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Nights were supposed to be peaceful.

Not for Alyssa, because her night had turned dark, falling into an unconscious state, leaving her alone in the cold nature. Her night had changed everything for her from now on. Knowing the truth was another thing, but that one thing that she was running away from - was flashed right in front of her eyes. She was shown her bitter truth.

Hope Coleman.

That name still kept ringing in her ear, a sudden beat in the heart brought her back to life. She tried opening her eyes, struggling to take rebirth, when a pair of blue eyes called out her name. She could feel the presence of another girl next to her who begged her to open her eyes, the girl gave her moral support. She gasped and another beat fell right into place as her heart started beating.

Opening her eyes, she let out a cry of pain. Her head was on the steering wheel and after gaining full consciousness, she realized what had happened to her. Panicking, she tried opening the door, but couldn't. Taking a breath, she tried again and once the door unlocked, she opened it and fell to the ground. The cold road dig some more mirror in her leg and wept. She cried out for help - her head ached, her body ached but more - her heart suffered.

Looking back at the car, she realized what mistake she made again. Cupping her face under her hand, she wept and let the night witness her in that situation.

"Alyssa."

She heard her name being called. Looking up, she found a boy running towards her, her vision was still blurry. He kneeled in front of her and grabbed her by her arm to keep her steady.

"Fuck, what happened?" His eyes landed on the car. "Are you okay?" He glanced at her from head to toe and was worried about her condition. "We have to get you to the hospital."

She recognised the voice but still couldn't see him clearly. Brown eyes with concern looked back at her.

"Liam." She murmured and rested her head on his chest as he pulled her into his arms. "You're here. I - I, I don't know how this happened. I'm scared, I'm hurt - I -"

"Shh -" He pulled her away and tucked the messed up hair behind her ear, wiping away her tears. "You're all right. I'm here now. You're safe." He took a deep breath and sighed.

Taking his phone out of the pocket, he dialled her brother's number. Landon didn't receive the call in one go. But he tried again. When Landon finally received the call, he greeted Liam.

"Hey, Landon. I need you to rush to Saint Lupa's Hospital, I'm taking Alyssa there." Liam declared. "I found her at Lincoln's street, she met with an accident. She is all right, but please come fast."

"What the fuck, Liam. Was she alone? What accident?"

"I don't know. It's a grey civic. I don't find anyone else here. I think she was alone."

"She can't drive, what are you talking about." There was tension in Landon's voice. He couldn't understand what Liam tried to say. Alyssa was afraid to sit in cars, let alone drive one herself. She was supposed to be at the Winter Formal, what was she doing at Lincoln Street?

"I don't have time for this, Landon. Just rush to the hospital. It is the nearest from here."

Landon nodded and Liam ended the call. Picking her up, he tried not to hurt her as she had some glasses in her leg, he rushed to his car and made her sit in the back seat. Turning on the ignition, he drove to the hospital.

On the other side of the town, Eastwood High's Winter Formal was declared over when Danielle decided to pull out a stunt against Alyssa. Everyone was shocked when Alyssa ran out of the Hall. Liam was the only one who followed her. When he saw her get in the car, he tried to stop her but before he could, she had already driven away. He followed her in his car.

Her friends were still oblivious of what awaited her fate. They walked out of the other room when they stopped hearing any music. Once they entered the Hall, they found everyone standing on the side of the Hall, while the professor was lecturing Danielle who just stood there rolling her eyes.

"You have no right to misuse your position for your mala-fide intentions. Look what you've done." As they continued scolding her, Neil looked out for Alyssa and Arthur. He couldn't find either of them. While Zach questioned some other students on what drama did Danielle pull.

"Alyssa knows the truth." Jamie hurried to the group and declared. The concern in her eyes alerted the others. "Danielle called her out, she did some honouring thing and showed Hope's picture - and now Alyssa is gone."

"That fucking bitch." Skye clenched her fist, as she was ready to run towards Danielle and throw a punch.

"What do you mean gone?" Neil asked.

"The other said Alyssa ran away and she was crying." Zach rushed to the group and announced. This alerted the five of them and they rushed out of the Hall. The first thing that Jamie did was call Landon. But his phone was out of reach. They tried finding her in the school but failed.

"Where could she go?" Zach ran his hand through his hair, he was getting anxious. Neil's eyes landed on the parking area where he couldn't see his car.

