Chapter 1228:

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Her heart nearly stopped when she realized where Leonie had dragged her. They were mere inches from the edge of the stairwell.

“Let go!” Brinley’s voice trembled, cold sweat beading on her forehead as panic clawed at her chest. “My friend is in this restaurant. She’ll be here any moment.”

A chilling laugh escaped Leonie’s lips. “When she finds you, you’ll be lying in a pool of blood.”

Horror flooded Brinley’s eyes as the words sank in. Before she could react, Leonie’s hands slammed into her with brutal force. Time seemed to freeze as Brinley’s world tilted sideways. In that terrifying instant, her mind went blank.

“Brin!”

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. Brinley drifted in and out of a daze until she finally cracked her eyes open, greeted by an endless expanse of white.

“Brin, thank goodness you’re awake,” a soft, familiar voice murmured beside her.

Turning her head, Brinley saw Jayden, his face lighting up with relief. “How are you feeling?” he asked, standing to help her sit up and carefully adjusting the pillow behind her.

Still disoriented, Brinley blinked and mumbled, “Why am I in the hospital?”

Jayden gave her a gentle smile. “Don’t you remember? You had an argument with a woman on a stairwell. In the heat of the moment, she pushed you down the stairs. Luckily, your friend showed up just in time and managed to catch you.”

Brinley’s eyes widened as the memory came rushing back. “That’s right — I remember now. Jenessa saved me, but she… she fell, didn’t she?”

𝗬o𝗎𝗋 𝗱𝖺il𝘆 𝖽оsе of ո𝗼𝘷𝖾𝗅s oո g𝖺𝗅𝘯𝗈𝗏𝘦𝗅ѕ.c𝗼𝗺

She threw back the covers and tried to get out of bed. “Where is she? I need to see her!”

Jayden gently stopped her, his tone calm and patient. “Her husband is with her.” He hesitated before adding, “He was quite upset earlier. While he was speaking with the doctor, your friend asked me to look after you first. She also said it would be better if you didn’t visit for a few days — to avoid upsetting her husband further.”

Guilt gnawed at Brinley as her eyes welled up. “It’s all my fault. How is she?”

“She has a fractured right arm and needs to rest for a while,” Jayden said gently.

Brinley sniffed, remorse washing over her. “I was so stupid. I shouldn’t have gone off on my own.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” Jayden said, handing her a tissue and softly wiping her tears. “This wasn’t your fault — it was the attacker’s.”

Brinley nodded, making a quiet promise to herself never to take such reckless risks again.

After a stretch of silence, Jayden asked carefully, “Do you… still have feelings for your ex-boyfriend?”

Brinley froze, her eyes snapping to his in shock. “Why would you even—”

“You went to the stairwell because of your ex, didn’t you?” Jayden interrupted, his voice low and measured. Though he didn’t know all the details, the pieces he had were enough to form a clear picture. Brinley had gone to the restaurant because of a message she believed was from Allen — except it hadn’t been from him at all. The attacker had used her concern for Allen to lure her into the stairwell.

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