Chapter 9

The elevator doors slid open, and Leon seized my arm, marching me straight toward the hospital exit without a word.

My phone buzzed again.

Leon still had my phone, so I couldn't see the message, but deep down, I knew it was Nathan.

He was a total psycho.

Chris had gone downstairs to grab some breakfast, leaving Bruce all alone in the hospital room.

That whole "no visitors" rule might keep the good guys out, but it was never going to stop Nathan.

Panic flooded me, my voice shaking so badly I could barely get the words out. "Please, let me go back to Bruce. Nathan will hurt him."

Leon didn't even seem to register my words.

His mind was completely fixated on that photo on my phone screen. "Zoe, we're having this talk today, whether you like it or not."

Leon practically shoved me into the car, then drove straight to the Hart estate.

My phone kept buzzing, the messages coming in faster and faster.

It was like a ticking clock, counting down to something terrible.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. My voice shook as I finally broke down. "Three years ago, Nathan raped me. He pressed a burning cigarette into my skin.

"It was Bruce who shattered his leg. You know Bruce. He'd never hurt anyone unless he were pushed to the edge."

Leon was behind the wheel, looking absolutely furious, his expression contorted with anger.

The car raced down the street, and he was so lost in his rage that it was like my words didn't even register.

Straining forward, I tumbled out in a rambling, desperate plea. "Leon, please, please, listen to me. Something bad is going to happen to Bruce. He's all I have left. He's my only family."

Leon was speeding, and out of nowhere, in the middle of a packed intersection, we slammed right into the car ahead.

The crash was thunderous. I was hurled forward, my head smashing into something hard, but I couldn't even tell what it was.

Something warm started dripping down, seeping into my eyes and eyebrows.

The metallic scent of blood filled the air, but I felt nothing, not a single ounce of pain.

The world seemed to freeze, swallowed by a silence so heavy it felt like the grave.

My phone buzzed again.

This time, it wasn't a text. It was a call.

Chris's name flashed on the screen.

Leon sat there in a daze, staring at the tangled mess of cars and chaos in front of him.

The driver ahead was banging furiously on his window, absolutely livid.

After what felt like forever, Leon finally snapped out of it.

My phone was still ringing.

He shot a glare at the phone, then snatched it up with a burst of anger and answered, "Chris, don't push your luck—"

Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, Chris's voice was raw with anguish. "Zoe, where are you? Hurry back. Bruce, he..."

It was like a knife had stabbed straight into my mind.

In that instant, the last thread I'd been clinging to for three years finally snapped.

Suddenly, it was like the whole world had gone silent.

*****

I hurried back to the hospital.

Chris had called me, urging me to hurry back to the hospital. But as soon as I stepped out of the elevator, he blocked my way.

His face was ghostly pale, his mouth open like he was trying to say something.

For a while, it was like I couldn't hear a single word coming out of his mouth.

I could barely figure out what he was saying by watching his lips move.

He said, "Zoe, wait, don't go in. Please, hear me out."

I said, "Let me see Bruce first."

But he wouldn't budge, still blocking my way.

So, it was too late to see him.

Chris's hands were shaking as he grabbed mine, trying to get the words out.

Maybe he was telling me to calm down.

Maybe he was telling me to hold it together, not to lose control.

I couldn't hear a thing.

It wasn't until I caught sight of the hospital room in the distance, behind him.

Doctors and nurses suddenly leaving the room all at once.

Bruce was lying there, still waiting for someone to help him.

Why were all the doctors leaving? Why was everyone gone?

My throat was tight. It felt like someone had ripped my heart right out of my chest.

It was like there was a huge hole inside me, and the wind roared through, leaving me completely empty.

With a surge of desperation I didn't know I had, I shoved Chris out of the way and lunged for the hospital room.

All the doctors were gone, every single one of them.

The last nurse was about to unhook the heart monitor, the only thing still connecting Bruce to this world.

Bruce was lying on the hospital bed. His eyes were still wide open, his face frozen in pain and defiance.

He looked like he could wake up any second, but he didn't move at all.

His face, already pale, was now completely drained of color.

I clung desperately to the nurse's arm, refusing to let go. "You can't take this. Bruce, he's not better yet. He still needs it."

The nurse gave me a look full of pity, but in the end, she still took the monitor away.

Outside the room, a doctor sighed, "It happened so suddenly. What a shame."

No way. Bruce was not dead. He was not even thirty yet. Last night, he promised he'd kill Nathan for me one day.

He'd never leave me behind. But no matter how many times I called his name, he wouldn't wake up. He wouldn't even look at me anymore.

I burst out of the hospital room, desperately clutching a doctor's arm, refusing to let go. "Don't go. Please, don't go, doctor.

"Please, I'm begging you, save my brother. He's just unconscious. It's happened before."

He'd slipped into a coma so many times, barely surviving in the ER, but every single time, he pulled through.

The doctors stood there in utter silence, their faces heavy with regret, the kind of silence that felt suffocating.

After what felt like forever, the head doctor finally let out a heavy sigh. "Miss, I'm so sorry. He's gone. Please accept my condolences."

I clung desperately to his white coat, completely at a loss, begging with everything I had. "He's not dead, I swear. His eyes are still open."

Chris was right next to me, sobbing. His hands shook as he helped me up, not saying a word.

No one could save Bruce now. No one.

For three years, I kept quiet, backed down, and hid in my shell with Bruce.

But in the end, Bruce still died.

One by one, the doctors quietly slipped out.

I stared down the endless hallway. This was it. This was how the rest of my life would be.

I wanted to cry. But I couldn't

No one in this world would ever say to me again, "Zoe, don't be afraid. I'm still here."

I stood there for a long time, until the sky grew dark.

I let out a soft sigh.

Then I got up and went back to the hospital room.

Bruce had left so suddenly, without even seeing me one last time.

And the one who deserved to die most was still alive.

So he died with his eyes open, unable to rest in peace.

I walked over to the hospital bed and gently closed his eyes for him.

After a long moment, I whispered, "It's alright now. I'll make sure he joins you down there too.

"That way, you can be at peace over there, right?"

He used to say that only when that person was gone could I really move on.

If that were what he wanted for me, I would make sure it happened.

I would grant him his wish.

Chris stuck by me every second, his eyes red from worry and lack of sleep.

He was there for me, helping me take care of everything after Bruce passed.