All Chapters of Living With the Boy Who Hated Me: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Aya's POVThe ambulance doors slammed shut.The sirens screamed to life.Everything became a blur.A paramedic climbed inside beside Callum while another took the driver's seat. The vehicle lurched forward, throwing me against the wall before racing down the narrow road away from Brinkley Estate."Blood pressure is dropping," one of the paramedics said."Pulse?""Weak.""Oxygen's falling."I gripped Callum's hand tighter.His fingers were cold.Too cold."Sir, we need room to work," the paramedic told me.I didn't move."I'm not leaving him.""You can stay, but don't interfere."I nodded.That was all I was capable of doing.Callum lay motionless on the stretcher, an oxygen mask covering half his face. His chest rose unevenly as the paramedics worked quickly to stop the bleeding from his shoulder.The bullet had gone through.They kept saying that like it was supposed to comfort me.But bullets didn't have to stay inside someone to kill them.One of the paramedics cut away the rest of

Aya's POVNo one spoke.The hospital corridor suddenly felt too small.Too quiet.Too cold.My hands trembled as I stared at the first line of the letter.Dear Helena,My mother had written those words.Not to Richard.Not to Claire.Not to Victor.To Helena.The woman who had ruined her life."It doesn't make sense," I whispered.Detective Cruz remained beside me."Keep reading."I swallowed hard and unfolded the brittle paper.Dear Helena,If you're reading this, then I've finally decided to trust you with the truth.Victor has become reckless. Richard refuses to believe how deep this has become, and Claire is terrified for her family. You're the only person who understands numbers well enough to help me expose everything before innocent people get hurt.My eyes widened.I looked up."My mother trusted her."Claire nodded slowly."They were best friends."I continued reading.I know exposing the ledger will destroy powerful people.But if we stay silent, they'll destroy even more li

Aya's POVThe hospital floor went silent.Even the nurses had stopped screaming.The emergency lights painted the hallway in an eerie red glow, stretching shadows across the polished floor.Callum's fingers tightened around my wrist."Aya..."His face had gone pale."I know that voice."I looked at him."Who is he?"He shook his head."I don't remember."The frustration in his eyes was almost painful."I know I've heard it before."Detective Cruz stepped toward the hospital room door, her pistol raised."Everyone stay back."Richard instinctively moved in front of Claire.The hallway beyond the room was empty.No doctors.No nurses.No patients.Only silence.Then...Footsteps.Slow.Measured.One...Two...Three...They echoed down the corridor without any urgency, as though whoever approached already knew no one could stop him.The voice returned."You've all caused me a great deal of trouble."It wasn't loud.Yet every word carried effortlessly through the hallway.Callum sat strai

Aya's POVAn entire family.The words echoed inside the hospital room long after Callum stopped speaking.Detective Cruz lowered the tablet."No..."She slowly shook her head."That can't be."Callum looked exhausted, but there was certainty in his eyes."It wasn't one person.""I remember now.""There were several of them."Richard stared at his son."What exactly do you remember?"Callum leaned back against the pillows.His breathing remained uneven."I was hiding outside Father's study.""The door wasn't completely closed.""I could hear everyone arguing."He closed his eyes."My father.""My mother.""Eleanor.""Victor.""Helena.""And..."He frowned."...three strangers."The room fell silent."Three?" Cruz asked.Callum nodded."They were older.""They all had the same crest on their rings.""The Hawthorne crest?" I asked."No."He opened his eyes."It was different.""They called each other...""...Benefactor."Richard slowly sat down."My God."Claire looked confused."What is

Aya's POV— E. BenefactorThe signature blurred before my eyes.I read it again.Then again.No matter how many times I looked at it, the name didn't change.E. Benefactor.My fingers tightened around the photograph.Detective Cruz took it from my hands."Where was this taken?""My mother's grave.""When?""Three years ago.""You were alone?""I thought I was."Cruz studied the image.The figure beneath the acacia tree stood too far away for his face to be recognized. He wore a dark overcoat despite the summer heat, his hands hidden inside his pockets.He wasn't looking at the grave.He was looking at me.Richard leaned closer."He followed you before you ever came to Brinkley Estate."Callum frowned."Which means none of this started when Aya came to the estate.""It started years earlier."Claire folded her arms tightly."No.""It started before Eleanor died."Silence settled over the room.For the first time, I realized something horrifying.I had never been investigating my mother