Beware Sexy Evil Stepbrother

Chapter 49 - Guess who's back?

Sam's POV

I still remembered waking up in the hospital, groggy and disoriented. I had been unconscious for three days. When I finally came to, Devin wasn't there. Blake was by my side, his face a mix of relief and sadness.

"Where's Devin?" I had asked in a raspy voice. I couldn't remember why I was waking up in a hospital with every inch of my body aching. All I knew as soon as my eyes opened was that I wanted to see Devin.

Blake hesitated, then sighed heavily. "He blames himself for what happened to you, Sam. He couldn't stay. He went back to London."

Devin had left?

I didn't answer. I didn't know what to say, I didn't even know what I was feeling at the time. 

Why did he leave?

I stared at the white wall of the room in front of me, unable to utter any words. The sterile smell of the hospital, the beeping of the machines, it all felt surreal, like I was trapped in a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

"Sam? Are you alright?" Blake's voice was gentle, filled with concern.

"He left?" was all I could manage to say, my mind struggling to process what happened before waking up on a hospital bed. "I'm sorry, Blake...I don't understand...Why I'm here? Where's Devin? Where's everyone?" I asked questions after questions. 

"You don't remember? You were driving a car you took from the Skellion party and crashed..." Blake said very slowly, cautiously watching my reaction.

I processed what he said, the memories slowly trickling back like fragments of a broken mirror. The party, Kathryn and Devin...my desperation to escape, the crash. It all came back in disjointed flashes, each one more painful than the last.

I nodded slowly, tears welling up in my eyes. "I remember," I whispered, the weight of it all pressing down on me. 

"Why did he left?" 

Blake reached out, taking my hand in his. "He thought he was doing what was best for you. He didn't want to hurt you any more than he already had."

I squeezed Blake's hand, trying to find some comfort in his words. "He left," I repeated, the ache in my chest growing.

Blake's eyes softened. "He did but he will come back. I promise you he will come back for you." 

I nodded, grateful for his support but unable to shake the feeling of abandonment. The days that followed were a blur of pain, recovery, and the slow realisation that I had to move on without Devin. It was the hardest thing I had ever done, but I knew I had to find my own strength.

Eighteen months later, I was in New York, building a new life for myself. I had enrolled in university and was studying hard to make up for lost time. To support myself, I worked part-time as an executive assistant at a fairly new advertising company, thanks to my flatmate Liz, who was a senior advertising staff member there. Liz had helped me get the job, knowing I needed the experience and the income.

Nick, who also worked at the company as a senior advertising executive, had become a good friend. We often grabbed coffee together during breaks, his easygoing nature and sense of humour a welcome distraction from my busy schedule. 

Nick was tall, with dark hair, olive skin, and hazel brown eyes. He had a European charm that made him quite popular around the office, but he was always humble and down-to-earth. We are good friends but he does had a habit of flirting with me, which sometimes made me uncomfortable. However, I had been honest with him about Devin, explaining that my past relationship was the reason I wasn't ready for anything new. Nick had taken it well, respecting my boundaries, but he occasionally pushed the limits, asking me out a couple of times despite my polite refusals.