Signed in Blood: The Price of Secrets

Pt~14 Oblivion

Caleb's POV

I arrived early at the office, needing time to collect my thoughts. Everything between me, Ronan, and Nicolai had been weighing heavily on my mind. More than anything, I wanted to talk to Nicolai today.

Yesterday, I'd spent the entire day alone at home. Jungkook had left, claiming he had somewhere to be. But when two hours passed, and I called him, his excuses didn't sit right with me. He's a terrible liar, and something felt off.

And then there was Nicolai. He hadn't visited Ronan since he came back, even though he used to be closest to him—along with Adrian. I'd expected him to show up, even if only for Ronan's sake. But he didn't. What bothered me more was learning that Jungkook had lied—Nicolai had, in fact, told him about Ronan leaving New Zealand after Mira's death. Yet Jungkook had kept that from me.

Now, I was torn. Should I meet Nicolai in person after all these months or just call? The thought made me nervous, which surprised me. There was a time when Nicolai was like family—he used to cook for us, and we spent hours together. Now, we were nothing more than distant strangers.

After clearing my head, I picked up the receiver and dialed his office phone. The handset felt heavier than usual, and so did my heart. Every ring added to the unease twisting in my chest. Was he going to answer? Or, like always, ignore me?

Then, finally—

"Hello?" His voice came through, hurried.

It had been so long since I last heard it. We'd all tried reaching out before, only to be ignored so many times that we gave up. It was humiliating, a slap to our self-worth. But no matter how much we tried to move on, none of us truly did.

I remembered asking Adrian if I should go see Nicolai in person. He always said the same thing: to consider Nicolai's perspective, to let it be, to accept that there was another side to the story—his side.

"Hello, Nicolai?" I tried to sound indifferent.

"Oh, hey, Caleb. How are you doing?" His voice was light, casual, as if nothing had ever happened—as if he hadn't ignored our calls, as if he hadn't vanished from our lives.

It stung.

"Where are you rushing off to?" I asked, masking the hurt in my voice.

"Nowhere. I just stepped out of my cabin to take your call. So, what's up?"

Stepped out? Why? Was someone listening in on him? Why couldn't he talk freely in his own office?

"I—just don't be mad at me, alright?" I took a breath. "I'm younger than you, but just hear me out. Why did you cut us off? Don't you know what you meant to us? At the very least, you owed us an explanation. We trusted you—we still do. So why, Nicolai? Why didn't you even visit Ronan? You always know things before the rest of us do, so don't tell me you didn't hear about him coming back. What's so damn urgent in your life that you're treating us like strangers? Like we're some obsessed stalkers who don't know when to quit?

"We've been talking to a wall, Nicolai. It's like you're making me doubt whether we ever mattered to you. Because we—"

My voice wavered, and I hadn't even noticed until he cut me off.

"Caleb, I know Mira's death hit you the hardest. Then Ronan leaving. And... then me. But listen to me—the trust we have in each other might be the only thing keeping us alive right now. You trust me enough to know I wouldn't abandon you all for nothing. Hold on to that trust. I know what I'm saying doesn't make sense, but there's a lot you don't know—"

"I do know." I interrupted. "I know everything. I know about Ronan's family's involvement in Mira's death. I know you helped him flee after it happened."

Silence.

A long, chilling silence.

Then, his voice, low and strained. "Caleb... who told you this?"

I clenched my jaw. "Do I look like a fucking child to you? You're all keeping secrets—planning things while shutting me out. But don't forget, Nicolai, I know all that Mira did. Even Ronan doesn't know things that I do. I'm done being sidelined. I'll handle things my way now. And if you so much as breathe a word about this conversation to anyone... I'll tell them who Sierra is."

A sharp intake of breath. Then—

"CALEB! I DARE YOU TO BRING HER INTO THIS—"

I hung up.

I'd heard enough.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts. I stopped at a name: The Boss.

I pressed call.

After a few rings, an assistant answered. "This is Caleb from The Cross. I need to speak with Iris. Inform the others, too. It's about Mira."