Arwen was taken aback. "The accident that I had back when I was at Cralens High?" she asked, as if just to seek confirmation.
Aura nodded.
"But how is that possible?" Arwen’s voice was filled with disbelief. "It was Ryan who took to the hospital."
She might have forgotten many of her mories, but one thing she rembered vividly was waking up and seeing Ryan sitting beside her. Her mother had introduced him then, telling her that it was he who had saved her life.
The mont was pivotal for her.
It gave Catrin a valid reason to make her feel indebted towards him, and force her to approach Ryan —willingly. If nothing else, then at least as a friend.
He had brought her to the hospital and saved her that day. Thanking him was sothing she felt she owed him. Later, this very belief served as the reason why she agreed to get engaged to him.
Not entirely out of gratefulness, but because Catrin insisted he deserved her, because he once saved her life. And with him, she would be safe. Like before, he would always co forward to protect her.
She glanced at Aura now, her gaze flickering, searching for an answer —one that could help her make sense of what she had been missing all these years.
Was it Aiden who saved her that day? And not Ryan?
Maybe Aura understood the storm within her. She placed her hand gently over hers on the desk and gave a small nod. Then her gaze deepened, turning inward as she went down the lane of mories to revisit that dreadful day.
"Yes," Aura said softly. "I saw it with my own eyes."
She took a mont before continuing.
"When he ca rushing in to find you, I didn’t know who he was. But I saw the desperation in his eyes. He seed like soone who had been searching for you everywhere, terrified that sothing might have happened. He asked the teacher about you, but since you hadn’t shown up at school, the teacher didn’t know anything either."
Aura’s voice trembled slightly as the mory ca flooding back.
"He left after that —but sothing about it didn’t sit right with . I couldn’t focus, I felt this ... unease. So, making an excuse, I followed. I checked around the campus but couldn’t find you. That’s when I stepped out to look further."
She rembered it in detail because that day had even traumatised her.
She had seen the accident happening right in front of her eyes. How could she forget?
She looked at Arwen, and it all felt like a nightmare. But she knew it wasn’t. She had seen it happening with her very own eyes. Her hand clenched over Arwen’s as she fought to stay composed.
"After looking around for a while, I finally saw you walking along the roadside, a bit far away. I was about to call your na when a lorry sped past my view. I couldn’t see you, but I heard soone screaming a na on top of his lungs. Moon."
Arwen gasped. That na. She didn’t rember anyone calling her with that, except Aiden. She waited and listened as Aura continued to narrate it all.
"And then —when the lorry drove away, I saw you lying down the road in a puddle of blood. at a distance. The crowd gathered, but I couldn’t move or react. I stood there for a long while, until I saw him coming out of the crowd, carrying you in his arms, unconscious."
Arwen didn’t know why, but tears stung the corner of her eyes the more she heard her. Her throat tightened, and her hands felt clammy.
Aura watched her, taking in a deep breath. "Later, when I ca to visit you at the hospital, it was Ryan there. Before I could say anything, everyone had already believed that he was the one who saved you. I even told your mother that there seed to be a confusion, but she was adamant about Ryan. So, I thought maybe I saw it wrong. After all, everything happened so quickly, and the boy I saw wasn’t anywhere in the hospital. I took it as my imagination."
"Only when I saw him with you last ti in the store did I realize that it wasn’t any imagination, but he truly existed in this world. I thought of telling you that evening itself, but then I wasn’t sure."
She said it all, and Arwen glanced at her. Her expression was difficult to read, but before Aura could ask her what she was thinking, she heard her speak.
"It was him, Aura. It was him."
Aura blinked. "You believe it."
Arwen smiled and nodded. "Of course, I do." She then pulled her hand from her grasp and slowly pushed back the chair to stand up. "Thank you for helping discover this, Aura. It has helped understand sothing that I was long struggling with."
Aura didn’t know what she was talking about. But there was sothing she wanted to ask.
"Arwen, will we remain the sa? You are a friend that I can’t bear to lose." She asked, slowly rising from her chair. Her emotion was reflected clearly in her eyes —guilt mixed with fear.
Arwen stared at her. "Aura," she began slowly. "I didn’t expect my friends to lie to . But you lied —not once but many tis. But even so, ..." she paused to give a small, kind smile. "I believe your lies weren’t ant to deceive . I overreacted. After all, you were also a kid and, at a young age, we all get scared. I don’t bla you, but I hope after this, we stay honest with each other."
Aura’s eyes brimd with tears. Looking at her, she nodded. "Of course. I can neither lie to my friend nor my business partner." She raised the three fingers. "I swear, I won’t lie to you ever again."
Arwen smiled before checking the ti on her watch. "It’s getting quite late now. I will make a move now."
She didn’t find it all. But what found was enough to help her discover the rest.
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