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Chapter_165
Whitney’s heart raced as Keegan slammed the cabin door with a force that rattled the walls. The sound echoed through the small, dim room, reverberating in her chest like a warning. She rushed over, hands shaking, desperate to pull the door open, but it didn’t budge.
“Uncle?!” she cried out, her voice tight with fear and confusion. “What are you doing? Open the door!”
Keegan stood motionless, his back to her, his expression unreadable. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his gaze remained fixed on the cabin walls. The silence between them grew thick, suffocating. Whitney’s breath quickened, panic rising in her chest.
“Keegan, please! We need to go. We need to find Mom!” The words tumbled out, strained and urgent, but his response was cold, distant.
He finally turned, his eyes locking with hers, and for the first time, Whitney saw something unfamiliar—a coldness that made her stomach twist in dread. There was no warmth left in him, no hint of the man who had once been her protector.
“I can’t let you go,” he said quietly, his voice low and heavy with finality. “I won’t let you make the same mistakes I did.”
Whitney’s breath hitched, confusion clouding her thoughts. “What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Please, Uncle, you’re not making sense.”
Keegan’s lips curled into a bitter, almost cruel smile. “You don’t understand, do you? All this time, I’ve been chasing after a dream, believing I could fix everything. But I’ve only made it worse. And now, you’re on the same path. I can’t let you destroy yourself too.”
Whitney recoiled, her chest tight with emotion. “Uncle, this isn’t you. Please, we have to leave. We have to help Mom!”
Keegan’s expression softened for a moment, the faintest flicker of the man she once knew. But it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He straightened, his posture hardening once more.
“You don’t get it, Whitney. You’re too close to the edge. If you go out there, you’ll make things worse—for you, for your mother, for all of us.” His words were a sharp, painful dismissal, the finality of his tone making her blood run cold.
Whitney’s mind reeled. Was this really happening? The man who had raised her, who had always been there, was now shutting her out when she needed him the most.
“Keegan… please…” she whispered, stepping forward, her voice breaking with desperation. “I need your help. I can’t do this alone.”
But Keegan didn’t move, his face hardening into an expression she didn’t recognize. “I’m not helping you with this. You have to make your own choices, but you’ll regret it. If you keep going down this path, it’ll only end in pain. For all of us.”
Tears welled in Whitney’s eyes, but she quickly wiped them away, her body trembling with the weight of his rejection. “Uncle, please. Let me go. I have to find Mom. I can’t lose her.”
For what felt like an eternity, Keegan didn’t speak, his eyes distant, lost in thought. Then, with a long, heavy sigh, he walked over to the door and unlocked it, his movements slow, deliberate.
“Go,” he said quietly, almost resigned. “But know this—you’re walking into something you can’t control.”
Whitney hesitated, staring at him, searching his eyes for any trace of the man who had always been her rock. But there was nothing. No comfort. No reassurance. Just pain, regret, and a quiet surrender.
With a final glance, she pushed the door open, stepping out into the cold night air, her heart weighed down by an overwhelming sense of uncertainty.
As she moved through the woods, the sounds of the night seemed to close in around her. But the only thing that mattered now was finding her mother and making sure she was safe.
Keegan’s words echoed in her mind, his warning lingering like a shadow. But she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t turn back now.
With every step, she pushed forward, her resolve hardening. She had to find Natalie before it was too late.
The road ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear—she couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
