Chapter 7: Finding the Truth

INDIE

“You're hiding something from me, Jesper. Don't even think about denying it.”

His voice hit my ears the moment I answered his call the next morning. I stood by the bedroom window, holding my phone with a slightly trembling hand, just as Tristan and I had planned the night before. Jesper sounded uneasy on the other end. His breathing came rapidly through the microphone, and the usual calculated calmness in his voice was gone.

“What do you mean, Indie? I don't understand,” Jesper replied quickly. There was a hint of panic he managed to conceal, but my ears were too sharp to miss it. “Are you starting to ramble again after getting a good night's sleep? Do you want me to come pick you up?”

“Don't try to change the subject,” I said coldly, forcing my voice to remain steady. “I feel like we used to be very close. Is that true, Jesper?”

Jesper's voice almost trembled, but he tried to sound calm.

“Do you remember something?”

Jesper fell silent on the other end. A long pause hung between us, making my heart race faster. I glanced toward the firmly closed bedroom door, making sure there were no footsteps outside.

“Don't talk nonsense,” Jesper finally replied, sounding unnaturally stiff. “Don't listen to anyone. Stay there with Tristan. You're safe with him.”

“Safe?” I let out a bitter laugh, deliberately trying to provoke him. “How am I supposed to feel safe when my own boyfriend seems to be hiding the truth about the accident?”

“Jesper, I feel like we really were close once.”

“Indie, stop it. You're my friend Tristan's girlfriend. You need to remember that. I don't want my friendship with Tristan to fall apart.”

Jesper snapped, his voice rising several notches.

“I already told you to remember your place. Don't let your twisted imagination ruin everything.”

The call abruptly disconnected. The busy signal buzzed in my ear. I lowered my hand and stared at the dark phone screen, my jaw tightening. Jesper was starting to lose control, and that was a good sign.

The bedroom door opened without a knock, revealing Tristan as he stepped inside wearing a black leather jacket, his expression alert. He had just returned from checking some records at the hospital where I'd been treated. A trace of the cold air outside seemed to follow him into the room.

“I could hear him shouting through the door. Did you deliberately put the call on speaker?” Tristan asked quietly as he walked toward me with steady steps. “What did he say this time?”

“He panicked as soon as I brought up how close we used to be and mentioned that I felt we'd once been close,” I replied, placing my phone on the small table beside the bed. “He told me to stay here and not listen to anyone. That man is absolutely terrified.”

Tristan narrowed his eyes, studying me carefully.

“He's afraid his secret will come out. The medical records I checked at the old clinic this morning revealed an irregularity in the police report filed after the accident. One of the signature pages was deliberately replaced.”

I held my breath, my chest tightening at the new information.

“Who replaced it?”

“The person who claimed to be your legal guardian at the time.”

Tristan slipped both hands into his trouser pockets and stepped closer, cutting the distance between us in half.

“And that person was registered under Jesper's name. Not a member of your family, and not Liora either.”

My eyes widened as I stared at him. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly falling into place. So Jesper hadn't merely been a boyfriend who neglected me. He was the person who had locked away my identity on paper.

“That bastard...” I whispered, clenching my fists until my nails dug into my palms. “He falsified my status so I couldn't access anything after the accident.”

Tristan hesitantly reached out and touched my clenched wrist. The warmth of his hand sent a sudden rush through me. He drew a deep breath, his eyes fixed on mine without looking away for even a second.

“Don't do anything reckless, Indie,” Tristan whispered, his voice much lower and deeper than usual. “We still need evidence, not excuses.”

I looked up and found his face so close that I could see my reflection in his dark eyes. His masculine scent mingled with the cool air clinging to his clothes. My heart betrayed me, beating wildly, no longer because of my anger toward Jesper, but because of the strange flutter rising inside my chest.

“Why are you helping me this much, Tristan?” I asked softly, almost in a whisper. “You could have just let me play along with Jesper's game from the beginning.”

Tristan fell silent for a moment. His firm jaw tightened, and his eyes briefly dropped to my lips before meeting mine again. There was a fierce inner struggle hidden behind his composed expression.

“Because I don't like seeing people being manipulated,” Tristan replied, his voice slightly hoarse.

He slowly withdrew his hand as if only then realizing how close we were. Then he took two steps back.

“Get some rest. Tonight, we're going to the auto repair shop where your old car is being kept.”

Before I could respond, Tristan turned and quickly left the bedroom. The door closed behind him, leaving me standing frozen, my breathing uneven and my heart still racing.

I touched the wrist he'd held, feeling the warmth his hand had left behind.

The cold wall between us had finally crumbled, and I knew there was no going back to the way things had been.