Chapter 62

Williams was unconscious, her body surrendered to the effects of the medication. Evelyn leaned over her, tapped her cheek gently, then pressed her ear to Williams’ chest. A steady heartbeat answered her fear. Relief washed over her, but the room around her forced her back into the horror of the moment.

The bathroom, once a pristine sanctuary, now resembled a small, forgotten slaughterhouse. Blood spatter stained the mirrored vanity. Sterile wrappings and gauze soaked through lay scattered across the floor. The small, brassy bullet rested among the medical debris. Evelyn, moving on autopilot, began the arduous and ghastly task of cleaning.

She hurried, searching for water and a towel, determined to restore at least a fragment of dignity to the woman lying helpless in her arms. She wiped Williams’ skin carefully, mindful of the wound, then struggled to lift her. With effort and trembling arms, she carried her inert body from the cold marble floor and placed her on the vast, silk-covered bed.

The sight of Williams, utterly vulnerable, triggered a cascade of emotions that twisted inside Evelyn. She covered her with a duvet, then carefully slipped her hand underneath to remove the wet, blood-stained garments. When she opened the custom-built drawers, the scent of expensive cedar and faint lavender, the subtle perfume of Williams’s untouchable life, rose to meet her. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the pleasant, confusing aroma wash over the bitter tang of copper and antiseptic.

She turned back to Williams, still deeply asleep.
“If only you knew how much I missed you, Dr. Niran Williams,” she whispered. The words felt like a private prayer.

The closet was an architectural marvel of tailored suits and evening wear, organized with the terrifying precision of its owner. Evelyn found the lingerie section, a dedicated area filled with luxurious silk and lace. She chose a simple dark silk pair, approached the bed, and, without disturbing the clean sheet covering Williams, managed to dress her. She intentionally left the bra off to avoid pressure on the heavily bandaged shoulder.

Her eyes fixed on the serene, powerful face. She allowed herself a fleeting moment of contact.
Her hand lingered in Williams’ hair. She stroked it softly, unable to stop herself, unable to silence the years of longing she had buried beneath her new identity.

What had happened? How had everything spiraled into this nightmare?

The vulnerability was intoxicating. She snatched Williams’s phone from the bedside table and rushed downstairs. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, she saw the dark silhouettes of Makizal’s guards, perfectly spaced as they secured the perimeter. Why were they outside, protecting her retreat, and not rushing in with doctors? The image on the phone, Williams’s face as the background, forced a deeper and more fearful consideration.

Across town, Miss Kai was spiraling in a whirlpool of maternal anxiety. When a sudden message arrived, it was Adeline who was summoning her urgently.

She and her husband left at once, barely missing Makizal, who was leaving the hospital with his jaw set and his entire being coiled in dangerous, contained rage. He was on his way to manage the police depositions and execute his counter-attack strategy.

In the car, Ralph held his wife’s trembling hand.

“Why won’t she let me see her?” Miss Kai whispered.

“Honey, breathe. It is an emergency protocol. You will see her once everything stabilizes,” Ralph replied gently.

“But if I could just see her, I would know she was in better hands,” Miss Kai said, her doubt gnawing at her chest.

He looked at his wife with tender patience. “Don’t worry, my love.”

Ralph adored Williams, but he adored Miss Kai even more. He knew that when her strength faltered, he needed to become the strength she could lean on.

They arrived at a discreet, secured townhouse. Adeline met Miss Kai’s frantic approach with a firm grip.

“Miss Kai, please. Sit down. There is something urgent you need to hear.”

Miss Kai sat, her heart pounding as Romaric arrived.

He greeted them quickly. “Forgive us for calling you so suddenly, but we made a discovery.” He offered a respectful nod to Ralph. “I initiated a deep scan on every person circled in the photo album, the abusers from the academy. This is what we found.”

He spread out a series of updated photos: social media profiles, worker database entries. Miss Kai leaned forward, confronted with the callous faces of those who had tormented Williams.

“And what is the problem?” she asked, confused.

Romaric slid a photo toward her.

“Esther Dara. Do you remember her?”

Miss Kai’s eyes widened, a flicker of horrified recognition echoing at the sound of the name. “Yes. The girl Williams wrote the letter to. What about her?”

Romaric’s voice dropped as he delivered the devastating truth. “The problem is that Esther Dara is Evelyn Hazel.”

“What?” Miss Kai stared at him, stunned, then turned to her husband. She already knew Williams was in danger at the hospital. She had been living in fear for hours. But Evelyn being Esther? It made no sense. It felt like fate twisting a knife.

“What do you mean by that?” Ralph demanded, protective.

