CHAPTER 123
Nicholas had just finished parking his car in the hospital parking lot. He looked much better today and the wound on his leg was getting better. While reflecting in the rearview mirror, Nicholas also gelled his hair, making sure that the direction of his hair still looked good and that it made him cool.
He got out of the car after grabbing a package of fresh fruits from the passenger seat. All that fruit to cheer Brittany up. Because there's nothing better than hearing the news that your family has woken up from a moment of death. Nicholas then walked towards the hospitalization room that Brittany used. He had a confident look on his face as he walked through the hallways.
The hospital was busy in the morning, as they were about to open their outpatient services and various other medical treatments for patients. But Nicholas' focus did not change. He didn't have to limp anymore, his legs were much better. And when he opened the door to Brittany's room, the eager expression on his face was one of surprise.
Those brown eyes found Alicia, Brittany and Kevin who now turned their gaze to Nicholas. Why was everyone here? Especially that brat Kevin.
Nicholas cleared his throat, then looked at the three of them in turn. "Why are you all here? Is there something going on?"
Alicia let out a long breath, then looked at Brittany. "Kevin came to see Brittany." She then looked at Kevin again with a look that no one could explain. "I'm going out to catch some air, you wait here."
"But, Alicia-"
Before Nicholas could hold Alicia's hand, the girl had already left the room. She slammed the door and made the atmosphere even more heated.
"What the hell... is going on here?" Nicholas spread his arms, shrugging his shoulders. "You two...say something. I don't want to feel confused alone here."
Kevin and Brittany exchanged glances, before Brittany looked away in anger.
Nicholas' confusion was still palpable in the crowded air as Kevin shifted uneasily in his seat. "Look, it's complicated," he began, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "Brittany and I, we're finalizing some things."
Brittany's eyes remained fixed on the window, her jaw clenched. "Settling things? That's one way to put it," she murmured softly, her voice barely audible.
Nicholas studied their expressions, sensing the tension woven between them like an invisible thread. "Okay, but why keep it a secret? And Alicia's reaction... What's her problem?" His gaze shifted from Kevin to Brittany, searching for answers.
Kevin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's personal. Brittany and I-there are some things we need to talk about, things from the past."
Nicholas leaned back in his chair, the weight of unspoken tension filling the room like a thick fog. He glanced at Brittany, his eyes now fixed on a distant point outside the window, his mind seemingly lost in a maze of memories.
"It's about the accident," Brittany finally spoke, her voice shaking slightly. "The accident that changed everything."
Kevin's jaw tightened at her words, his eyes radiating sadness and regret. "I wasn't there for you when you needed me most," he admitted, his voice filled with regret.
Alicia, who was standing outside the room, felt a sudden sense of curiosity and concern. She couldn't help but linger by the door, her ears listening to their conversation.
"I wasn't the one driving that night, Kevin," Brittany interjected, her voice now containing a hint of frustration. "But you're treating me as if I was the one who drove and caused the accident. Look at you! You can walk wherever you want, and me? I can only lie down, Kevin! You have to admit it in front of the police."
Nicholas, sensing the gravity of the situation, leaned forward, his gaze shifting between them, silently urging them to continue.
"You can't accuse me without evidence like that, Brittany," Kevin's voice was deliberately soft. He was fake. He sighed, as if tired of all Brittany's exaggerated attempts at reassurance. "I'm going to hire a lawyer at the police station."
"What are you doing, Kevin? Do you want to run away from trouble?" Brittany asked.
Brittany's breath hitched as she struggled to control her rising panic. The weight of the unresolved accident was suffocating the room, filled with unspoken accusations and shattered trust.
"You make it sound as if I'm the one responsible," Kevin's voice wavered between disbelief and frustration. His eyes pleaded for understanding, but his words hit Brittany like a hardened stone. "All the evidence and witnesses clearly saw you there. You were the one in the driver's seat, Brittany."
Alicia pressed her ear to the door, her heart pounding under the weight of their conversation. She knew their relationship was unraveling, torn apart by guilt and unspoken truths.
