Why did this happen to me?
The call went silent. Austin’s heart raced as he stared at his phone, the screen now blank. “Paulina? Paulina, can you hear me?” he shouted into the receiver, but there was no response. “Dammit! Tell me, where are you?” His voice echoed in the empty car, filled with desperation and fear.
Just as he was about to call back, an unfamiliar voice spoke from the other end. “The woman talking to you fainted,” the voice said calmly.
Austin’s breath hitched. “Who are you? What happened to her?” he demanded, his voice trembling.
“I found this woman unconscious near the beach. She looked like she had been assaulted, so I called an ambulance. She regained her senses briefly and asked me to call this number,” the stranger explained.
Austin’s mind spun. “Which hospital?” he asked urgently.
The stranger provided the details, and Austin didn’t know how he managed to drive across the city to reach Lifeline Hospital. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white. His thoughts were a chaotic mix of fear, anger, and helplessness. He couldn’t lose Paulina—not like this.
When he arrived, he rushed to the reception desk, his voice shaky but firm. “I’m here for the patient who was brought to the ER. Her name is Paulina.”
The receptionist nodded, her expression professional but sympathetic. “The doctors are examining her now. You can go to ER 3. Walk straight down the corridor, and it’s the last room on the left.”
Austin thanked her and followed the directions, his steps heavy with dread. When he reached ER 3, he hesitated outside the door. Something stopped him from barging in. He didn’t know what he would find, and the uncertainty paralyzed him for a moment. Pulling out his phone, he called his mother.
“Austin, did you find her?” Ruby’s voice was filled with worry as soon as she answered.
“Ma, please come to Lifeline Hospital,” Austin forced the words out, his voice breaking.
“Hospital? What happened to Paulina?” Ruby’s tone was frantic.
“Just… please come,” Austin said, unable to explain further before hanging up.
As soon as he disconnected the call, the door to ER 3 opened, and a doctor stepped out. The man looked at Austin with a somber expression. “Are you the patient’s family?”
Austin nodded, his throat too tight to speak.
“Fortunately, she’s not in critical condition. We’ll be moving her to a ward soon,” the doctor said, but his hesitation didn’t go unnoticed.
“And?” Austin pressed, sensing there was more.
The doctor sighed. “It looks like she was sexually assaulted. However, since her body was submerged in water, we couldn’t collect any DNA evidence. The bruises and marks on her body are the only signs of what happened, but unfortunately, they’re not enough to build a case. I can’t report this directly, but if the victim wishes to involve the police, I’ll fully cooperate with the investigation.”
Austin’s stomach churned. “Will she be okay?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“We’ll run some tests, and a psychologist will examine her. Her recovery depends on her mental state and how her family supports her,” the doctor said, patting Austin’s shoulder before walking away.
Taking a deep breath, Austin pushed the door open and stepped inside. He expected to find Paulina unconscious, but she was awake, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her small, broken voice filled the room. “Why did this happen to me?”
Austin’s heart shattered. “Don’t think about it,” he said softly, approaching her cautiously.
But as soon as he took a step closer, Paulina flinched. Her trauma had clouded her senses, making it hard for her to distinguish friend from foe. Austin froze, his chest tightening as he noticed the bruises and marks covering her body. She looked so fragile, so broken.
“Abi, they ruined me,” Paulina whispered, her voice trembling. As soon as the words left her lips, tears streamed down her face.
“I’m so sorry, Paulina,” Austin said, his voice choked with emotion. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her, but he could see the fear in her eyes. He stayed where he was, feeling utterly helpless.
When Paulina was moved to a ward, Ruby arrived, rushing to her side. As soon as Paulina saw her, she broke down. “Ma,” she sobbed, her voice filled with pain.
“It’s okay. Everything will be okay. We’re here with you now,” Ruby said, gently rubbing Paulina’s back.
But Paulina shook her head, her tears falling faster. “Nothing will be okay. Nothing will ever be fine now. My husband left me, and I thought my life would get better from here. But look at me now. How will I face myself? How will I ever feel safe again?”
Her cries pierced Austin’s heart. “Paulina, everything will be alright,” he said, trying to reassure her.
But Paulina snapped, her voice sharp with anger and despair. “What do you know? Do you know how people will look down on me? Wherever I go, the stain of this attack will haunt me. My family will never let me live it down. Do you know what that means? I’ll be suffocated for the rest of my life because of something I didn’t even do. Why is this happening to me, Ma? What did I ever do wrong?”
Ruby pulled Paulina into a tight embrace, her own tears falling. “No one will look down on you. They won’t know anything that would make them mock you.”
But Austin couldn’t stay silent. “And let those bastards go?” he blurted out, his anger boiling over.
Ruby glared at him. “How will you catch them? There’s no evidence!”
Austin opened his mouth to argue, but the doctor’s words echoed in his mind. Without evidence, reporting this to the police would only lead to a brutal interrogation for Paulina, something she wasn’t mentally prepared for. It would only make things worse.
“Dad… how will he feel?” Paulina mumbled to herself, her voice barely audible. “He’ll blame himself.”
“Paulina, you should rest now. We won’t tell anyone unless you decide,” Ruby said softly, trying to calm her.
Feeling that Paulina would be more comfortable with Ruby, Austin stepped out of the hospital. He sat in his car, fidgeting with his phone. Should he inform Paulina’s family? Should he wait until she was in a better state of mind? He didn’t want to cause her more pain, but he also couldn’t let the perpetrators go unpunished.
As he thought about Paulina’s misery, Dora’s face flashed in his mind. He had forgotten to inform her before leaving, and she hadn’t eaten anything since waking up. Worried about her emotional state, he decided to check on her.
An hour after Austin left the hospital, Dora woke up. Her eyes stung, and her head throbbed. She sat up weakly, resting her head against the headboard. The events of the past 24 hours replayed in her mind. She knew how stubborn Austin could be, and she didn’t have the energy to argue. No matter how much she tried to sleep, her emotional turmoil kept her exhausted. She needed peace more than anything.
She stepped out of the room to get a glass of water but found the house empty. Grabbing her phone, she left without a second thought.
Meanwhile, Austin returned to Dora’s home, only to find it eerily silent. He rushed to the bedroom and found it empty. Panic set in as he frantically called Dora, but her phone was switched off. He called Sienna, though he didn’t expect her to answer. At that exact moment, in Sienna’s house, her phone rang as she stood in the kitchen, unaware of the storm brewing outside.
The chapter ends with Austin’s determination to protect those he cares about, even as the challenges mount. The emotional weight of Paulina’s trauma and Dora’s disappearance leaves readers on edge, eager to see how Austin will navigate the chaos and fight for justice.
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