Chapter 35. A DRAMATIC TURN OF EVENTS
(Sienna)
“She’s waking up.”
I slowly opened my eyes, and the sterile white ceiling of a hospital room greeted me. My throat felt raw and scratchy, as if I had swallowed a handful of sandpaper. I tried to clear my throat, but it only intensified the discomfort. The room seemed unfamiliar, and confusion settled in as I tried to piece together how I’d ended up here.
My lips were parched, and I desperately needed water.
“Water.”
“Here,” Ander said as he placed a plastic cup with a straw closer to my mouth. “Just small sips, or you’ll get sick.”
Zayn, Noah, and William stood at the foot of the bed.
My movements were slow, and my limbs felt heavy. Panic started to creep in as I realized that I couldn’t remember what had led me to this hospital bed. I tried to recall the events leading up to this moment, but my thoughts felt muddled, like a puzzle with missing pieces. The faint beeping of monitors nearby added to my disorientation. I knew I needed answers, but my immediate priority was quenching my intense thirst.
“You scared the shit out of us, princess. How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been hit by a train.” I chuckled, but my laughter quickly dissolved into a fit of coughing.
Why does my throat hurt this badly?
“Oh, we’ve been freaking out over here, but sure, go ahead and laugh it up,” Zayn fired back.
“Sorry. What happened?” I asked.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Ander asked. He was seated on the bed. Once he set the plastic cup on the nightstand, he took my hand in his.
“I…I…remember talking to you. You were upset. The next thing I remember was you begging me to open my eyes.”
Ander’s lips tightened as he squeezed my hand.
“Someone tried to kill you,” Noah explained.
“What?” I exclaimed, confused. Why? Who? How? I had too many questions and zero answers. I couldn’t remember a single thing.
“Someone spiked your champagne with barbiturates, and you suffered from an overdose. You were lucky that it was almost New Year’s Eve, and the roads were empty—the ambulance arrived fifteen minutes before you went into cardiac arrest.” Zayn filled me in with details on how those minutes went by. “The police want to speak to you, but we’ve told them you need rest before giving a statement.”
“But I don’t have a clue about what happened or who could’ve done it.”
“We do,” Noah chimed in.
“Huh? You know?” I asked, a sense of worry creeping in.
“The stalker. We found a note and a black dahlia in your room,” he said, making my head spin and my body shake.
“Don’t worry, love. We have it all handled.” Ander said, reaching out to softly touch my cheek. I leaned on his hand, finding comfort in his touch.
“I’ve been in touch with a private security firm, and they’ll contact you sometime this week to set up your protection for when you’re back at Stanford. Until then, we’ll be on watch, always keeping you in sight,” William reassured me.
“You should get some rest,” Ander insisted.
“I feel fine. I’m tired, but it’s okay.” I turned my head to Noah and asked him, “What did the note say?”
“Here.” Noah retrieved a piece of paper from his pocket and passed it to me. Careful not to pull out the IV in the back of my left hand, I reached for the note and unfolded it.
Sometimes revenge tastes like poison.
“The police have reviewed the security camera footage at my house. However, a significant number of people, including guests and staff, came and went that day. It might take them a while to narrow down a full list of potential suspects,” William said.
“Do they have any?”
“Me, to begin with. They interviewed all the waitstaff from the party and the alcohol supplier company. But honestly, it could have been anyone,” William remarked.
“They’re also questioning Maggie as we speak,” Zayn added.
“Let’s leave the police to do their job. I’ll let them know you’re awake, but I’ll ask them to give you more time to wake up. Don’t talk to them unless there’s a lawyer present with you, okay?”
“Thank you, William.”
“Boys, Sienna needs some rest, and you need to eat something,” William advised as he gently squeezed Noah’s and Zayn’s shoulders. He then motioned with his head, indicating to Ander that he should leave the room.
“Actually, I’d like to speak with Sienna. I’ll call you when I leave the hospital, but text me where you’re going for food, and I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay, man. Get some rest, princess. We’ll come by later,” Noah stated.
He waved his hand, but Zayn came closer and gently kissed my forehead, saying, “See you later, babe.”
“Thank you, guys,” I responded.
Noah and Zayn grabbed their backpacks and left the room with William.
The silence stretched for a few minutes, and I used the opportunity to drink more water.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Ander admitted, his hand rubbing his tired face. He looked wiped out, and I wondered how much sleep he had managed since I arrived at the hospital.
“Well, how about you tell me how long I’ve been unconscious?” I suggested.