"Kevin, you can't just hide this," Brittany's voice shook with emotion. "I can't live with this burden alone while you pretend as if it never happened."
Nicholas stepped closer, his presence a calm anchor in the midst of the storm brewing between them. "Maybe it's time we faced the truth, whatever it is," he suggested, his gaze urging them to make a decision.
Kevin's resolve faltered, his shoulders slumping under the weight of the accusations. "I'll go to the police station. But Brittany, understand, I have to protect myself too," he muttered, the conflict in his eyes mirroring the conflict in his heart.
Alicia pushed the door open, unable to stay silent any longer. "Running away won't solve anything," Alicia interrupted, her voice splitting the tense atmosphere. "And you Kevin, no matter what you say about Brittany, I'll still believe Brittany!"
Kevin chuckled contemptuously. He shrugged his shoulders and looked at everyone in turn. "I came here to visit, I didn't expect it to end like this. I'll meet you at the police station, and I'll tell you everything. Everything. And I'll be the first one to laugh, after seeing you fail to arrest me for this accident."
Everyone was silent when Kevin finally left Brittany's room.
CHAPTER 124"I brought you some fruit."Nicholas placed the bouquet of fresh fruit from the nearby shop on the table, next to the few items Brittany had stored there. The heated atmosphere made the people in the room reluctant to comment. Especially Alicia and Brittany. They seemed to be trapped in a confused silence ever since Kevin had left the room.There was nothing Nicholas could do but mediate between the two women who both kept their mouths shut. He cleared his throat softly. "Uhm, anyway... you guys should stop keeping your mouths shut and start talking to each other." The smile on Nicholas' gray lips rose to warm the atmosphere. He did not want the two women before him to get into a cold war. "Alright, I'll start first. So... Kevin came to see Brittany, he brought her a huge bouquet of red roses and well, it was nice for the view, but why do you three suddenly seem to be caught in a complicated love triangle?"Silence was still the answer to Nicholas' question. They both kept
CHAPTER 125"I'm going to go check on Ace's case, but you don't have to worry because I brought a policeman to look after Brittany here," Noel explained.And Brittany nodded in agreement. She looked at everyone and explained, "My parents will also be here later tonight. I think I'll be fine. You guys just focus on finding evidence or anything that can help me get out of this accident."Nicholas nodded. He waved and said goodbye, before taking Alicia away with him. The two of them then drove home in a car driven by Nicholas."This is for you," Nicholas said, handing Alicia a plastic bag of sandwiches. Playing with his eyebrows up and down, Nicholas smiled happily. "I told you that I would buy these sandwiches again, didn't I?""Tsk, gosh, Nic." Alicia accepted the sandwich and they had breakfast together in the car.After finishing the sandwich in less than ten minutes, Nicholas started the engine and drove away from the hospital. Alicia fastened her seatbelt and looked through the car
CHAPTER 126"Ace, we've been over for a long time. What more do you want?""Us. You and me.""That. Is. Impossible!"At the emphasis from Alicia, Ace grew furious. He lunged at Alicia, causing her to stumble away from Nicholas, who was still unconscious on the floor. Alicia tried to crawl away from Ace, but he persisted. He grabbed Alicia's arm and dragged her out of the flat. Despite Alicia's efforts, she managed to free herself and stood up.Their eyes locked, but Alicia no longer saw the Ace she once knew. She caught her breath and hastily ran to the kitchen, searching for a way to protect herself from Ace.Ace rolled his eyes lazily and walked after Alicia casually, as if his prey wouldn't escape. Alicia found herself cornered, and as a last resort, she pulled a knife from the rack and pointed it at Ace."Stop right there, or I'll kill you, Ace."The taller man tilted his head, observing Alicia's trembling grip on the knife as if she were a cold-blooded killer. With a condescendin
