Strangers To Lovers

Chapter Fourty-Three

Levi held out the paperwork, his lips tight, and his hands shaking slightly as if trying to control the storm building inside him. His voice, once steady and calm, came out rough, on the edge of breaking. "Why do you have my medical file?" he demanded, his words heavy with accusation.

Dylan’s face flushed, and his hands fumbled as he tried to grab the file back. His usual composed demeanor was gone, replaced by panic. "Levi, I... it’s complicated." His voice cracked, his eyes darting between Levi and me, searching for a way out of the confrontation.

Levi’s eyes darkened, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the file tighter. "Complicated?" His voice was low, dangerous. "Why do you have my medical file, Dylan? Answer me."

Dylan swallowed hard, his gaze flickering to me as if hoping I’d intervene. I stayed silent, watching the tension between the two men tighten like a wire about to snap.

Levi took a step forward, towering over Dylan. "I swear, if you don’t explain right now, I’ll—"

"Levi," I said, stepping closer, trying to be the voice of reason, but Levi cut me off with a sharp wave of his hand.

"No, Ella. I need to hear this. I need to know why the hell my brother’s supposed best friend has my medical records."

Dylan shifted uncomfortably, his voice barely a whisper. "It’s about your accident," he admitted, eyes dropping to the floor.

Levi froze. His face twisted in confusion, and then disbelief. "My accident?" he repeated slowly, the words rolling off his tongue like poison. "What about it?"

Dylan let out a shaky breath. "Levi, the report says... it says you weren’t driving."

Levi blinked, a harsh laugh escaping his throat, bitter and disbelieving. "What? Of course, I was driving. I remember getting behind the wheel, Dylan." His voice was louder now, cracking with anger.

I placed a hand on his arm, feeling the tension radiating through him, but he pulled away, glaring at Dylan. "Don’t bullshit me. What are you trying to say?"

Dylan took a step back, clearly intimidated by the fire in Levi’s eyes. "Levi, listen... according to the accident report, you were hit. You were the pedestrian."

Levi’s laugh this time was loud and hollow, the kind of laugh someone makes when they’re on the edge of losing it. "So, what, I just wandered into traffic and got hit? Is that what you’re saying?" His voice was trembling now, but it wasn’t from fear. It was rage, pure and raw.

I felt my heart clench in my chest, seeing him like this. "Levi, calm down. We’ll figure this out," I tried, stepping closer, but his fury wasn’t something that could be easily quelled.

Levi whirled on Dylan, his voice rising. "No! I remember driving! I got behind the wheel, I floored it, and I crashed into that damn tree. You’re not telling me I imagined all of that." He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it in frustration.

Dylan held up his hands defensively. "I’m just telling you what’s in the report. The blood alcohol level, the injuries... they point to you being a pedestrian when you were hit."

Levi stared at him, breathing hard, his fists clenched at his sides. "So what, my family lied to me? They let me believe I caused it?"

Dylan hesitated, his eyes filled with guilt. "They thought it was best. They didn’t want you carrying that burden."

Levi took a step back, shaking his head in disbelief. "Best for who, Dylan? Me? Or them?" He turned toward the window, his shoulders heaving with the effort to hold himself together. I could feel his pain like a physical thing, thick in the air.