Chapter 150 Eliot is alive

Chapter 150 Eliot is alive
Chapter 151

Ryan's POV

I sneaked out of the house as quietly as I could, making sure none of the guards noticed me before I disappeared into the street. I knew going to Eliot's house was risky, especially after everything that had happened, but I needed answers. I needed to know where my friend was and whether my mother had anything to do with what happened to him.

I arrived at the Eliot's house and quietly slipped inside, heading straight to his room. I pushed the door open and froze.

The room was empty.

I scanned the room with a wary glance, looking for anything suspicious. Everything seemed clean and perfectly arranged, but that was exactly what bothered me.

Eliot was one of the most disorganized people I knew. His room was always scattered with papers, cartons, pencils, pieces of wood and whatever else he used for his ridiculous little projects. He was always sketching boats, shops, warships and sometimes building them out of cartons as though he was preparing to become an engineer overnight.

His bed was usually covered with papers, and his desk was never visible because of the amount of things piled on it.

But now?

Everything was clean.

Too clean.

I slowly walked toward his desk and touched it. There wasn't a single piece of paper on it.

"What happened here?" I whispered.

My stomach tightened.

This wasn't Eliot's room anymore. It looked like someone had deliberately cleaned it.

I opened one of the drawers, but there was nothing useful inside. I checked another one and found a few pencils, an old notebook and some scraps of paper. I picked up the notebook and flipped through it, but most of the pages contained drawings of ships and buildings.

Then I heard something downstairs.

I immediately put the notebook back and stepped toward the door.

Someone was talking.

I quietly opened the door and moved toward the staircase. I stayed close to the wall as I descended, careful not to make a sound.

When I reached the middle of the staircase, I heard a woman's voice.

Eliot's mother.

She sounded furious.

"I already told him to stay away from that boy," she said over the phone. "I told him to stop associating with that serpent's son, but he wouldn't listen."

My brows creased.

That serpent's son?

I knew exactly who she was talking about.

Me.

I remained still, listening.

"He wouldn't listen to anything I said," she continued. Her voice cracked. "Eliot loved Ryan. He wouldn't stop talking about him and defending him."

My heart sank.

I had never realized how much Eliot had defended me.

I had always known he was loyal, but I didn't know he had gone against his own family because of me.

Eliot's mother suddenly broke down crying.

"And what did my son get in return?" she asked bitterly. "An accident. My son has been lying in a hospital bed for days because of that boy's problems."

My fingers curled around the railing.

Accident?

Hospital?

I held my breath.

She continued crying."The police came here asking questions. They said my son was involved in a hit and run. They said he ran over a little girl."

My heart stopped.

I almost lost my balance.

"What?"

The word escaped my lips before I could stop myself.

Eliot's mother suddenly went silent.

I quickly covered my mouth and stepped back into the shadows.

There was silence downstairs.

Then she spoke again.

"Yes, the police came. They asked about his car, his movements and everything he did that night. My son can't even defend himself because he's unconscious."

My chest tightened.

Eliot.

He had been unconscious all this time.

And the car...

My car wasn't even mine.

It belonged to Eliot.

The realization hit me so hard that I had to grab the railing to steady myself.

My mother had known.

She had known the car belonged to Eliot.

She had known he was with me.

She had known the police could trace everything back to him.

And now Eliot was lying in a hospital bed while I was the one being arrested.

"Why him?" I whispered.

I felt tears burning behind my eyes.

Eliot had done nothing wrong.

He had simply helped me.

He gave his car out because I needed it.

And now he was paying for my mother's war against me.

I slowly stepped out of the shadows.

"Mum?”

She turned around sharply.Her eyes widened when she saw me.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then her face hardened.

"You."

I swallowed."Where is Eliot?"

She stared at me with tears still running down her cheeks.

"Why are you here?"

"I came to see him."

"You shouldn't have come."

"Please," I said, stepping closer. "Tell me where he is."

She laughed bitterly."Why do you suddenly care?"

My jaw tightened."Because he's my friend."

"Your friend?" Her voice rose. "Look at what your friendship has done to him."

I flinched."I didn't know."

"You didn't know?"

She wiped her tears angrily."My son is lying in a hospital bed because he refused to listen to me. I begged him to stay away from you."

"I never asked him to get involved in any of this."

"But he did!"

"I know."My voice cracked."And I'm sorry."

She stared at me.

I lowered my head."I didn't know my mother would do this."

Her expression changed slightly.

"Your mother?"

I looked up."She has something to do with this."

The room fell silent.

She looked frightened."What are you talking about?"

"My mother has been trying to control me for years. She framed me for the hit and run, and now she's trying to force me into something I don't want."

"Then why is my son suffering?"

"I don't know."

I clenched my fists."But I'm going to find out."

She stared at me for several seconds before looking away.

"Eliot is in St. Vincent's Hospital."

My heart sank.

"Is he..."

"Alive."

I exhaled shakily."Thank God."

"But he's still unconscious."

I nodded."Can I see him?"

She hesitated."Why?"

"Because I need to apologize."

She shook her head."You should stay away from him."

"I understand why you're angry."

"No, you don't."

Her voice trembled."You don't understand what it feels like to sit beside your child every day and wonder if he's going to open his eyes."

I looked down."I know what it feels like to lose someone."

She stared at me.

"My father died because of my mother."

Her eyes widened.

I swallowed hard."I don't want Eliot to become another person I couldn't save."

She didn't respond.

I took a step toward the door.

"I'll go."

She suddenly spoke."Ryan."

I stopped.

"If anything happens to my son, I swear I'll make sure your family pays for it."

I turned around slowly.

She was staring directly at me."An eye for an eye."

I nodded."I understand."

I walked out of the house, but my mind was already somewhere else.

Eliot was alive.

That was the only good news.

But he was unconscious because of me.

I pulled out my phone and stared at the screen.

There were several missed calls.

Most were from unknown numbers.Then I saw one message from my mother.

Come home. We need to talk.

I laughed bitterly.

‘Of course.’

She already knew.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket and started walking.My mind kept returning to Eliot's mother's words.

I told him to stay away from that serpent's son.

Why had she called my mother a serpent?

What exactly did she know?

And why had my mother been so desperate to keep Eliot away from me?

I stopped in the middle of the street.

Something suddenly occurred to me.

The accident hadn't only been about the little girl.

Maybe Eliot had been a target too.

My mother knew Eliot was loyal to me. She knew he would never betray me.

And if she wanted to break me, hurting the people around me was the easiest way.

I clenched my fists.

"You're not going to get away with this."

I didn't know whether I was talking to my mother or myself.

I needed to see Eliot.

I needed to find that little girl.

And most importantly, I needed to discover what my mother was hiding before someone else paid the price for it.