LOGINThe room was still.
Harvey hesitated for a moment before he turned abruptly, walking away, his footsteps loud against the hallway.Nathan remained motionless near her bed, his hand still on the railing.Ashley turned her face to the wall, her breathing uneven. "Please, Nathan. Go."He did not budge at first. He regarded her with eyes that softened, his gaze caught between leaving and staying.But finally, he whispered, "Alright."He retreated without a word, his footsteps heavy against the floor, his chest heavy with guilt and something deeper that he could not name.The door clicked shut behind him.Ashley rolled back against her pillow. Her hands were trembling. Her heart ached too much to bear.She didn't know who to believe, but she knew that something in her core had shifted. Nathan's silence pained her more than Harvey's words. And"I know," she said quietly. "However, he is currently in a hospital room and I am already in this hospital. If I walk away, I will think about it every night. I cannot ignore this."Nathan sat down next to her. "You are too kind for your own good."She smiled at him calmly. "Being kind is not being weak, Nathan. Being kind is something I choose because it feels right."Nathan let out a long, slow sigh. "I am afraid this will hurt you again.""It may," she said. "But I survived worse. I survived being shot. I survived everything Kimberly attempted to do. I can handle this conversation."Nathan put his head in his hands, and rubbed his temples. "I want to go with
Kimberly's demeanor changed. She looked both confused and angry. "You think you're strong," she said. "But you are really breaking."Ashley looked at Kimberly with a peaceful gaze. "We all break. The difference is how we stand up again."With that, Ashley turned and walked away. Her shoulder ached, but her step was steady. There was no sense of victory, only relief. It was amazing how sometimes peace felt like pure exhaustion.Later that night, Nathan came to Ashley's room. Mia let him enter the room cautiously. He immediately came to Ashley, who was sitting in the room with a cup of warm tea."Hi," he said as he stopped in front of her. "I heard you met with Kimberly."
For the first time in weeks, she didn't feel alone. The pain existed, and the fear continued to exist, but his presence filled the room with something she'd missed more than she cared to admit.They remained like that, hand in hand, while the dangers and truths of the world outside the hospital room continued to evolve. Within the confines of the room, the gap between them narrowed, piece by delicate piece.---Light from the hospital room dawned softly and slowly upon Ashley. An hour had passed since she awoke, and she lay still with her eyes half-closed listening to the muted sounds of the nurses as they moved through the corridors. The quiet offered her space to think, although the thoughts that arose were varied and frequently heavy. She glanced at her bandaged shoul
When the event concluded, Ashley stepped outside to the courtyard for some fresh air. The sun touched her face gently, yet she felt cold, despite the warmth. Ashley wrapped her arms around her body, and she took deep breaths. Ashley wanted to return to the estate and rest. She also wanted to call Mia, simply to hear a familiar voice.As Ashley removed her phone from her pocket, she heard a loud cutting sound through the air. At first, Ashley believed the sound was from construction equipment on the street. Then she heard another louder cutting sound, followed by a scream. Ashley froze for a moment. Her instincts told her to retreat towards the building, but she was too slow.A number of men burst through the gates. They were wearing black clothing that resembled no official uniform. Their actions were quick, and focused. Ashl
Mia hesitated for a moment before taking the envelope. "I will give it to her when she awakens."Nathan nodded once. "Thanks."Nathan got in his car, and looked at the house where he had been, for quite some time. He then pulled off of the estate's property, and watched as the lights from the house faded from view in his rearview mirror. His heart was heavy, the ache inside his chest growing with each passing mile. Nathan told himself he wouldn't rest until he had dug up the whole truth. If someone had taken his blood sample, Nathan would find them. If Kimberly had lied to him, Nathan would reveal every part of the lie. He had lost Ashley the first time due to fear. Nathan wasn't going to lose Ashley a second time because of silence.Back at the house, Mia stood near the
She slowly nodding, "Yes. The same paramedic whose name you asked about earlier."Jake gripped the papers tightly in his hand. "Can you scan these and send them to me?"The nurse left the room after agreeing to do so.Jake sat back in his chair, rubbing his forehead. "If this person has Nathan's blood, and someone wants to use it for testing purposes, it will definitely match. Even if Nathan had nothing to do with Kimberly."A twist formed inside of him. This meant someone had created a perfect lie.Jake whispered to himself, "But why."He decided to look into Kimberly's phone records next. He called a fri







