Chapter 40
Meeting Carter’s gaze, Nate’s expression shifted almost immediately. He felt uneasy and exposed. He’d never been good at hiding things.
Carter understood everything in that moment.
His voice was quiet, but firm. “What really happened?”
Sharon didn’t respond. She didn’t even look in his direction.
Xavier let out a low chuckle. “Sharon, what exactly happened just now?”
She could ignore Carter. But Xavier-she owed him that much. Still, this kind of explanation, this endless need to prove herself… she was sick of it.
Without a word, she picked up her phone from the bedside table and tapped the screen.
A video started playing.
Nate’s furious voice exploded from the speaker. “Sharon, you murderer!”
On-screen, the camera shook violently. Nate hurled a cup of water at Sharon. The splash hit the lens, momentarily blurring
everything.
Carter suddenly recalled it-how when he first entered the room, Sharon’s hair had been damp. The blanket too, was dotted with traces of moisture.
In the video, Sharon wiped the lens dry. Nate, with his finger pointed at her face, charged forward with all the force of someone spoiling for a fight.
He reached for her.
She kicked.
Caught completely off guard, Nate slammed into the table. The crash knocked over the cups, and Kelly-who had been standing behind him-was dragged down in the fall.
The video ended there.
The hospital room dropped into a silence so complete, it seemed to hollow out the air.
Carter’s eyes shifted to Kelly. “Kelly. Is that what really happened?” 1
Kelly looked stunned. It took her a long time before she finally nodded.
“Yes… Sharon didn’t push me.”
“Then why didn’t you say that earlier?” (1)
Her eyes reddened as if someone had just flipped a switch. She looked wounded. “I came here to ask Sharon about the accident…
I didn’t mean to blame her for something like falling. It wasn’t worth mentioning.”
And it was true. Kelly had never once said Sharon pushed her. It had been Nate who hurled the accusation, twisting the moment into something it wasn’t.
Carter’s face went hard, eyes dark and sharp. He turned to Nate and said, “Apologize.”
Nate blinked, caught off guard. “What?”
“Apologize to Sharon,” Carter said again, voice colder this time.
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Chapter 40
+25 BONUS
Nate hesitated. He hated this. A grown man who’d laid hands on a woman-and not just any woman, but his friend’s wife. No matter how he spun it, he had no footing here.
Reluctantly, he opened his mouth. “Sharon… I’m sorry.”
Sharon raised her brows slightly. “What was that? I didn’t catch it.”
His lips twitched. Shame crept over his features like a slow burn. He tried again, louder this time.
“I’m sorry, Sharon.”
But Sharon’s response was flat and dispassionate. “I don’t think you need to apologize anymore.”
Nate’s eyes lit up at that. “See, Carter? She said it herself-I don’t need to-”
Before he could finish, Sharon cut in again.
“Because no matter how you apologize, I won’t forgive you. If you really want to make it up to me, maybe you should get a few cups of water thrown at you too. That would feel a bit more sincere than this forced apology.”
Nate’s face contorted with anger. He pointed at her, voice rising into a shout. “Sharon, don’t push it! You kicked me, too!”
Sharon leaned back against the headboard. “You didn’t think it was ‘too much’ when you threw water at me. But now that I kicked you, you think it’s over the line? Nate, have you ever noticed how deeply hypocritical you are? That kick was self-defense. If I hadn’t reacted, who knows what you would’ve done next? I’m lying here, injured-how exactly was I supposed to stop a full- grown man like you?”
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