!” Adele screamed, clapping her hands over her mouth.

“Bro, pull off! That’s enough!” Miles shouted from behind me.

Through the red haze blurring my vision, I glanced back for a fraction of a second.

Miles was holding Victoria, his hands resting on her shoulders to keep her grounded.

She only stared at me, eyes wide and distant as tears slipped silently down her cheeks.

She didn’t move to stop me. She didn’t call my name or tell me to let him go.

That emptiness hit me harder than anything else.

In the past, no matter how badly Caleb upset her or made her angry, Victoria was always the first one to step in, to defend him, or to save him.

But now, she just stood there, looking completely detached, as if the bond between them had finally snapped and she simply didn’t care anymore.

She was so deeply hurt, so completely drained, that she was just letting it all crumble.

A fresh surge of rage hit my chest. I turned back, reaching out with my left hand to wrap my fingers tightly around Caleb’s neck, pinning him hard against the drywall.

His eyes were wide, blood gushing down his chin, his breath coming in ragged, desperate hitches.

“What did you do to her, Ashfield?” I hissed, leaning down until I was inches from his bloody face. “Tell me what you said to make my girlfriend cry like that!”

Caleb swallowed hard, his throat working against my grip.

“Vic… Victoria…” he wheezed out, looking toward her.

That instinctive way he reached for her, as though she would always be there to save him no matter what he did, only made my anger worse.

He still expected her to be his safety net, and the thought made my stomach burn.

“Don’t you dare call her name!” I roared, my grip tightening on his windpipe before I pulled my fist back to shatter his jaw.

“Elijah, please!”

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11:32 Tue, Aug 25

Do Not Fall For The Baseball Captains

“Elijah, stop it!”

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Lexi and Nova rushed forward together, their voices high and alarmed. Lexi reached out, her hands hovering near my arm, her entire body shaking with fear as she stared at the blood on Caleb’s face.

Nova stepped right alongside her, her pale face tight with panic.

I could feel the terror radiating off both of them, but it did nothing to cool the fire in my veins.

All I could see was Victoria’s face; the sad, exhausted look she had been carrying around for years because of this guy.

Nova glanced at Lexi for a quick second, her lips moving as she whispered something low, before Nova stepped back a pace, realizing they couldn’t physically pull me off him.

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!”

Coach Miller’s deep, booming voice echoed down the stairwell, cutting through the chaos like thunder.

Natasha appeared right behind him, stepping into the hallway. The moment her eyes landed on Caleb slumped against the wall under my fist, a loud gasp escaped her lips.

“Jesus Christ!”

Coach Miller took three heavy strides forward, his face dark with absolute authority.

“Carter! Let go of him right now!”

My chest heaved, my knuckles white as I kept my grip locked around Caleb’s throat. My teeth were clenched so tight my jaw throbbed.

“Elijah. Release him. Now,” Coach repeated, his voice dropping into a stern tone.

Out of respect for the man who had stood by me for four years, I slowly uncurled my fingers from Caleb’s

neck.

Caleb instantly collapsed onto his hands and knees, coughing violently and wiping blood off his mouth onto the wooden floorboards.

Coach Miller stood between us, looking around at the crowded, silent hallway.

“What is happening here, guys? This is not why we came on this trip. We came out here to relax and get our minds right before the draft–not to ruin your futures and tear each other apart like wild animals.”

Nobody said a word. The entire team stood frozen under his glare.

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