Chapter 126

When the ambulance finally arrived, the paramedics rushed to my side, their faces a blur red, white, and blue. They splinted my

arm, easing some of the pain, and assured me that I would be okay. But the fear that had taken root in my heart wouldn’t be so

easily dispelled.

As the ambulance rushed me to the hospital, I couldn’t help but replay the events in my mind. I had narrowly escaped what could

have been a tragic fate, and it left. me with more questions than answers. Why had someone tried to run me down?

Hours passed in the sterile hospital room as doctors examined my arm and took X-rays. The fracture was clean, they said, and I

would need surgery to set it right. The physical pain was excruciating, but it was the emotional turmoil that gnawed

at me.

The hospital room had become my temporary sanctuary, its sterile walls a stark contrast to the chaos that had unfolded in the

city streets just hours ago. I lay on the narrow bed, my arm encased in a bulky cast, the weight of it a constant reminder of my

vulnerability. The doctor had informed me that I'd be stuck with this cast for a while, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of

helplessness settle over

1.me.

My thoughts were interrupted when the door to my room swung open, and in walked Aria, her face etched with concern. She

rushed to my side, her eyes wide with worry.

“Evie, are you okay? What happened?” Aria’s voice quivered with anxiety as she took a seat beside me.

I offered her a weak smile, grateful for her presence. “I’m alive, Aria, so I guess that’s something.

Aria’s brows furrowed as she looked at my arm. “What happened to your arm?”

I sighed, replaying the terrifying events in my mind. “After the interview at J.D. & Associates, I was walking to the parking garage

when I felt like someone was watching me. Then, a voice called my name from the shadows, and a car’s headlights flashed on.”

Aria’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh my God, Evie, that’s terrifying!”

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“They tried to run me down, and I had to jump out of the way, but I broke my arm in the process.”

“Do you know who it was?” she asked.

1 shook my head, a deep sense of unease settling in my gut. “No, I didn’t get a good look at them, and they didn’t say anything

to identify themselves.”

Aria’s expression darkened with worry. “What if it was one of Timothy’s demented fans? We know how obsessed some of them

can get.”

My heart sank at the thought. Aria was right; Timothy had garnered a fan base that ranged from adoring to fanatical. It wouldn't

be the first time I had encountered a creepy admirer of his work.

“It's possible, but I can’t be sure. Bruce is still lurking in the shadows, too. What if this is his doing?”

Aria’s eyes flashed with anger. “Bruce? That man is a snake in the grass. I wouldn’t put it past him to resort to something like

this.”

I nodded, cringing at the sharp spike of pain in my arm. “I just wish I had more to go on. It all happened so fast, and I didn’t see

their face or get a license plate.”

Aria placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “We'll figure it out, Evie. Maybe we'll find a lead.”

After a few moments of silence, Aria looked over at me and furrowed her eyebrows. “Did the job search at least

go well?”

I shook my head, not having the energy to sugar—coat it. “As soon as they found out about Erickson, they told me to leave.”

“Damn,” she said under her breath. She uncrossed her legs, then crossed them again, clearly getting uncomfortable in her seat.

“These people have no shame.”

I let out a sigh, my gaze fixed on the cast that encased my arm. “This treatment is going to cost me a lot, Aria. I’m worried about

how I’m going to afford it and still. pay my rent.”

Aria, ever the optimist, tried to offer a solution. “Maybe we could talk to Timothy? See if he’d be willing to lower the price on the

place again.”

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I glanced at her, my expression a mixture of surprise and annoyance. “Aria, I can’t believe you're suggesting that.”

There was a pang of resentment that had surfaced. Timothy had indeed been generous, and I had been the recipient of his

kindness on more than one occasion. But things had changed between us, and I couldn’t ignore the fact that we were no longer

friends.

I couldn't imagine asking him for anything, especially now that he was in Stella’s

arms.

As we Sat there, the room fell into a contemplative silence. My thoughts began to drift to Timothy. I couldn’t deny that part of me

wanted him to be there, to share my struggles and my fears, to let him in on the chaos that had become my reality.

But as I considered the idea, I couldn’t escape the stark reality of our current situation. Timothy and I weren’t friends anymore.

The bond we had once shared had been eroded.

We had both become more distant, both absorbed in our own worlds, and it hurt. to realize that I was no longer a part of his.

I thought back to the last time we had seen each other, a tense encounter filled with unspoken words and unresolved emotions.

Timothy had been different, changed by his relationship with Stella, and I had been left feeling like a stranger in his presence.

Aria’s face fell as she processed her misstep. “I’m sorry, Evie. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just... he’s always been willing to help

when you need it.”

I knew she meant well, but I couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger at the suggestion. I was tired of being seen as someone who

relied on others for financial. assistance, especially not Timothy.

“I appreciate the thought, Aria, but I need to figure this out on my own,” I told her.

Aria nodded, her expression apologetic. “Il understand, Evie. I just hate seeing you. stressed out like this.”

Before I could respond, Aria’s phone rang, and she answered it with a smile. “Hey, Lucas! Yeah, we're waiting on them to make a

cast.”

“Tell him to come over,” I told her, and she repeated my request to Lucas. He said.

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18:42 Sat,

he'd be over soon.

Soon enough, Lucas burst into the hospital room with a burst of energy that was impossible to ignore. His ever—present grin

brightened the room, and he held a bag filled with board games and playing cards.

“Evie, my dear, you look like you could use some fun in your life!” Lucas declared, his voice filled with theatrical flair.

I chuckled, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders in his presence. “What is all

this?”

Lucas spread out the games on the hospital bed, and we spent the next few hours engrossed in laughter and competition. It was

a welcome escape from the worries. that had been consuming me, and for a brief moment, the pain seemed to fade.

away.

As we played, Aria and Lucas did their best to distract me from my worries, sharing stories and jokes that had me laughing until

my sides hurt. It was moments like these that I'd come to miss. When life was simpler, and a certain someone wasn’t tugging at

my heart.

As the night approached, however, my sense of unease started to return. That car had been purposeful in its motions, waiting to

catch me in that garage and roll me down on sight.

Bruce’s warning still clung to me, stuck on a painful loop in my mind. He didn’t just want me to be miserable.

He wanted me dead.