Instead, he felt something else.
Her skin wasn’t cold.
Not waxy.
Not lifeless.
Ava looked pale, but not dead.
Ethan touched her wrist with trembling fingers.
There was warmth.
A faint one—but undeniably there.
He gasped.
“Get a doctor! NOW!”
Chaos erupted.
Guests surged forward. Someone fainted.
A doctor attending the service rushed over, pressing two fingers beneath Ava’s jaw. His eyes widened.
“She has a pulse—weak, but present. We need to get her to a hospital immediately!”
Ethan staggered backward, clutching a pew for support.
Malik stood frozen, watching as paramedics stormed into the church and carefully lifted Ava onto a stretcher.
As they rushed her toward the ambulance, Ethan followed—but halfway there, he turned.
Malik was still standing near the coffin, bracing himself as if expecting to be arrested.
“You’re coming with me.”
Malik blinked.
“Sir… I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“That’s exactly why you’re coming.”
❖ At the Hospital
Doctors worked on Ava for hours.
Ethan paced the hallway like a man with his soul dangling over a cliff.
Malik sat on a bench, hands clasped between his knees, too afraid to speak.
Finally, the head physician approached. Ethan nearly collapsed under the weight of dread.
“She’s stable,” he said at last.
“Mr. Carter… your daughter was misdiagnosed. She was in an induced coma—not dead.
This boy saved her life by speaking up.”
Ethan turned slowly toward Malik, awe in his eyes.
An induced coma.
Someone had done this to her.
“Malik,” Ethan said quietly, “can you describe the man you saw? The one who injected her?”
Malik nodded.
“I remember everything. I was hiding behind a dumpster when he dragged her out. At first, I thought he was helping her—until I saw the needle. He left in a silver van. I memorized the license plate.”
Ethan inhaled sharply.
“You memorized it?”
“I’m homeless, sir,” Malik said softly.
“I memorize things to survive.”
For the first time, Ethan felt something shift inside him—respect.
And something darker.
Because he recognized that license plate.
It belonged to someone he trusted.
❖ A Familiar Enemy
The next morning, Ethan sat beside Ava’s bed. She wasn’t awake yet, but her breathing was steady.
Malik waited at the door, unsure if he belonged in the room.
“You said the plate was 8XJ–921, right?” Ethan asked.
Malik nodded.
Ethan clenched his jaw.
“That’s my business partner’s vehicle. Michael Grant.”
Shock flickered across Malik’s face.