"Fuck."

Everyone turned to him. His eyes were still on the parking area.

"She had my car keys."

As soon as he said that, everyone turned their gaze towards the parking area and they realized, she was missing. She took away the car.

"Shit. Shit," Beth was the first to say as they ran to the parking area. "She wasn't supposed to be in a car alone."

"She took away the fucking car, she drove it." Neil hit another car in anger. No one could understand what was happening. They tried calling Landon again. But it was of no use. Also, her father and Karen's call weren't connecting.

"I have to call Arthur," Skye asserted. "We have to let him know."

"He can't know," Zach grabbed her wrist before she could dial his number. "Did you not see what Danielle did? Arthur doesn't know that Alyssa knew the truth about the accident." 

"He does," Neil declared. All eyes landed on him. "Alyssa told him the truth."

"How do you -?"

"She told me, Jamie. She told me how she ran away from all of us to be alone and there, Arthur found her. She was on the Histale bridge. She told him everything, but couldn't say the name of the victim, because she didn't know herself."

"Did Arthur not tell her the truth?" Zach asked.

"How could he?" He looked at his friends and asked. The three words question was so heavy that they knew how complicated it would've been for Arthur. "He ran away. He left her alone. Since that night, it has been bothering her."

"Wasn't he with her when you left her?" Jamie asked Neil.

"He wanted to dance with her. I don't know what happened between them. I was with you guys."

"Did he leave with her?" Beth asked. "I mean - he must be there when Danielle fucked everything up."

"I don't think she would've if he were there." Jamie stated.

Everyone agreed because they knew how scared Danielle was of Arthur in matters related to Alyssa. But they also knew how much she hated both of them. She could easily hurt them both by targeting one arrow at them.

"He wouldn't leave Alyssa alone."

"We don't have time for assumptions, Jamie. We have to call him." Skye announced. Dialling his number, she waited. She was worried as she knew giving away the news would break him. Alyssa being missing, would break havoc in his life.

She heard his voice from the other side.

"Arthur - it's me, Skye." She didn't know how to say anything. He greeted her. "Where are you?" She asked. She wanted to ask if Alyssa was with him. 

"I'm at Jordan's place. Zoey needed me, so I had to rush back," He declared. That meant Alyssa wasn't with him. There was a pause from Skye's side and he sensed something was off. "Is everything all right?"

She didn't say anything.

"Skye, tell me - is everything, wait - is Alyssa okay?" The silence from the other side alerted him. Zach took the phone from Skye.

"Alyssa's not in school," He declared. "She ran away."

"What the fuck do you mean?" The tension in his voice was clear. "She was in the hall when I left. Why would she run away? What the fuck, Zachary."

"Danielle did something." He mumbled. He didn't want Arthur to get angry. "We cannot find her, we looked everywhere. But -"

"But?" He was able to control himself. Taking the car keys, he rushed towards the door. He knew Jordan was with Zoey, he would take care of her. But he had to be there for Alyssa.

"Neil's car is gone too."

That made him halt right there. His hand trembled as he heard those words. "She did not -"

"She had the key, Arthur."

His heart began beating fast, he could feel panic taking over. "Fuck. What the fuck. Did you try tracing her phone?"

"It's out of reach. We can't locate her."

Arthur ended the call abruptly and ran towards his car. He didn't care about the promise that he made to his mother, he didn't give a fuck to whatever people thought. He was worried for her and he knew he had to find her.

Her friends decided to call the cops. She had been missing for an hour now. They knew her condition and it could lead to any disaster that they didn't even want to think about. Jamie tried Landon's phone again. This time, he received the call and he threw a bomb on her before she could say anything.

"Alyssa is in hospital."

The four words made her freeze on the ground. She couldn't react. Seeing her like that, Neil took the phone from her and talked to Landon who narrated everything to him. He asked them all to get to the hospital. They rushed to the parking area and got into Zach's car. Zach was shaking, he was worried for her. Beth placed a hand on him while a tear fell from her eyes.

"Guys, she is okay. Stop crying." Skye hissed. "She wouldn't want y'all to meet her like this."

They arrived at the hospital and rushed inside. The receptionist stopped them and asked them not to create a scene, she informed them to be quiet. They asked her about Alyssa and she told them she was taken to the OT. They took the elevator and arrived on the third floor. Outside the OT, they found Landon - pacing back and forth. Jamie ran to her boyfriend and took him in her arms.

