The rooftop of Brighton Wisdom School was no longer a place of memories; it was a crime scene. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the heavy, suffocating weight of betrayal. Gabriella lay fainted in the dirt, her black lace dress soaked through with a terrifying crimson stain. Her eyes were closed, her long lashes casting shadows on her deathly pale cheeks.
The Brother's Rage
Jake stood up, his body trembling with pure, unadulterated fury. Without a word, he lunged forward and punched Han across the face with enough force to make his head snap back. Jake didn't stop there; he grabbed Han by the collar of his dark navy suit, dragging him close.
"Why?" Jake screamed, his voice breaking. "You always said she was your sister! You protected her! How could you stab her?"
Han's face remained a mask of stone, though blood began to trickle from his lip. "She can't be my sister!" he finally roared, his voice echoing like a thunderclap against the rooftop walls. "She is Kevin's sister!"
Raina's eyes widened, her hands flying to her mouth. "What? Kevin... Kevin had a sister?"
Jake shook his head in disbelief. "No... that's a lie. You're lying!"
Han's expression turned even colder, his eyes flashing with a deep-seated resentment. "She is my father's illegitimate child," he hissed, his face twisted in an outrage that had been suppressed for years. "Just like Kevin. How could she ever be my sister?" He wrenched Jake's hands off his collar and shoved him back with a fierce strength. He stood there, breathing heavily, the shadow of his father's sins looming over him like a ghost.
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A Race Against Death
"Gabriella..." Jake whispered, the horror finally sinking in. He ignored Han and rushed back to her side. He saw the wound in her stomach—the jagged strike Han had delivered. She was losing blood fast; she was on the verge of slipping away forever.
Jake didn't hesitate. He tucked his arms under her limp body and lifted the fainted Gabriella into his arms. Her head fell against his shoulder, her skin feeling like ice. "I'm going to save you, Gabby," he muttered through gritted teeth. "I won't let you die here."
He turned and sprinted toward the rooftop exit, his heart hammering against his ribs, determined to reach a hospital before her pulse stopped entirely.
Raina and Han watched them vanish into the stairwell. The rooftop went silent, save for the whistling wind. Raina turned toward Han, her eyes searching his.
"Why did you strike her?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Even if she's Kevin's sister... why go that far? And wait... when exactly did you find out Kevin was your father's child?"
Raina lunged forward, grabbing Han's collar this time. "Is that why you turned me against my Kevin? Is that why you told me he was a two-timer? To destroy him because of who his father was?"
Han locked eyes with Raina for a brief, intense second. Then, he effortlessly removed her hands from his collar as if she were nothing. He looked away, his gaze fixed on the dark city horizon.
"I only found out a few days ago," he said, his voice surprisingly soft yet still fierce. "I have no personal grudge against Kevin. Why would I turn you against him? I did it because I care about you as my best friend. I wanted to protect you."
"Then why did you stab Gabriella?" Raina asked in total confusion.
Han closed his eyes, his face contorting with a fresh wave of fury. His fists tightened at his sides. "You made me do it!" he barked. "If you hadn't acted so rashly out of fear, if you hadn't let Gabriella hunt you down like this... it never would have come to this!"
Raina stared at him, chilled by the darkness in his voice. "What if she survives?" she whispered. "What if she tells the police we tried to kill her?"
Han turned his head slightly, a cold. "She won't," he whispered.
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The Silent Guardian
The City Hospital was a maze of white corridors and the sharp smell of antiseptic. Jake was sprinting through the lobby, his lungs burning. In his arms, he held Gabriella. She looked like a broken porcelain doll; her black lace dress was torn and stained, and her lips were a ghostly, terrifying pale.
"DOCTOR! SOMEONE HELP!" Jake roared, his voice cracking with panic. Nurses rushed out with a gurney, whisking Gabriella toward the ICU. Jake stood frozen in the hallway, his hands covered in her blood. He whispered to the empty air, "I won't let anything happen to you, Gabriella... I promise." Tears finally escaped his eyes, blurring the sight of the swinging hospital doors.
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The False Truth
Hours later, the chaos had settled into the hum of machines in a VIP Room. The room was filled with expensive lilies, but the atmosphere was heavy. Gabriella slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Felix, her husband. He was sitting by her bed, his dark designer suit wrinkled, his eyes filled with genuine, deep-seated care.
"Are you alright?" Felix asked, his voice a low rumble. He gently helped her sit upright, supporting her back with his strong arm.
"Did you... did you bring me here?" Gabriella whispered, her voice barely audible.
Felix paused. "No," he said softly.
Gabriella turned her face away, whispering to herself, "It must have been Jake."
Felix stared at her, his mind flashing back to an hour ago. He had arrived at the hospital like a whirlwind. He had seen Jake in the hallway and immediately grabbed him by the collar, pinning him against the wall. "What did you do to her?" Felix had hissed in a fury.