“That the woman Williams is now actively trying to destroy is the same woman she wrote a letter to years ago,” Romaric said. “She changed her identity.”

“But why would she do that?” Miss Kai stood up, her whole-body trembling in disbelief.

Romaric’s eyes darkened as an old memory resurfaced. A detective he once struck for secretly photographing Williams had been gathering data for a client named Esther Dara. He had not taken it seriously at the time. Journalists often pushed boundaries for big public figures like Williams.

The pieces clicked into place.

“So, she came back to hurt her in complicity with Doctor Marz?” Miss Kai asked immediately, her mind leaping to the most logical and villainous conclusion.

Romaric hesitated. Evelyn’s behavior did not fit that theory. Too many of her reactions had seemed genuine, surprised, human.

Ralph leaned forward. “Does Williams know any of this?”

Romaric shook his head. “No. I have seen her face the woman multiple times. She has always been indifferent to her.”

“It’s normal,” Adeline said quietly. “That part of her memory is still buried.”

“Find her immediately,” Miss Kai ordered, her face stern and driven entirely by maternal instinct.

But this was the biggest problem: Evelyn, or Esther, had vanished. Romaric and Adeline were convinced Williams was responsible for her disappearance. Romaric had gone to Evelyn’s apartment and found nothing. His only leads were Kannika and Yada, or Polo and Emilio, but approaching Williams’ circle was dangerous. Makizal had proven that more than once.

And now that the situation had escalated, they were running out of time.

They had to find Evelyn before Williams killed her, or before Williams regained her memories because of her.

But Miss Kai cared less for Evelyn; her only focus was on the real victim, her daughter. Williams needed help. And now even she could not see her. It felt like losing her all over again.

Her body trembled, but Ralph caught her in his arms.

“Williams is lying bleeding somewhere, and she will not let me see her.”

“Honey, I know you are hurting.”

“Ralph, I am so sorry, but my problems never end,” she whispered.

“No, do not say that.” Ralph hugged her tightly. “I love you and your problems. Let us just consider it as a tumultuous life.” He offered a tired smile.

He turned to Adeline. “What do we do now?”

Adeline glanced at Romaric, who added, “There was a lawyer who worked with Evelyn. She might know more.”

Ralph nodded. “Whatever you need. Tell us, and we will make it happen.”

Romaric bowed slightly. “Thank you, Sir. I will leave immediately.”

Ralph helped Miss Kai to her feet.

“Adeline,” she called softly.

“Williams will be fine,” Adeline said firmly.

“She will not even let us see her. Not even now,” Miss Kai whispered.

“She does not want you to see her in agony. But I am more curious about which doctor she accepted to care for her.”

Cause Adeline had a better profile of her patient. Williams was untouchable; she had witnessed on numerous occasions how she despised human contact.

If only they knew that Evelyn Hazel or Esther Dara, whatever name they chose, was the one tending to the most wanted woman in the city.

Romaric, meanwhile, searched for Yada using all his connections. Kannika, however, was proving strangely difficult to find.

Yada had returned home hours before the conference tragedy. She saw the headline: ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT and repeatedly tried Evelyn’s disconnected number. Her stress was compounded not only by Malaya’s confession but also by another devastating piece of personal news that crushed her heart. She felt herself spiraling.

Then her phone rang. Her mother’s voice came through, thick with relief. Her brother was finally heading home.

With a rush of conflicting emotions, Yada changed clothes and drove to the clinic. The entire hospital buzzed with talk of the tragedy at the Niran Kai Medical Center on the very day her brother was discharged.

Her parents were already there. As her brother prepared to leave, Yada noticed Pako walking quickly down the hallway and followed him.

Everyone was talking about the shooting. As she prepared to leave with her parents and her newly discharged brother, she saw Pako hurrying, worry etched on his face.

“Yada,” her mother called. “Are you not coming with us?”

“No, go home. I will join you later, okay?” She affectionately stroked her brother’s hair before turning to follow Pako.

“Okay,” her brother replied softly.

When she reached Pako, she saw the worry stamped on his face.

“What is going on?” she asked.

“They are already here. Apparently, she is improving.”

“But that is good news.”

“Except they are waiting for her too,” Pako warned, glancing toward two dark figures loitering subtly at the end of the hall. Internal service agent.

Yada began walking confidently toward Kannika’s ward. “Jeremiya, you are going to bring me sheets, fruit, and a bed cushion. I am going to sleep here.”

“Yada, what are you doing?”

“Please,” she said, her voice steady. “Trust me.”

Pako stared at her. Convinced by her sudden, fierce resolve, he nodded and went to carry out her requests. He wondered what exactly Yada was planning, but he knew better than to question her when she wore that look of absolute determination.

She had found a new battlefield.

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