Chapter 63 TOO LATE TO SAVE HER TWICE
I stepped inside slowly and found Zoe lying back against her bed. Surprise immediately flashed across her face when she saw me walking in.
“Nancy?” she called out, her voice filled with uncertainty.
“Hi, Zoe,” I greeted softly as I moved closer and sat beside her.
“You were the one who saved me and brought me to the hospital?” she asked, shock still evident in her expression.
“Fortunately… yes,” I replied, my gaze lingering on the bruises scattered across her face. My chest tightened painfully at the sight, but I forced a gentle smile onto my lips.
A broken cry suddenly escaped her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her shoulders trembled.
“Thank you so much for saving me, Nancy,” she sobbed. “I was so scared. I thought I would never make it out of there… when the guy with the black mask abducted me.” Her voice cracked as she struggled to breathe through her tears.
“Did you say the guy with the black mask?” I asked carefully, remembering all too well that Gary had been the only one wearing a mask among the five men.
Zoe nodded slowly, her sobs beginning to subside.
“Was he the one who brought you to that house?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied, wiping the tears from her cheeks with shaky fingers.
“Do you know why he brought you there?” I pressed gently.
But the moment the question left my mouth, her entire body went rigid. The color drained from her face, leaving her pale and trembling. Her eyes lost focus, staring past me as if she had been dragged back into a nightmare she couldn’t escape.
She looked like someone who had just seen a ghost—pure terror and shock filling her gaze.
“Can… can we talk more after I get something to eat?” she asked finally, forcing a fragile smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m really hungry.”
“Okay,” I replied softly, deciding not to push her further. “Is there anything you’d like to eat?”
She shook her head.
“Anything is fine.”
I nodded as I stood to leave.
“Nancy…” she called out just as I reached the door.
I turned back toward her.
“Thank you for coming to save me… and for covering the hospital bills and getting me a private room,” she said, offering me a weak but sincere smile. “I promise I’ll pay you back.”
My brows furrowed slightly, confusion flickering through me, but I quickly masked it.
“It’s okay, Zoe,” I said warmly. “Let’s focus on your recovery… and on making the people who did this to you pay. Okay?”
She nodded faintly, and I returned her smile before stepping out of the room.
But as I walked past the receptionist’s desk, Zoe’s words echoed inside my mind.
Covering the hospital bills.
I slowed to a stop.
I hadn’t paid for anything. And neither the doctor nor the receptionist had mentioned payment earlier.
That was… strange.
Shaking off the thought for the moment, I decided to get the food first before returning to ask about it.
I crossed the street toward the restaurant, still unsure what to order. After scanning the menu and debating for a few minutes, I eventually settled on chicken noodle soup—something warm and easy for her to stomach.
The takeout was prepared quickly, and I headed back to the hospital, this time walking straight toward the receptionist’s desk.
“Hi, I wanted to ask about Zoe’s hospital bills,” I said.
“Miss Zoe’s bills have already been settled,” she replied after typing briefly on her computer.
“Do you mind telling me who paid them?” I asked.
“Oh, it was a man who claimed he was with you,” she said casually. “But he left almost immediately afterward.”
Her words made my stomach tighten.
Jaxon.
It had to be him.
I didn’t know how I felt about it. Gratitude mixed with irritation, confusion tangling tightly inside my chest. I just couldn’t understand him.
“Thank you,” I said quietly before turning and heading upstairs.
But just as I approached Zoe’s ward, the door suddenly burst open.
Zoe staggered out, her body trembling violently before collapsing onto the floor right in front of me.
“Zoe!” I shouted, rushing forward.
Blood gushed from her mouth, spilling across the polished hospital tiles as her body convulsed weakly.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs as panic seized every nerve inside me.
Panic surged through me as I dropped the takeout I was holding and sprinted toward her.
“Zoe! Zoe, what’s wrong with you?” I cried, dropping to my knees beside her as her blood-soaked hands clutched mine desperately.
“Zoe! Someone help!” I screamed, my voice echoing frantically through the hallway.
A broken sob tore from her throat as her grip on my hand tightened painfully. Her eyes locked onto mine, filled with raw terror and desperate pleading.
“Nancy… what’s happening to me?” she cried, her voice trembling uncontrollably. “The doctor said I was fine. Please tell me what’s happening to me. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die!” Her screams rang in my ears as violent coughs wracked her body, sending more blood spilling from her mouth.
“Zoe, look at me,” I urged, trying to steady my own shaking voice. “I need you to calm down and take a deep breath with me. You’re going to be fine, okay? But I need you to breathe. Just breathe.”
Her breaths became shallow and uneven, her pupils dilating as her gaze remained fixed on mine, as if I were the only thing anchoring her to life.
“They’re going to kill us all…” she whispered, her voice barely audible now, fragile and fading. “I saw it… They wanted all of us dead because we witnessed it. The drugs… the dead bodies… it was everywhere…”
Her words struck me like lightning, leaving me frozen in pure shock as tears instantly blurred my vision.
“Oh my God! What happened to her?” The doctor’s alarmed voice broke through the chaos as she rushed over with several nurses trailing behind her. They immediately surrounded Zoe, pushing equipment closer as they began working frantically.
But Zoe’s grip on my hand slowly weakened… her fingers loosening, slipping away from mine. Her gaze, once filled with terror and desperation, began to dull until her hand fell lifelessly to her side.
“We need to get her in now! She’s not responding to the oxygen!” someone shouted urgently.
My entire body went numb as I collapsed onto the floor, unable to move, unable to breathe. My eyes remained glued to Zoe’s still body as they rushed her away, her half-open eyes frozen in my direction… as if she were still looking at me, even as life slipped away from her.