"She is going to be okay." She assured him. She was worried as well, but she knew she had to keep Landon strong. When Landon arrived, Alyssa was already taken inside, so he couldn't see her. Liam had done the initial paperwork, the other was done by Landon. When their eyes landed on Liam, Beth gasped. His white shirt was covered in blood and they knew who that belonged to.

"What was she doing on the highway?" Skye asked.

"She took Neil's car to get away." Landon declared.

"But how?" Beth asked. "She cannot drive. She knew she had to stay away from driving."

"After what happened, do you think she was in the state to understand that?" Neil snapped at Beth. He was angry as Alyssa for being careless. He was burning in anger at Danielle for causing his best friend so much pain.

"What do you mean?" Landon shifted his eyes on Neil. "What happened?"

Liam narrated the whole scene to them as he was in the Hall when Danielle blamed Alyssa.

"Fuck, fuck. Shit," Landon fell on the floor while Jamie kneeled to support him. "She knows. Jamie, she fucking knows." He looked up at his girlfriend and a tear from his eyes fell on her hand. She took him in her arm and let him cry. Neil called Karen and Alyssa's father. He hesitated to dial Arthur because he knew it would've been a disaster.

Skye called Arthur and asked him to rush to the hospital. Her words sent a shiver down his spine. One mention of the hospital brought back many memories from the past that he was afraid to re-live. He didn't want to let negative thoughts corrupt his mind, but he was helpless.

Once he arrived at the hospital, he didn't hesitate to go inside. Hospitals have only brought sorrow and pain in his life, he didn't want to go through the trauma again. Asking for her, he took the stairs and climbed up to the third floor. There he found them all. His eyes landed on Liam and his heart stopped. He could feel himself giving up, but Neil grabbed his arm.

"Is that her blood?" He asked his brown-haired friend. Liam could only nod. Neil made Arthur sit on the steel chair and Skye took a seat next to him. He froze, his eyes were on Liam's shirt. He wasn't even blinking.

"They are operating her. She is okay, Arthur."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He lashed out at Skye. "Look at his shirt. The blood, do you think she is okay after losing so much blood?"

Liam walked to his friend and assured him that she was okay. It was only a few glasses that cut her skin and hence the blood.

Before anything could say anything, they heard the room's door open and the doctor walked out of it. They rushed to him.

"The patient is all right. It was a minor accident. Some glasses cut through her skin and that led to the injury. She hasn't lost a lot of blood and that is a relief. It was only her leg. She might've hurt her head as well, we are keeping a check on that. It's a miracle that the car did not catch fire and she was taken out all right." He declared. Everyone took a breath of relief.

"Is she awake?"

"We've given her some sedatives. The effect might last for a few hours. We will be monitoring her till then." He declared. "Don't worry guys. She'll be all right." He assured them and walked away.

Landon sighed and rested his head on the wall, thanking God for keeping her safe. The girls hugged each other while Arthur just sat there, not moving.

"Will someone tell me what happened at the Winter Formal?" He asked his eyes on the ground.

"Danielle." One word was enough to make him angry. He knew what Danielle was capable of. She even hurt Zoey with her words. Zoey would never bother herself with Danielle's words but tonight she hurt her to her core that it shook Zoey. That was why she left crying and Arthur had to rush after her. He got up from the chair and without saying a word, he started walking towards the end of the hall.

"Where are you going?" Liam asked.

"To get my answers." Arthur declared and left the hallway. Walking out of the hospital, he knew where he had to go. Turning on the ignition, he started driving, his hand clenched tightly on the steering wheel. Once he arrived at the place, he didn't even bother to park the car.

Banging on the door, he became restless. He didn't care if he broke the door, he didn't even care if he woke up the neighbours. He was received by his black-haired friend who attended the party tonight with him. He remembered how Alyssa's eyes were on them and how she wasn't liking their closeness at all. It was evident on her face. He didn't want her to feel jealousy or any other emotion, he was only there for the school. He was trying to avoid her, to keep his mother's promise.

"Hey, what are you -"

"Is Danielle home?" He asked. "Josephine, is Danielle home?" He asked again, his voice turning cold as he got angrier with every passing second.

"What is the matter, Arthur?"

