𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞

32 | Aurora

I had no clue about the past few hours that had passed or what had happened after I saw Jade strangling the bartender at the club. But whenever I thought about that incident, my brain went numb, and my pulse thundered.

If he hadn't come on time, only God knows what could have happened.

Thinking about the possibility that the bartender must have done something far worse if Jade hadn't shown up that night, my skin crawled with fear and dread, leaving my throat dry every time I remembered about the events of the night at Christian's birthday party and the night where I had been in a similar situation before.

The night where it all started with Liam.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying on a hospital bed and in an observation room while the nurse was examining my vitals. She had called the doctor as soon as she saw me awake, and when the doctor was satisfied with my condition, he allowed me to meet my friends and family.

When Rachel entered the room with my mom, I was so happy to see them, especially my mom. But when the tears started to flow from her eyes, I regretted her being here and witnessing me in this condition.

Rachel told me that she wanted to surprise me, so she took my mom along with her to come and visit me. But I didn't want her to see me this way, that too, all over again.

After reassuring her again and again that nothing had happened to me and I was fine, she calmed down a bit. So, I suggested that she should take some rest from all the stress for now. She denied it and insisted on staying, but Rachel somehow convinced her to get back to Jade's apartment and have some proper rest. Before she left, Adrian, Christian, and Nick came to meet me. When they were assured that I was fine, Adrian and Christian left with my mother, while Nick and Rachel stayed back at the hospital.

Rachel was with me, scrolling her phone, while Nick stayed outside in the waiting area. I couldn't help but notice how she stayed quiet, the frown that was constantly present on her forehead, and the way she bit her lower lip every time she took a glance at me.

Something was off.

Along with Rachel behaving nervous as if she was about to get caught dating a boy by her parents, Jade was also missing this entire time. I didn't see him since I had woken up from my temporary coma, nor did he come to even say a 'hello'.

My suspicions were that Rachel must have killed him, or at least tried to, considering how protective she can be whenever any man tries to approach me.

She must have felt my stare as she took another glance at me while biting her lip again. I smiled, and before she could again look away, the question that was lingering on my tongue came out.

"Did you see Jade?" She stilled visibly, and my eyes narrowed at her. "You met him, didn't you?"

She looked away before she put her phone in her coat pocket. "It's killing me now." She muttered.

"What is it, Rachel?" I asked.

She sighed. "Look, you can get mad at me as much as you want, but please hear me out once, alright?"

"What is it?" My stomach started to tingle with anxiety that was bubbling up more and more with every passing second and with the suspense she was creating.

She stood up from the couch and came towards me. I made some space for her to sit next to me, and while she sat, she held my hand in a firm grip while looking down. I waited for her to speak, sensing her hesitance.

"Do you remember the journal that you asked me to bring?" She asked.

"Yes." I tried to understand how this was related to that. She looked at me while her eyes wavered with an emotion that screamed guilt.