“You’ve been in the ICU for a couple of days, but once they got you stable, they moved you to the regular ward.”
“So it’s…”
“January fourth. Yep.”
“Wow. And to think that my parents were worried last year because I slept through January first.” I chuckled.
“Sienna, I thought I’d lost you.” I glanced at Ander and noticed tears streaming down his cheeks. “I thought I’d never see or kiss you again, and that thought consumed me the past few days.”
I cupped Ander’s face with both hands, gently wiping away the tears streaking his cheeks with my thumbs.
“Shhh, I’m okay now. I’m here with you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Ander held the wrist that didn’t have the IV line and confessed, “I don’t care, Sienna. I’ve been thinking about it, and I don’t fucking care. I don’t care if you also have feelings for Noah and Zayn. When I thought you might not make it, it tore me apart. I was fucking scared. I can’t picture my life without you, and I can’t deny it any longer, Sienna. I’m in love with you. You have no idea how much I fucking love you. I’ll gladly take any piece of your heart you’re willing to give me. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”
He softly kissed me. My heart burned with all the things I wanted to say, but I didn’t have the will to break that kiss. Each gentle stroke of his tongue brought me back to life, and I met every single one with all the love I knew resided in my heart.
“I love you, Ander,” I replied between kisses. “I was already in love with you the first time we kissed. I’ve told you before—I’m yours.”
Our kiss was interrupted by three knocks on the door.
I tried to calm my breathing before Ander asked whoever was on the other side to come in.
“Sorry for disturbing you, Miss Moore,” a nurse said. “But the police insist that they need to talk to you.”
“No problem. Tell them to come in.” I tugged the bed sheets a little higher, ensuring they now covered my chest, as I quickly realized that I was wearing a very thin gown, and my nipples now peaked through the fabric after that kiss.
A moment later, two men dressed in dark suits entered the room.
“Miss Moore, please accept our apologies for disturbing you,” said the taller law enforcement officer. He presented his badge before offering a handshake. “I’m Detective Cortes, and this is Agent Miller from the FBI.”
“FBI?” I asked.
“Yes. Detective Cortes believes there could be a link between the threats you’ve been receiving back at Stanford University and your attempted murder. Officer Johnson, who is leading your case and a good friend, called me.”
“Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?” Detective Cortes pressed.
I glanced at Ander. I told William I would only talk to the cops with a lawyer present, but I didn’t see the issue. At the end of the day, I was the victim.
“Sure.”
Detective Cortes retrieved a notepad and a pen from the inside pocket of his jacket.
“Miss Moore, how many threatening notes have you received so far?”
“Five, if you consider the one they left at Scott Manor,” I answered.
“When did you start receiving those threatening notes?”
“Hmm. It was a few days after my friend Noah’s birthday. That would be around the third week of October.”
The detective noted the date down.
“Do you even have anything new to ask? Your buddy over there should have all the info on those first four notes,” Ander sneered, his patience wearing thin.
“Watch your tone, boy.” The detective turned to me again. “Are you aware of any threats ever made against your family? Did your parents ever tell you if they also received any notes?”
“What does this have to do with my parents?”
“Please answer the question, Miss Moore,” Agent Miller insisted.
“No. If they did, they never told me. Why are you asking me this? Did someone threaten my parents?”
“Could you grant us a moment, young man?” Detective Cortes asked as he approached my bedside. His body language underwent a noticeable change, and his jaw clenched visibly.
“If you have anything to say to me, you can say it in front of him,” I stated.
Ander folded his arms and thrust out his chest. The detective appeared uneasy and briefly glanced at the FBI agent before giving a hesitant nod.
“Very well,” he replied, pausing to return his notepad to the inner pocket of his jacket. “Yesterday, when I spoke with Agent Miller, he brought up a call from the National Transportation Safety Board that his colleague Officer Johnson had received two days ago. The NTSB gathers on-site data to establish the likely cause of each civil aviation accident in the US, but I assume you were already informed about the ongoing investigation into your parents’ accident. Given that your sedation was being discontinued today, I thought it best to hear it from us before the final report was ready for public release next week.”
Time seemed to slow down, stretching the seconds into agonizing minutes as I braced myself for the impact.
“What does the report say?” I asked.
Ander draped his arm around my shoulders in a protective gesture. This time, Agent Miller spoke.
“Miss Moore, the NTSB has determined that the mechanical system’s software was hacked. Your parents’ deaths were not the result of an accident.”
I brought my hands to my mouth and gasped.
“Your parents were murdered, and we have now classified the case as a homicide.”