Page 88 of Burning Bridges Duet

River is minimizing the video when the first comment catches my eye.

Well, that didn’t age well.

I frown. What the fuck does that mean?

“River, can you open the comment section of the last video real quick?” I ask. He does, and it’s like he opened Pandora’s box.

It’s such a tragedy. They were perfect together.

I always knew he was a psychopath. He has the crazy eyes.

So she’s single now, right?

I don’t give a fuck what they say he did. He can get it anytime.

She asked for it. I mean, why would you leave someone like him? Stuck up bitch.

He didn’t do it, she framed him!

Is it even legal to be that good-looking while murdering people?

“What the…” River says, opening the search engine app on his tablet, and because it’s still connected, we all can see him type “Olivia Baker + Liam Harris” into the search bar and press enter. The headline of the first article that pops up does not bode well.

Judge Rules Canada’s Biggest Talents Star Liam Harris Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity in the Murder of the Baker Family.

The room falls quiet.

“Oh my god,” Ryder whispers.

River taps on the article, and a picture of Liam and Liv smiling at the camera opens at the top of the page.

“Well, that’s just tasteless,” Chase mutters.

TORONTO — Judge McGinty has ruled that accused killer Liam Harris, 20, is not guilty, by reason of insanity, for the murders of Michael Baker, 48, his wife, Samantha, 46, and their son, Theodore, 6, at their home on Forest Hill South in Toronto. Mr. Harris gained access to the Baker’s house under a false pretext after his co-star and longtime girlfriend, Olivia Baker, 20, ended the relationship with the dancer a few hours earlier.

Ms. Baker testified that the relationship had been abusive for some time, but she kept delaying a breakup because she feared for her safety and career. It wasn’t until Mr. Harris became violent toward her little brother, Theodore, that she finally ended things. Mr. Harris stabbed Michael and Samantha Baker to death on sight, then he held Theodore and Olivia captive before fatally stabbing Theodore too. Despite suffering multiple stab wounds, Ms. Baker managed to save herself by jumping out of the third-floor window of the house, but the fall from nearly ten meters shattered her right knee and ended her career.

Two psychologists, one brought in by the state and one hired by the defense, have concluded that during the murders, Mr. Harris was suffering an acute psychotic episode. The experts found he was unable to distinguish right from wrong, meaning he meets the criteria to be acquitted by reason of insanity. Ms. Baker insisted Mr. Harris was not insane when he committed the homicides. She called the findings of the mental health experts outright lies and believes that the handling of his case was an example of rich boy justice. Judge McGinty has ruled that Mr. Harris be involuntarily committed into the custody of the Toronto branch of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Forensic Psychiatry Program for placement in a secured mental health facility for six years, with subsequent re-evaluation.

FOUR

As the pieces click together, the truth hits me like a ton of bricks. Her scar, the nightmares, the constant sadness in her eyes that she can never seem to shake away… Liv lost everything and had to start from scratch. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain she must have gone through and is still suffering from. My heart aches for her.

Jax erupts in frustration, slamming his hands onto his head and tugging at his hair.

“Fuck!” he shouts. “I need to get to the gym. I need to punch something, and I’d rather not rage out at home.”

I’m impressed by his self-awareness. Jax has always struggled with anger issues, which is why he got into MMA fighting, wanting to channel his anger into something productive. The fact that he can communicate his feelings and hold himself back is a huge step for him.

“Sure, bro. Let’s go,” Chase says, standing up and heading towards the door. I glance at Ryder, and we both stand up.

“Coming,” we say simultaneously, following Jax and Chase out of the house.

We’re all sitting in Jaxon’s office after taking turns on the heavy bags. It helped to release our anger and feelings of helplessness, but now we all just feel resigned and unsure of how to help Liv. I don’t know where she is or how to find her. I’m starting to doubt that she left because of Chase. Yes, she was hurt by what she saw, but she wouldn’t just give up and leave after all the hard work she put in to start a new life. Our girl is stronger than that. The fact that she’s still trying to move on and be happy, despite everything she’s been through, shows how resilient she is.

“I still can’t wrap my head around what that article said,” Ryder says, speaking softly into the silence we’re all stuck in. “She’s so fucking brave. I mean, the situation must have been brutal, but to have the strength to jump out of a third-floor window to save yourself... Do you know how high that is? It’s a miracle she even survived.”

“It wasn’t brave, it was just the lesser evil.” Liv appears in the doorway of Jaxon’s office, looking exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes and messy hair. We all jump to our feet.