Killian’s POV_
The hospital smelled of antiseptic and fear. The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed faintly, casting a harsh glare on the white–tiled floors. I paced outside Sophia’s father’s room, tension coiling tight in my chest. Sophia hadn’t stopped moving since we got here. She was pacing back and forth like a caged animal. Her usually flawless complexion was pale, her eyes wide with worry.
I tried to grab her hand to steady her. “Sophia, please sit down. You’re going to exhaust yourself.”
She shook me off, barely glancing in my direction. “I can’t, Killian. I can’t just sit here. My parents-” Her voice cracked, and she covered her mouth, blinking back tears.
“I know,” I said softly, stepping closer. “But you need to take a breath. The doctors are doing everything they
can.”
“They hit a truck,” she whispered, more to herself than to me. “How does that even happen? On a one–way
street?”
I didn’t have an answer. The police said the truck driver was at fault, driving the wrong way. But he had vanished after the crash, leaving no witnesses and more questions than answers.
Sophia’s pacing continued, her heels clicking against the floor. I could see the tension in every line of her body, the way her shoulders hunched, the way her hands trembled when she thought no one was looking.
“Sit with me, please,” I tried again, leading her to a chair. This time, she let me. She sank down, her legs folding beneath her like they couldn’t support her anymore.
We sat in silence, the hum of the hospital filling the space between us. After what felt like hours, a nurse
came out and said her father was awake. I could see the relief over Sophia’s face, but it was fleeting.
We followed the nurse into the room. Her father lay on the hospital bed, hooked up to machines that beeped steadily. He looked battered and bruised, but his eyes flickered open when we entered.
“Dad,” Sophia breathed, rushing to his side. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently.
“Sophia,” he rasped, his voice weak but clear. “You’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I’m fine. But Mom-”
His face twisted with pain. “Your mother… she is still critical, isn’t she?”
Sophia nodded, biting her lip.
He turned his gaze to me, eyes narrowing. “What happened? The truck… It came out of nowhere. Driving the
wrong way.”
I nodded. “That’s what the police said too. They’re still investigating. The driver disappeared.”
Sophia’s father clenched his jaw, his hand tightening around hers. “He needs to be found. That man… He
almost killed us.”
“We’ll find him,” I promised. “The police are doing everything they can.”
He nodded weakly, then closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, they were filled with
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something I couldn’t quite place. Fear? Confusion?
“Where is Mira?” he asked suddenly, his voice sharper than before.
Sophia froze. “Mira?”
“Yes,” he insisted. “She was with us in the car. Where is she?**
My stomach dropped. “Mr. Williams, Mira wasn’t in the car. It was just you and Mrs. Williams. The paramedics only found the two of you.”
“No,” he said firmly. “She was with us. I remember… she was in the back seat.”
Sophia’s face went pale, and I could see the panic rising in her eyes. “Dad, you’re confused. Mira wasn’t with
you.”
“She was!” he snapped, struggling to sit up. The machines around him beeped in protest. “Where is she? Is she hurt? Did they take her to another hospital?“.
“Dad, please,” Sophia pleaded. “Calm down. Mira is… She is not here.”
“But she should be,” he muttered, his gaze flickering between us. “She was with us. Unless…”
His eyes narrowed on Sophia. “Unless something happened. Where is she, Sophia?”
Sophia’s lip trembled, and she shook her head. “I… I don’t know.”
“You do,” he insisted. “You know something. Tell me.”
Tears streamed down Sophia’s face, and she suddenly crumpled, falling to her knees beside his bed. “I’m sorry, Dad. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“Sophia, stop,” I said quickly, grabbing her shoulders. “This isn’t your fault.”
She shook her head violently. “Yes, it is! If I hadn’t-” She cut herself off, sobbing into her hands.
Her father’s eyes widened. “Sophia, what did you do?”
She looked up, her face twisted with guilt. “Aaron,” she whispered. “He… He took Mira.”
The room went deathly silent.
Her father’s face contorted with rage. “Aaron? How do you know Aaron?”
Sophia hesitated, glancing at me. I gave her a small nod, silently urging her to speak.
“I–I worked for him,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I needed money. A lot of money. And he … He offered me a deal.”
Her father’s hands clenched into fists. “What kind of deal?”
Sophia swallowed hard. “He paid me to keep tabs on Mira. To report back to him. I didn’t know… I didn’t think he would take her.”
“You worked for him?” I echoed, my mind reeling. “Sophia, why would you do that?”
“I was greedy,” she snapped, turning on me. “I wanted to get a lot of money.”
Her father’s face was turning red, the veins in his neck bulging. The machines around him began to beep erratically.
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< Chapter 40
“Dad, calm down!” Sophia cried.
“You sold out your sister,” he growled, his voice shaking with fury. “You betrayed her!”
“I didn’t know!” she sobbed. “I didn’t know he would hurt you to get to her.“.
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The beeping grew louder, more frantic. The door burst open, and a doctor rushed in, followed by two nurses.
“Everyone out,” the doctor ordered.
Sophia clung to her father’s hand, but I gently pulled her away. “Come on, Sophia. Let them work.”
She nodded, sniffling as we backed out of the room. The door closed behind us with a soft click, leaving us alone in the hallway.
Sophia leaned against the wall, sliding down until she was sitting on the cold tile. She buried her face in her knees, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
I knelt beside her, placing a hand on her back. “Sophia, we’ll fix this. We’ll find Mira. I promise.”
She lifted her head, her eyes red and swollen. “You don’t understand, Killian. Aaron… He is dangerous. If he
has Mira…”
“We’ll find her,” I said again, more firmly this time. “No matter what it takes.”
She nodded, but the fear in her eyes didn’t fade.
And deep down, I knew she was right. Finding Mira wouldn’t be easy. Not with Aaron involved. But I had to try.
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