He entered the house, Josephine didn't stop him. The anger in his eyes cautioned her. She knew her sister must've done something.

"Did she get into another argument with you?"

"DANIELLE." He called her out. "I know you're home, Danielle."

He had sensed that their parents weren't home. It was Saturday night, they must've had their plans. Danielle walked downstairs from her room in her nightwear. Once she saw him, a sly smile appeared on her lip.

"O, the Romeo himself." She stood at the last second stair and crossed her arm against her chest. "I have no idea where your Juliet is, I don't even give a fuck - so you can fucking leave my house."

"I know you fucking don't, because you have no heart." He hissed at her. "She is in the hospital."

His words made Josephine gasp. By now she knew who they were talking about. Danielle's eyes went wide in shook.

"What did you do, Dani?" Her sister asked her.

"I - I, didn't -"

Arthur grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the left side of the house. Leaving her hand and making her collide to the wall, he threw a punch on the wall, so close to her face.

"Everything is a fucking joke to you. Life is a game, right?" He tried controlling his anger, but couldn't. His eyes were dark in rage and Danielle knew she was in trouble tonight. "I warned you, Morris. I fucking warned you to stay away from my sister and Alyssa. But you don't give a fuck, right?"

She opened her mouth to speak but he shut her up.

"You hurt Zoey tonight, what did you say?" He questioned her. "You did something to Alyssa and now she is in that operation theatre. Do you have any fucking idea how much blood has she lost?"

"What?" Josephine asked, worried. He left Danielle and turned to her sister.

"Your sister is the reason why she is in hospital tonight. I swear to God Danielle, if anything happens to her - I'll forget that I'm a human and might do something that I won't ever regret," He clenched his fist. "Don't force me to turn into an animal. You won't appreciate that side of me," He warned her. "I've told you a hundred times, you don't fucking get to take your revenge from her because of me. Alyssa and Zoey have nothing to do with what we had. Our past should not bother them. But you don't fucking understand. What do you want, huh?"

There was terror in her eyes, she had never seen him act that.

"You want me?" He asked. Then let out a laugh. "Fine, whatever. You can have me. I'll be yours. Is that what you fucking want? Will you stop after that? Will you leave the two girls alone?"

Her eyes went wide to what he said. "I don't, I -"

"What is with your obsession? Would you have hurt your sister as well? You knew what our parents wished for, right? Would you have taken your revenge from Josephine as well?"

As soon as he said that, a tear rolled down her eyes. Josephine stood there shedding tears as well. She couldn't believe her sister would do something only to have a man all to herself. She couldn't understand her obsession with Arthur.

"It wasn't about you." She finally got the courage to speak. "It was about -"

She couldn't complete her sentence as his phone started ringing. It was a call from Landon. He informed Arthur that Alyssa was awake and asked him to arrive at the hospital as early as possible.

Giving one last look to Danielle, he decided to leave the matter there. He didn't give a fuck to whatever Danielle had to say in her defence. Leaving their house, he ran to his car and started driving. His heart was still beating fast. He was yet worried about her. She had just gotten into a car accident. Even thinking about her driving alone in that state of mind sent shivers in his body.

He arrived at the hospital and took the stairs again. When he reached the floor, he saw that the doctor was explaining something to everyone. He rushed to them.

"We can now take her home." Landon declared. "They'll be discharging her."

"But -"

"She is all right, Arthur. It was a minor accident. Nothing much to worry about." Neil asserted. The doctor left after signing the necessary papers and the nurse asked them all to wait as she could get Alyssa ready for discharge. It had been more than five hours in the hospital and the night was going to turn into a new day in four hours. Landon asked his father and Karen to wait at home.

He also asked everyone else to leave as it was a hectic night for everyone. They all denied but Neil understood. He knew she had to get some rest. So they all decided to leave without meeting her. They didn't know how to face her after what happened. They thought it was best if they gave her some time.

It bothered Arthur that her friends left without meeting her. He still had no idea what happened that led to this. Liam left along with the others. It was only Landon and Arthur now. Landon didn't know how to ask Arthur to leave and honestly, he didn't want him to leave. He wanted to let Arthur have his chance with her this time because he couldn't the last time. But he also didn't want to hurt him. Arthur was oblivious of what Alyssa knew and Landon could only imagine what would happen once they confronted each other.

