Chapter 340 Who Was That Woman

Chapter 340 Who Was That Woman
The drive back to Ryan's house was much quieter than the journey there.

But it wasn't a peaceful silence.

They had rescued Derek, but somehow, the mission still felt incomplete.

Rebecca was still missing.

And for Derek, that fact overshadowed everything else.

He sat in the back of the SUV with Ryan beside him, his head resting against the seat and his eyes closed. His body was exhausted, every movement sending a reminder of what he had endured, but none of the physical pain could compare to what was happening inside his chest.

He kept seeing Rebecca. Her face, her frightened eyes the last time he had seen her. Every time he closed his eyes, his mind dragged him back to her.

He didn't know where she was and that was the part he couldn't accept.

If he knew where she was, at least he would have something to hold on to. If he knew she was hurt, he could focus on getting to her. If he knew she was safe, even temporarily, he could breathe.

But he knew nothing and the uncertainty was slowly eating him alive. Though he knew Adrian has her but that wasn't enough. He didn't know how safe she would be if Michael gets to her. For all he knows, Adrian and Michael could he working together or Michael could still be searching for her and she was exposed. 

Derek opened his eyes and stared through the dark window.

"Where is she?"

The question came out so quietly that Ryan almost didn't hear him.

He turned toward him "What?"

"Rebecca," Derek said and swallowed. "Do we have any idea where she is?"

Ryan's expression tightened. "We're still working on it."

Derek looked away. That wasn't the answer he wanted. His fingers curled against his thigh.

"Did you get any signal from her phone?"

"We're trying."

"Trying?"

Derek turned toward him again. His voice was still weak, but there was desperation beneath it.

"Ryan, she's pregnant."

"I know," Ryan said, feeling equally exhausted. 

"No, you don't understand," Derek said, his breathing becoming uneven.

"She was taken while I was right there. I was supposed to protect her."

His voice cracked but he continued. "I don't even know if she's hurt. I don't know if she's eaten. I don't know if she's scared. I don't know if Adrian has done..." He stopped, unable to finish the thought.

His eyes dropped to his hands. For a moment, he simply stared at them.

Then he whispered, "What if something happens to her?"

Ryan's expression softened. "I'm sure Adrian would not hurt her but that's not an excuse. We're going to find her, Derek."

Derek shook his head. "You don't know that."

"We will find her."

"You can't promise me that."

Ryan fell silent and Derek turned toward the window again.

He knew Ryan was trying to comfort him, but comforting words weren't enough.

Rebecca wasn't here and that was all that mattered. He pressed his head harder against the seat and closed his eyes.

He remembered the way Rebecca used to reach for his hand whenever she was nervous.

He remembered her smile. The sound of her voice. The way she had looked at him before everything went wrong.

His chest tightened.

"Please be okay," he whispered.

Ryan glanced at him.

Derek didn't seem to realize he had spoken aloud.

"Please, Rebecca..."

His voice trembled.

"Just be okay."

He swallowed hard, fighting the tears gathering in his eyes.

He didn't want to cry. Not now when he needed to think but the fear was becoming too much.

He had always believed that as long as he was alive, he could protect the people he loved. Yet, now he was alive but he couldn't even protect the woman who needed him most.

That thought hurt more than anything ever could.

Ryan occasionally glanced at him, noticing the pain in the way his friend shifted his body and the way his breathing changed whenever one of his injuries caused him discomfort.

"Just hold on a little longer," he said quietly. "We're almost home. Once we get there, the doctor will examine you properly and make sure none of your injuries are more serious than they look."

Derek opened his eyes.

"I don't need a doctor," he said, his voice devoid of any emotion. 

Ryan shook his head. "You can complain about that tomorrow, because tonight you're getting treated whether you like it or not."

Derek gave him a tired look but didn't argue, he simply turned back toward the window.

He knew he needed medical attention but every second he spent sitting here felt like another second Rebecca was alone.

He couldn't rest, he couldn't sleep because not knowing where she was made the idea of closing his eyes almost impossible.

What if she needed him?

What if she was calling his name?

What if she was frightened and wondering why he hadn't come?

Derek's jaw tightened. "I should have fought harder."

Ryan looked at him.

"Derek..."

"I should have...."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"I was the one who took the blow, and somehow I'm the one sitting here while she's still missing."

"You did what you could."

"No."

Derek shook his head.

"I didn't."

He looked down.

Ryan didn't respond as he didn't know what else to say. 

Derek's thoughts returned to Adrian. The realization still felt like a knife twisting inside him.