Jake had simply looked at him with cold, tired eyes. "I didn't do this. If I wanted her hurt, why would I bring her here?" Jake had shaken Felix's hand off. "Raina?" Felix demanded. Jake ignored the question. "I'm leaving her to you now," Jake said, his voice soft but heavy with reluctance. He had taken one last, long look at the ICU ward before walking away into the night.
Suddenly, the VIP room door burst open. Roselette stood there, her face pale. She rushed to the bed and hugged Gabriella, sobbing uncontrollably. Gabriella held her mother tight, her own tears falling.
"Are you still angry, Mom?" Gabriella asked, remembering the slap at the hall.
"Do you think I'm heartless?" Roselette sobbed. "No mother could ever leave her child. I was so scared..."
Gabriella smiled through her tears. But then, Roselette pulled back, her eyes narrowing. "Tell me... was it Raina? Did she do this to you?"
Gabriella froze. She couldn't tell her mother the truth—that it was Han, her own cousin, who had stabbed her. She couldn't break her mother's heart again.
Just then, the Doctor walked in, checking his clipboard. "You need to be careful when walking," he said smoothly. "You were very lucky. That broken bottle piece didn't go too deep when you fell." He looked at Roselette. "Take care of your daughter."
Roselette let out a massive sigh of relief. Gabriella looked at the doctor and then at Felix. The doctor gave a quick, subtle wink at Felix, and Felix responded with a sharp, knowing look.
Felix had paid the doctor to lie. He had convinced him to say it was a "fall on a bottle" to hide the fact that Gabriella had been stabbed.
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The Midnight Disappearance
Night fell over the hospital, turning the VIP room into a sanctuary of shadows. Felix was leaning back in a leather chair, exhausted, his eyes drifting shut for just a moment.
When he snapped his eyes open an hour later, the room was deathly quiet. He looked toward the bed.
It was empty.
The sheets were thrown back, and the IV drip was hanging uselessly in the air, dripping slowly onto the floor. "Gabriella?" he called out, panic rising in his chest. He searched the bathroom, the closet, the hallway—nothing.
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The Shadows of the Court
The outdoor city basketball court was a lonely, desolate place at night. The orange streetlights flickered, casting long, shaky shadows over the cracked pavement. The wind whipped through the metal hoops, making a mournful whistling sound. Gabriella stood in the center of the court, looking fragile yet fierce in her thin white hospital gown and a dark cardigan she had swiped on her way out. Her feet were bare against the cold ground, and her bandages were starting to show a faint pink stain.
Jake came running across the asphalt, his breath hitching in panic. He reached her and grabbed her shoulders, his face twisted in fury and fear. "Why are you here in this state?" he demanded.
Gabriella gently but firmly removed his hands. She looked him dead in the eye, her gaze piercing through his defenses. "I know you're the one who brought me to the hospital, Jake. You still care for me. So, if you truly do... tell me the truth. What exactly happened to Kevin?"
Jake scoffed, looking away at the dark hoop. "If I tell you, nothing changes. You won't believe me anyway."
"I will," Gabriella said, her voice cold as steel. "If you stop protecting Raina by hiding the truth."
Jake took a deep breath, his shoulders sagging. "When I arrived at the school rooftop that day... I saw him. Kevin was standing on the very edge. He looked at Raina and said, 'I have no other way to change you, Raina.' Raina screamed for him to stop, but before she could reach him, he stepped back. He fell knowingly, Gabriella. It was his choice."
Gabriella's heart skipped a beat as Jake continued, his voice trembling. "I followed Raina downstairs. I saw him take his last breath. He looked at her and whispered, 'Live long, Raina.' She was devastated. She didn't push him, but she was the reason he felt he had to do it. I decided to hide the truth to protect her. She was in deep pain, terrified. I escorted her away and we buried the secret."
Gabriella's tears finally fell, hot and bitter. She lunged forward and grabbed Jake's collar, shaking him. "Why didn't you tell me? Why let me live in this lie?"
Jake scoffed, removing her hands from his shirt. "Raina told you so many times, but you never listened. How could you believe me?"
"Do you even know who he was to me?" she sobbed.
"I know," Jake said coldly. "He was your brother."
Gabriella wiped her face, her eyes narrowing with a new realization. "Then how is Han involved in this? Why did he rescue Raina? He even stabbed me to hide something... what is it?"
"I don't know," Jake admitted, his voice genuine. "I only found out what he was capable of tonight. I don't know what secret he's guarding."
Gabriella turned to leave, but Jake grabbed her hand one last time. "Are you really okay? Please... take care of yourself," he said, his voice thick with a love he couldn't express.
Gabriella scoffed and pulled her hand away. "Jake, you aren't a bad person. But stop covering for bad people like Raina. Even if she didn't kill Kevin, she killed Lara and my father. I won't leave her alone." She paused, her back to him. "Do me one favor as a friend... don't interfere between me and Raina anymore."
She walked away into the darkness, her hospital gown fluttering like a ghost's shroud. Jake stood alone on the court, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "Friend..." he whispered, the word tasting like salt and regret.
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To be Continued....
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