Page 50 of Knox's Boy

My heart hammered against my ribs. I knew who was in that room.

I reached out, my finger hovering over the glass. I knew the passcode; Knox had given it to me weeks ago in case of emergency.0424. My birthday. A detail that usually made me warm now made me want to weep.I unlocked the phone.

The call log was red. Missed calls starting from the moment we left the motel. He hadn't stopped.I went to the voicemail. The inbox was full.

My thumb trembled as I pressed play on the most recent one. I held the phone up to my ear, pressing the speaker against my head.

"...think you're big shit, don't you?"

Finn’s voice. It was raspy, but toxic.

"Stealing my son. I talked to a lawyer, buddy. Yeah. Free legal aid. They said... they said it's grooming. Said I could have you arrested. You want that on the news?”

I gasped. The message ended. I played the next one.

"Hey... look, I didn't mean that before. I'm just hurting. The nurse says I need this prescription when I get out, but the coverage you bought... it don't cover everything. I need five hundred. Just five hundred cash. Tell Florry... tell him his old man is suffering. He won't let me suffer. He's a good boy. I know you made him block me but I’ll contact him."

Next.

"I know all about you, Knox, I got everything from the hospital, so easy, they didn’t even ask questions. I know yournumber, where you live, about your company. You’re ruined, my friend. Ruined."

The phone slipped from my numb fingers, clattering loudly onto the marble counter.

I couldn't breathe. The air in the kitchen had turned solid, pressing in on my lungs.

He was still doing it. Even from a hospital bed, paid for by Knox, he was leaking his toxicity into our lives. And Knox... Knox was absorbing it all. He was taking the threats, the extortion, the abuse, silently filtering it so I wouldn't have to.

He was being accused of grooming? Because of me. Because he picked up a stray who came with too much baggage.

My legs gave out. I slid down the front of the cabinets, my silk pajamas against the wood, until I hit the floor. I pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them, burying my face in them.

I was a tumor in Knox’s life. I brought nothing but chaos and filth and liability. He could lose everything, his reputation, his business, his freedom, just because I existed in his orbit.

The tears came hot and fast, soaking the silk at my knees. I tried to be quiet, biting down on my own arm to stifle the sobs. I rocked back and forth on the cold floor.

The following morning, I stood in the doorway of the kitchen, shivering despite the warmth of the room. I hadn’t slept. I had spent the rest of the night on the floor, then moved to the living room couch, staring blankly at the dark until dawn broke.

Knox was at the coffee machine. He wore his navy silk robe, his hair slightly damp from a shower. He turned, a mug in his hand. He looked very concerned when he saw me.

"Florian?" He set the mug down with a sharpclack. "Good God, look at you. You’re shaking."

I held out his phone. It was heavy in my hand.

"Why didn't you tell me?" My voice cracked, raw from crying silently for hours.

Knox went still. His eyes flicked to the phone, then back to my face. He didn't pretend he didn’t know what this was about. He just straightened, his expression hardening into that protective mask I knew so well.

"You went through my phone," he stated. It wasn't an accusation, just a fact.

"The notifications light nonstop," I rasped. "I saw the logs. I heard the voicemails."

He let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't tell you because there was no utility in you knowing. It’s noise, Florian. Malicious, desperate noise from a man who has lost his grip."

"He's threatening you!" I stepped into the room. "He’s talking about lawyers. About grooming. He’s calling you a predator."

"He can call me whatever he likes," Knox said calmly. "My legal team is already handling it. You're an adult, and you consent to being here. A cease and desist was delivered to his bedside this morning. If he persists, we will pursue a restraining order."

"How did he even get your number?"