Chapter Sixty-Eight

LEONARD'S POV

On my way to the hospital to check on Aaron, I couldn’t shake the thought of Evelyn. I had waited for her to return from her father’s house, but she never did. I figured she needed private time with her family, so I decided to visit Aaron instead.

As I drove, my thoughts spiraled. Evelyn was too fragile for everything she was going through. Every time I looked at her, I saw the pain in her eyes. Anger rose in me—I couldn’t stand by anymore. I needed to end this. I resolved to find Caleb and Dana, no matter what it took.

When I reached the hospital and entered Aaron’s room, the caregiver greeted me with a solemn expression. Her silence spoke volumes. Moments later, the doctor arrived, confirming my fears. Aaron was in bad shape. Internal injuries had left his vitals dangerously low. Still, the doctor assured me they were doing their best. I had to trust him. After speaking with the doctor, I left the hospital.

Just as I got to my car, my watchman called, his voice laced with urgency. He informed me that someone had broken into Evelyn’s house. Alarmed, I called the police, provided the address, and sped off.

Within minutes, I arrived at Evelyn’s apartment. I moved quietly but found no one inside. Something pushed me to check her father’s house next door. The front door was locked, so I went around to the back. There, I found Mr. Wyatt lying helplessly on the floor, bound and gagged. I untied him, and he told me someone was inside. Together, we entered cautiously.

What I saw stopped me cold. Samantha stood in the middle of the room, trembling, her gaze fixed on Evelyn, who lay in a pool of blood.

I was paralyzed, unable to process the scene. Mr. Wyatt rushed to Evelyn, cradling her as he sobbed.

“What have you done, Samantha?” I demanded, tears streaming down my face.

Before she could answer, the police arrived and took her away. We rushed Evelyn to the hospital, where she was admitted to a special ward. The doctors acted quickly. Meanwhile, the police called to ask how to handle Samantha. I told them to keep her in custody and make her life hard until I was ready to deal with her myself.

The wait for Evelyn’s report was agonizing. My blood boiled with thoughts of Samantha. If Evelyn died, I didn’t know what I’d do. But by some miracle, the doctor reported that the bullet hadn’t penetrated deeply. Evelyn would survive. Relief washed over me, but the sight of Mr. Wyatt, devastated and silent, weighed heavily on my heart.

Hours later, the doctor informed me that Evelyn was awake. Mr. Wyatt went in first. When it was finally my turn, I entered to find tears streaming down Evelyn’s face.

“Leonard,” she whispered, her voice weak. “Tell me none of those things are true.”

Her words caught me off guard. “Of course, you can’t believe Samantha,” I said. “She’s just trying to poison your heart.”

“But some of her words made sense,” Evelyn replied, her voice tinged with doubt.

“Can we focus on your recovery for now?” I pleaded, unsure what Samantha had told her.

“Are you running from the truth, Leonard?” she asked, anger flickering in her eyes.

“Evelyn, your health matters more to me than anything,” I said, avoiding her question. With that, I left the room, my mind racing.

It had been a week since the incident. Evelyn was finally being discharged, though Aaron remained unconscious. We were still dealing with Dana’s accusations against Mr. Wyatt. I knew Caleb and Dana were plotting their next move, but they didn’t realize I had plans of my own. 

Despite her recovery, Evelyn seemed distant. She doubted my words, convinced I was hiding something. My explanations fell on deaf ears. I decided that the truth would come out when we confronted Samantha together at the station.

Back at the house, Mr. Wyatt left Evelyn and me alone while he freshened up. I helped Evelyn upstairs, cleaned her up, and gave her fresh clothes. Afterward, I took a quick shower myself.

In the kitchen, I prepared lunch, knowing Mr. Wyatt would join us soon. After eating together, we returned to Evelyn’s room.

Evelyn turned to her father. “Dad, tell me what happened with Dana,” she demanded.

Mr. Wyatt swore he had nothing to do with Dana’s allegations. “I’ve always seen her as a daughter,” he said, his voice steady. As he spoke, sincerity dripped in his voice.

And I wondered, why Dana would choose this path just to get at Evelyn.

Wasn't it okay that she now had Caleb?

0I was distracted from my thoughts as my phone buzzed.

I took out my phone and searched the screen for the notification. It was from an unknown number.

I shoved it aside without even reading the context; I jolted back to Mr Wyatt, who was still explaining things to Evelyn.

I trusted him. Mr. Wyatt was a good man. But Evelyn still seemed conflicted. But I understood her fears. Everything had been wrong with her for some while now. I decided to give her time, knowing the truth would surface eventually. There wasn't a doubt about that.

Mr Wyatt turned his gaze to me and with all seriousness, he asked if everything Samantha said was true. But I didn't even know what she had said to Evelyn. Aside from the failed relationship we once had, notice had happened between us.

I found my voice shaky as I tried to explain, “ I don't know what Samantha had said, but I swear, I have no deep secret with her. 

I think I caught a hint of acknowledgment on his face.

But I can't say the same for Evelyn; her face was blank.

Suddenly, the TV caught our attention. The news flashed across the screen, how could this be? We all froze; as we ⁴were trying to recover from the surprise, Evelyn's phone rang, doubling the tension.