Chapter 22

Nate's POV

Nate paced the cold, sterile waiting room of the hospital, his mind a whirlwind of guilt, fear, and confusion. The clock on the wall seemed to mock him with every tick, each second dragging on like an eternity. Allyson had been in surgery for hours, and there had been no word from the doctors.

He ran a hand through his hair, his thoughts racing back to the moment she had thrown herself in front of him. The blood, the look in her eyes—it haunted him. She had saved his life, and now she was fighting for hers because of it.

The door to the waiting room swung open, and Nate's heart jumped. A surgeon walked in, his face somber.

"Mr. Johnson?" the doctor asked.

Nate nodded, stepping forward. "How is she?"

"She's stable for now," the doctor said, his voice measured. "The bullet missed any major organs, but she lost a significant amount of blood. She's in recovery, but the next 24 hours are critical."

Nate exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Relief washed over him, but it was tinged with a deep fear. "Can I see her?"

"In a few hours," the doctor replied. "She needs to rest. But I'll have a nurse take you to her room when she's ready."

Nate nodded, the weight of his actions settling heavily on his shoulders. He had nearly lost Allyson because he had believed the worst of her. He couldn't let that happen again.

As he sat down, his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was Rachel. 

Rachel's POV

She grabbed her phone and dialed Nate's number, her fingers trembling slightly. When he answered, his voice was strained.

"Nate," she purred, trying to keep her voice steady. "I just heard what happened. Are you okay?"

"What do you want, Rachel?" Nate's voice was cold, distant.

"I… I wanted to see if you're alright. I care about you, Nate. You know that."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Rachel's heart raced. "Rachel, I'm at the hospital," Nate finally said, his voice barely a whisper. "Allyson was shot."

Rachel's breath caught in her throat. "Shot? By who?"

"A private investigator you hired," Nate replied, his voice hardening. "He tried to kill me, and Allyson took the bullet."

Rachel's mind spun. The plan had gone horribly wrong. "Nate, I didn't—"

"Save it," Nate snapped. "I'm done with you. Don't call me again."

"Nate, I swear on my mother's grave. I didn't, it's true that I loathe Allyson but I'd never hire anyone to harm her" Rachel said pitifully.

"Rachel, please stay away from me" Nate said and ended the call abruptly before she could say another word.

Rachel kept staring at her phone screen " Wait, did Nate just hung up on me? That damned Allyson" she hissed.

Allyson's POV

Allyson drifted in and out of consciousness, her body heavy and numb. The pain in her chest was dull now, muted by the drugs, but the memories of what had happened were still sharp.

She remembered Nate's face as he held her, the fear and sorrow in his eyes. She wanted to tell him everything, to explain who she really was and why she had kept it a secret. But now, it felt too late.

As she lay in the hospital bed, a nurse adjusting her IV, Allyson's mind raced. She had to survive this. She had to fix what had been broken. And she had to stop Rachel, once and for all.

A soft knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. The nurse stepped out, and a moment later, Nate walked in. His face was pale, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Ally," he whispered, moving to her side.

She managed a weak smile, her hand reaching out to him. "Nate…"

"Don't talk," he said quickly, taking her hand in his. "You need to rest."

Allyson shook her head slightly. "I need to tell you something… about who I really am."

Nate's brow furrowed in confusion, but he nodded. "Okay. I'm listening."

As Allyson began to speak, revealing the truth about her identity and her reasons for hiding it, Nate listened in stunned silence. The truth was more than he had ever imagined, and as the pieces fell into place, he realized just how wrong he had been.

But before Allyson could finish, the door to the room suddenly burst open. A fleet of security men in black suits flanked the entrance to her ward. They were talking to their talkie walkies.

Soon enough, her uncle strolled in to her room. While he tried to talk to her, Allyson started jerking spuriously. Nate quickly pressed the emergency button, all the nurses and doctors in the Post Surgery ward rushed to her room and asked her uncle and Nate to step the room. 

The atmosphere between Richard and Nate in the waiting room was tensed.

**To be continued…**