Chapter 90
Chapter 90
\[AVA\]
The drive to the hospital is filled with a tense silence. None of us says a word—not even Max, who usually has a lot to say about almost everything. My gaze is fixed on the road outside while my mind races to recall everything that has happened so far.
It shouldn't have taken me this long to realize it. This person... the one behind the attacks on me, not once but twice, wasn't a stranger by any means. It was someone I have known for a long, long time. Someone who knew my every weakness like the back of their hand.
My only fault was that I never really thought they could be capable of something so vicious. So maybe when they say you should never judge a book by its cover, they're not kidding.
"Are you okay?" Brian's voice breaks through my thoughts.
I turn to look at him, finding his gaze filled with worry and concern. The sight softens something inside me, and I feel my lips curve into a small smile. "I'm fine. Just... thinking."
"Sure. But don't overthink. This nightmare will end today for sure."
"I know. It has to."
He nods and doesn't say anything after that. I go back to looking out the window.
I don't know what's going to happen once we're at the hospital. I don't know what Sean is going to say. I don't even know how he's going to react to everything I'm about to expose. He is defensive and protective, and this information is going to tear his reality apart just as badly as it tore mine.
I only hope I'm wrong about this. I hope I'm not right about who's behind everything. I am begging the universe to give me another explanation—any other explanation—because if I am right, it'll be a whole new mess altogether. It will change our entire group dynamic forever, and there will be no coming back from that.
When we reach the hospital and get out of the car, Brian comes over to my side, takes hold of my hand, and interlocks our fingers. The gesture is so small, yet filled with so much meaning, that I almost stumble in my tracks. It is exactly the anchor I need right now, grounding me before I have to walk into that room and blow up our lives.
I sneak a peek at him and find his attention fixed straight ahead, frowning gently the way he always does whenever he's too serious about something. He doesn't even seem aware of what he just did, or maybe it just comes naturally to him now to be protective of me—to support me.
Whatever it is, I feel my shoulders sag a little with relief. The weight is still there, but at least I am not carrying it entirely alone.
Just as we're about to enter through the main doors, Max joins us. He went to park the car and is just now catching up.
"Miranda called and said she's waiting for us in Sean's private ward," he tells us, and we both nod.
Together, the three of us make our way to the elevators, then to the fifth floor where Sean's room is. I don't know what to expect. I don't know what I want to expect, either.
The closer we get to the room, the more my nerves start to go haywire. I can feel the tension in my bones—in the air all around me, thick and suffocating.
When we reach the door, Brian knocks softly before pushing it open. He holds it for me, letting me walk inside first.
And I do just that. I take a deep breath and prepare myself for what's about to happen next.
Inside, I see Miranda sitting on a chair beside the bed, her head resting on Sean's hand. Aaron is standing by the glass window, and Coraline is in the opposite corner, her eyes closed as if she's trying to catch a quick nap.
As soon as the door clicks shut behind us, everyone in the room turns to look at us. The moment their eyes land on me, their expressions change.
For Aaron, it's curiosity. For Miranda, it's surprise. And for Coraline, it's something between annoyed and... something else that I can't decipher.
But it's Sean who captures my attention the most. The moment his gaze locks with mine, it's like the whole world falls away. There's so much I want to say to him, but I don't know where to start. Hell, I don't even know if he'll listen to me after what I'm about to do.
He's probably going to hate me this time. I just know it.
I take a deep breath, trying to keep my composure, and walk up to him. "How are you feeling?"
Sean's eyes flicker with something warm and kind. He smiles a little, but I can still tell that he's in pain. "Like I've been hit by an alien truck."
I smile. "Why the alien?"
He groans. "Because the pain is out of this world without the good meds."
Behind me, Miranda snickers, but I still manage to catch her eyes brimming with tears.
Sean takes my hand in his, brushing his thumb over the back of my palm. "Aaron told me what happened last night. Are you sure you're okay? You could have just texted instead of coming all the way here."
I pat his hand with my other hand, nodding. "I'm fine, really. But I didn't come today just to pay you a visit."
Before he can ask what I mean by that, I continue. "I figured out who's behind the threats and the attacks."
"What? Are you serious?" he asks, almost forgetting that he's the one admitted with a cracked skull. He winces when he tries to sit up, his grip on my hand tightening. "Who is it? Who the hell is it?"
Miranda instantly tenses.
Aaron's eyes narrow.
Coraline's expression becomes guarded.
And Sean... he just watches me, his face a canvas of curiosity laced with fury.
"It's someone we all know," I continue, my heart pounding in my chest. "Someone we never thought could be capable of something like this."
Sean looks around the room, studying each of our faces as if trying to figure it out himself.
I spare him the pain of coming to that realization.
I look over my shoulder at Miranda and feel Sean's grip tighten even more.
Miranda, on the other hand, stiffens at my gaze. "What? No! That's not me. Why would I hurt my own son?"
I let go of Sean's hand and walk around the bed to reach Miranda. I take her trembling hands in mine and give them a gentle squeeze.
"I'm sorry, Miranda. You have been so good to me. But I can't let this go either. This needs to end now."
Tears pour down Miranda's face as she shakes her head. "No. That's not me. I didn't, Ava... you have to believe me."
"I never said it was you."
Miranda freezes, staring at me in total shock. I turn away from her, letting my gaze land directly on the opposite corner of the room.
"Because it's Coraline."