The nurse walked out of the room and passed Landon a weak smile. "She is all good to go."

Landan nodded and asked Arthur to wait outside. He didn't want to, the only thing he wanted was to take Alyssa in his arms and make sure she was okay. He didn't want to stay away from her even for one second. Landon had his hand on the wheelchair on which she sat. She had her eyes shut. There was a bandaid around her forehead and one on her left leg. It covered almost the full leg. A small bandaid was on her arm. It hurt him to see her like that.

"She's asleep." Landon declared. "I think you should leave for now. Go home, get some rest."

Arthur tried protesting.

"Please understand, Arthur. She will wake up tomorrow. I'll call you then. You can't come home right now. You know my father."

Arthur nodded. Resting a kiss on her forehead, he stood still. He didn't want to leave, but he had no other choice. He knew Landon would not stop him, but he also knew that Alyssa's father would refrain him from being around her.

So he left, with one final look at her - he left the hospital. Landon took the elevator and with the help of the ward boy, he placed the sleeping body of Alyssa in the back seat. With utmost care, he started driving towards their home, looking through the mirror after every two seconds.

As he arrived home, their father was waiting at the door anxiously with Karen by his side. They rushed to the car and helped Landon take Alyssa out. They placed her in the wheelchair and the three walked inside, taking her in. They decided to let her take their dad's room as it was downstairs. Placing her sleeping body on the bed and covering it with a duvet, Karen took her hand in hers and rubbed it. Her father sat on the chair next to her and a tear fell from his eyes.

"Sweetheart, why would you do that?" He asked his sleeping daughter. He placed his hand on her forehead and stayed like that. "You scared me, you know you're my life. Why would you hurt me again?"

Landon placed a hand on his father's shoulder and assured him that she was okay. They decided to let her sleep in peace. The three of them left the room and kept the door open, in case she woke up.

Landon along with his father sat on the couch, while Karen took the seat in front of them.

"What will we do now?" His father asked, his hand resting on his forehead. "She wasn't supposed to find out this way. First, the summon and now this. What does lord want from us?"

"I'm going to sue that Morris girl." Karen declared. She knew she wasn't an official member of the family but she loved Alyssa like her daughter.

"Ally used to say that Danielle might one day ruin her life and look - she was right." Landon asserted.

"Who let that girl do that?" The father asked. "The school will have to answer this."

Landon asked them to calm down. It wouldn't matter even if they sued anyone. The truth of the victim's identity was out and now they had to make sure Alyssa was all right. They had no idea how she would react and they had to be prepared for the consequence.

"We tried everything to keep Hope's name out of her reach. Now that she knows, it will change everything. How will we deal with the Coleman's?"

"They aren't our concern right now, dad. All we have to take care of is that Alyssa is all right." He declared. "I think it's time we tell her the whole truth."

His father's eyes went wide. "We can't, Landon. It will break her."

"Isn't she breaking every other day already? She has been suffering since the day she woke up. Her suffering isn't ending. We should not let her endure anymore pain. We can not keep her in dark."

"Telling her the truth will kill her," Karen mumbled. "We can not take that risk. The whole truth will change everything."

"But - "

"She has the envelope." His father declared. "She took it from the couch before leaving. She has it. What will we do about that?"

Landon stood up from the couch and walked back and forth, trying to understand everything. They were in a situation where they didn't want to see her hurting anymore but also couldn't bring any more pain and suffering into her life. He knew the truth would change everything, not just in her life, but in everyone who was associated with her. It would be tough to control her, after knowing the truth, her emotions would be all over the place.

"The best we can do is - not keep any more secrets from her."

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Hello everyone. Third update within a week. Do you guys love me more now?
I've seen a lot of the readers losing interest and that hurts, as a writer. I hope you guys will share the story with your friends and other people. It will mean a lot. 💜

So I have a lot planned. I did for this chapter as well, but then I could only fit this. I swear a lot of drama awaits ahead. Arthur still doesn't know what Danielle did, Alyssa hasn't woken up so nobody knows how she would react.

But yeah - Thank God, Liam saved her. Also, would you ever in the future, ship Liam with Alyssa? If yes, what would be their ship name?

#ALIASSA or #LIALYSSA

What is the secret that Landon is talking about? What was in the envelope? Keep guessing and let me know.

Until then, stay at home and stay safe.
🧡💜💚