CHAPTER 127Nicholas tightened his grip on the shard, sweat dripping down his face as he assessed Ace's every move. With quick movements, Ace charged, aiming to strip Nicholas of his weapon, but Nicholas spun around, out of Ace's reach."You're not as smart as you think you are," Nicholas retorted, his voice remaining calm despite the rush of adrenaline.Ace was about to attack again when suddenly the sound of a car roaring outside made him stop. Everyone looked to the source of the sound. And this made Ace change his plans. He ran away and made Nicholas turn around. When Nicholas wanted to chase, Ace kicked the wound on Nicholas' leg accidentally and made the man fall to the floor."Asshole!"A smirk appeared on Ace's lips, he snorted and said, "Our business is not done yet." and he looked at Alicia who was still standing frightened back there. "I'll pick you up soon, Alicia. Don't worry.""Asshole! Where are you going?"But Ace ignored Nicholas' words and ran away from the side door
CHAPTER 128Ace cleaned his bloodied hands at the sink. It had been ten minutes since Ace had scrubbed his palms with the laundry soap available there. His face had a cold expression, while he let out a long sigh and quickly turned around.Ace's brown eyes that glinted through the sunlight from the cracks in the window were now looking at the corpse in front of him. The young man had just killed someone and left the body lying there."What should I do with that corpse?"****Nicholas turned off the engine of his car after arriving at the scene of Brittany's accident a few days ago. The police line was still in place. The large tree that was the target of the collision was still standing there, leaving remnants of damage on a few parts of its large trunk.Alicia came down after Nicholas. Their eyes immediately swept around to see if there was anyone or anything they could use as evidence to corroborate Brittany's testimony. Brittany said that she didn't drive, but Kevin disagreed. Ther
CHAPTER 129The woman turned her head, squinting in the sunlight. "Yes, that's me. How can I help you?""We're investigating an accident that happened a few days ago," Alicia explained. "We heard you may have seen something unusual."The frown on Mrs. Jenkins' face deepened as she furrowed her brow, thinking hard. "Oh, that dreadful night! I did see something strange, I saw something strange." She paused for a moment, her eyes darting between Nicholas and Alicia, as if debating whether to divulge the information."What did you see, ma'am?" Nicholas urged gently."I saw it," Mrs. Jenkins said in a quiet tone, looking around as if afraid that someone might overhear. "The driver, he was panicking, dragging someone from the passenger seat. Looked injured, poor thing.""Did you recognize any of them?" Alicia pressed, hoping to get an important clue.Mrs. Jenkins shook her head. "No, dear, I don't. But I also saw something else. After he dragged the man out, he seemed... hesitant. It was as
CHAPTER 130The sound of the door being pushed made Brittany turn her head slowly. She was playing with her cell phone when Alicia and Nicholas came to see her. Brittany's face turned enthusiastic. She put the cell phone she was holding down on the table, then greeted her two guests with a smile."Hey... you guys coming?"Alicia approached first, while Nicholas went back to talk to a policeman standing guard in front of Brittany's room. The girl smiled and sat on the chair provided, right beside the patient's bed."How are you feeling today?" Alicia asked."It's been better. I was bored, so I checked social media." Brittany shrugged her shoulders. "I blocked Kevin's number so he couldn't provoke me. That was a good idea, wasn't it?""Sure, you did a good thing." Alicia bent her forehead deeply. "But... are you feeling okay?"Before Brittany could answer, Nicholas interrupted her and said. "Brittany is like my sister! She's good at finding men, men like Kevin are better left in the tra
CHAPTER 131Ace opened the cabinet in the room of a man named Jason. He looked at the man's entire collection of clothes and mumbled for a long time. His eyes narrowed, and he thought for a long time to choose one out of the many clothes there.His choice then fell on a long brown coat hanging inside the cabinet. He pulled it out and put it on. After feeling good about his new clothes, Ace walked over to the large mirror in the corner of the room."This is a nice outfit. Too bad this style just makes me look like Nicholas," Ace said, he gave a small grin while tugging the coat on his body. Patting the sleeves of the coat, Ace continued. "I'm going to be taking Nicholas' place soon, so... there's no harm in looking like that asshole detective."He turned around and looked at the valuables belonging to Jason, the man he had just killed, and dumped Jason's body into a riverbed in the suburbs of New York City. While tapping the surface of the table filled with money and weapons, Ace tilte