He had trusted the wrong person. He had allowed himself to believe a lie and now Rebecca was paying for it.

The vehicles eventually turned into Ryan's compound.

The moment the gates opened, everyone waiting outside became alert.

Amelia stood beside Mrs. Cole and two security personnel near the entrance, while the doctor Ryan had contacted stood nearby with his medical bag.

The moment Amelia saw the SUV, her heart jumped.

She immediately hurried toward it.

The driver parked beside Mrs. Cole's car, and Ryan opened the back door.

Before he could completely step away, Amelia reached him.

"Ryan."

She threw her arms around him.

Ryan immediately held her, closing his eyes for a brief moment as relief washed over him.

"I'm fine," he whispered against her hair.

"I was so worried about you," Amelia murmured, her voice slightly shaky as she tightened her arms around him. Before they had left the house, she had been scared that something might go wrong in the rescue mission, but she hadn't voiced out her worries and concern because she needed Ryan to be focused.

"I know," Ryan murmured back gently. He couldn't help but silently agree that he loved this feeling. This feeling of coming home, knowing someone cared and was waiting for him, he loved and cherished it.

"I kept thinking something might happen to you," Amelia said again, and this time Ryan slowly pulled back enough to look at her face, because he needed to look at her and assure her that nothing had happened to him.

"But I'm here now," he replied softly, leaning over to press a kiss against her forehead before pulling back to look at her. "I'm here with you babe."

Amelia nodded, her eyes moving over his face as though checking for injuries.

"Are you hurt?" she asked gently.

"No, I'm fine," he assured her, giving her a small smile, "but Derek needs medical attention."

At the mention of Derek, Amelia immediately looked past him toward the car, and she could see the security men were already helping Derek out of the vehicle, they supported  him carefully on either side because, although he was determined to walk by himself, his body clearly had not recovered from what he had endured.

Derek stepped down from the SUV, his expression tired but composed, and his eyes immediately moved toward the people standing near the entrance, his eyes landed on the man standing awkwardly a few feet away with a medical bag hanging off his shoulder, he looked past him, and that was when his eyes landed on the woman standing just beside the doctor, and for a moment, his eyes remained on her while Mrs. Cole froze.

The sight of Derek standing there, battered and exhausted but alive, brought an overwhelming mixture of relief and guilt into her heart, and she wanted to approach him, wanted to explain everything, wanted to tell him that she had come because of Rebecca, but the look on Derek's face stopped her before she could take a single step.

While Derek, on his part, said nothing either, he simply looked at her for a few more seconds before turning his attention back to Ryan, who had come back to his side, Ryan noticed the exchange but said nothing, because there would be time for explanations later, for now, he needed Derek inside and resting.

"Let's get you inside," he said, placing a hand carefully on Derek's shoulder.

Derek nodded, and together, they slowly made their way toward the house, with the doctor following closely behind, while Amelia and Mrs. Cole remained behind for a moment.

The moment they entered the house, the doctor stepped forward, ready to examine Derek, but Ryan raised his hand.

"Give us a few minutes first, Doctor, I need to speak with him privately, and after that, you can treat him properly," he said, and the doctor said nothing, just nodded understandingly and stepped aside while Ryan guided Derek down the hallway toward one of the guest rooms.

Derek walked slowly, his body protesting with every step, but he refused to complain, and when Ryan finally opened the guest room door, he entered, walked over to the big bed in the center of the room and sat carefully on the edge of the bed while Ryan closed the door behind them.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence between them, Derek looked around the room briefly before turning his attention back to Ryan, his expression tired but suspicious.

"Who was that woman outside?" he asked, the question that has been gnawing at him since he saw her, because there was something oddly familiar about her, but he just couldn't place his hand on it.

Ryan knew exactly who he was talking about, but he did not answer immediately, instead, he walked toward the small table beside the bed, and after pouring a glass of water, he walked back to the bed and handed the glass to Derek.

"You've been through enough tonight, and before anything else, you need to let the doctor examine you and get some rest."

Derek accepted the glass but did not drink immediately, his eyes remaining fixed on Ryan.

"Don't do that," he murmured, almost sounding annoyed.

Ryan frowned slightly.

"Do what?" he asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Don't give me that calm voice and pretend you haven't heard my question, because I know you, Ryan, and I know that whenever you start avoiding a question like this, it means there is something you don't want me to know yet, so I'm asking you again, who was that woman, and why did she look at me like that?" he asked firmly. 

He had noticed how she looked both uncomfortable and guilty upon seeing him, he knew he hadn't seen her before, because if he had, he would have remembered her, so he wanted to know who she was and why she was there.