What the Future as for Us

Chapter 52 - SLEEPLESS

A.N

Hello there ! The truth will finally be out, Are you excited ?

Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than usual but I didn't want to force anything.

I'm doing my internship this week so I don't know if I will have time to write, but I promise I'll try.

PS : you can all thank  and get to read her story as well, because she helped me so much with the plot !!

Byee, M

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... NOVEMBER ...

Renee's POV :

I've been crying all night at her side. I got the call from the nurses around midnight and I took a taxi to the hospital right after. Maxine had been doing so much better, finding some strength and memories back each day. But now she lay there, motionless and fragile, clinging to life by the thinnest thread.

There are even more machines than before, tubes everywhere, machines beeping, monitoring, with tiny little lights flashing... It scares me.

They don't understand what happened, Maxine's was detached from the machine, she was barely breathing when they found her. She's now in a coma and I clung to her hand, willing her to wake up, to open her eyes and tell me everything was going to be okay.

I could barely speak through my tears when I called Lola. Hearing her sobs on the other end of the line broke me even more. She was Maxine's best friend, and just a few hours ago, we were hopeful, celebrating small victories. Now, everything has changed.

I took care of calling Max's family this time. They left only a few days ago thinking everything was going to be fine. They promised to come back as soon as they could, but the logistics were difficult. The kids had school, and Max's parents still worked. I assured them that I would cover their plane tickets; money didn't matter. Max needed her family.

Deep down I knew what had happened. The same sick, twisted individual who had caused the accident had struck again.

I haven't slept all night. The events of the past 24 hours have left me a wreck. This morning, the police came to update me on their investigation. They told me about a nurse who had seen someone in scrubs running towards the exit around the time of the incident. The security footage showed a figure, their face obscured by a hoodie, but a streak of black hair peeked out from under the fabric. I was sure that the stalker had come back, and they had tried to finish what they started. But one thing was not right. Maxine had mentioned seeing a red-haired man driving the car that hit us. But the footage from the hospital showed a figure with a more feminine build with black hair.

Maybe Max didn't see well. I mean it's only logical, she was propulsed out of the car, maybe her perception was wrong.

But right now the only thing I have in mind is the man I met on my walk yesterday. He had the same striking red hair, fitting Maxine's description perfectly. Could it be him? But if the person in the hospital footage was someone else, what did that mean? Were they working together?

I relayed my concerns to the police, they listened intently as I described the man, every detail I could remember. The darkness of the night made it difficult, but I was certain it was him. A police artist sketched a composite image based on my description, it had to be him.

I sent the sketch to all of my friends, hoping that someone might recognize him. Maybe he had let something slip, maybe we had mutual friends. I scoured my phone, looking through pictures from parties, scrutinizing every face, every detail. But there was nothing. No sign of him in my photos.