The Heart Left Behind (Cole and Yvonne) novel Chapter 76

Lorraine seemed to realize her earlier explanation sounded misleading. She quickly corrected herself, "He's my stepmother's son," she said, her tone softening.

I nodded, vaguely recalling her mentioning how complicated her family situation was.

"And?" I prompted.

"He doesn't really have a proper job. All he does is ask for money. My family's decently well-off, but not to the point where we can entertain endless handouts, so…" Lorraine trailed off.

"So, you're all ignoring him, but then he saw the news about you and decided to show up, desperate for cash?"

She sighed, nodding. "Exactly. He's always been persistent like that. This time, though, he just snapped."

"Because of the news?"

"Yes."

I frowned, already piecing together the potential consequences. "If this is how he acts just from seeing news articles, what do you think he'll do if it goes beyond that?"

Lorraine looked apologetic, with guilt written all over her face. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to affect you."

"It's fine," I said, raising a hand to stop her. "Everyone has their messy family stories."

Mine was a perfect example. She had never held my situation against me, so how could I judge hers? But her connection to Sam—no matter how loose—couldn't be ignored.

"Lorraine, this can't keep happening. If he's already this unstable, I don't want to imagine what he'll do if things escalate."

She nodded, though hesitantly.

"I can help you move," I offered, watching her closely. "Somewhere safer. Somewhere he won't find out."

"What are you saying?" Her brows furrowed together in confusion.

"You need a fresh start," I said simply.

Her gaze dropped to her wrist, where faint red marks still lingered from the ropes Sam had tied around her. The sight made my blood boil again.

"I don't want you to keep living in fear of someone like him," I continued.

Lorraine hesitated, her hands twisting together nervously. "It doesn't happen often," she murmured, though we both knew it wasn't true.

"You can't keep taking responsibility for him," I said, cutting through her excuses. "He's not your problem to fix."

I could tell she understood, even if letting go wasn't easy for her.