Chapter 113

ISABELLA

By the time we got to the hospital, Matt was awake, and they let us in. I nearly cried with relief when the doctor said he’d be fine—just some bruises, a cut on his chin, and a bandage wrapped around his head. He could go home in forty-eight hours.
The sterile scent of antiseptic hung heavy in the air, mingling with the faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead. The dull beeping of a nearby monitor marked each steady breath, while the muted rustle of nurses moving down the hallway reached my ears like a soft backdrop. The hospital room was cold but quiet, the sharp white sheets tucked neatly around Matt’s prone form offering a stark contrast to the bruises blossoming on his skin.
Caroline immediately slipped into nurse mode, fussing over him with bags of fruit and a dozen questions about whether he was comfortable. She wanted him to rest, eat, breathe—basically everything except die—and she wasn’t about to let him forget it.
Watching them warmed me. They were the best part of my new life. Suddenly, with Levi back in the picture, I felt like I preferred the life I was now living to the one I’d had in Italy, a lonely existence shared only with a handful of friends and endless work, only to be betrayed in the end. At least here, I had siblings who loved me and maybe the man I loved.
I stopped myself from thinking about Levi and focused on Matt instead.
I pulled up a chair beside Matt’s hospital bed, Caroline settling quietly at the opposite end. Matt sat propped against the pillows, his back resting heavily against the headboard, eyes flickering with a mix of pain and stubbornness. I leaned in slightly, my voice soft and steady.
“How are you feeling, Matt?”
I’d been so scared, but now, seeing him sitting up in bed, I realized I’d been imagining the worst and Levi had been right. The cut on his chin was jarring though. I shook the thought away and rested my hand lightly on his.
“What? I’m not a kid. You two better stop being so caring,” he muttered, eyeing both of us.
Caroline and I exchanged a look before bursting out laughing. Matt rolled his eyes and returned to the apple Caroline had bullied him into eating, taking slow, dramatic bites as if proving a point.
He smirked. “The doctor said I can go home in forty-eight hours, right?”
We both nodded.
“What exactly were you doing before the fight?” I asked, feeling the big sister in me kick in.
Matt’s face tightened. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it but tough luck, because I wasn’t letting it slide. And with Caroline sitting next to him, just as curious, he wasn’t getting out of this.
“Well,” he said hesitating. “I got jumped by a group of guys. I was with Lilian at the time.” His brow furrowed. “Where is she, anyway?”
“It’s late, mister. She had to go home,” Caroline replied.
He nodded slowly. “Was she okay when she left?”
“She looked fine,” Caroline shrugged.
“She’ll be back later today. It’s already morning,” I added.
“Right. So what was I saying again?”
“You were with Lilian when the guys attacked you,” I reminded him gently but firmly.
Matt exhaled, his gaze darkening. “Yeah. That’s right. We’d had a small argument with the guys, and as we were heading back, they were waiting for us in this open lot. I’d given some guy a little cash to let us park there while we ran a quick errand. Guess it was a mistake. Those guys were waiting for me.”
My brows pulled together. “Whose car were you parking?”
“It was Sam’s car for God’s sake,” Matt snapped. “You’re asking too many questions. It’s starting to feel like an interrogation.”
That struck a nerve. The second he raised his voice, he seemed to regret it. He winced, reaching for his head. The apple slipped from his fingers, and Caroline caught it just in time.
“You don’t have to shout,” I said quietly, tone tight.
Matt lowered his hands to his thighs and looked at me, guilt all over his face.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“Don’t do it again,” I warned.
“Yes ma’am,” he mumbled, attempting a weak joke.
I didn’t smile. “Go on then.”
“The truck was Sam’s. We wanted to get movie tickets, but there was this ridiculous queue. This tall, brawny guy tried to cut in. I told him he needed to wait like everyone else. He didn’t take it well.”
“Was he one of the guys who beat you up? Can you recognize him?” I asked.
“Oh, I can recognize the motherfucker,” Matt said, resuming his slow nibbling on the apple Caroline had saved.
Caroline narrowed her eyes. “So what happened next? Did you try to fight back?”
Matt shook his head. “Do I look like I tried to fight three gym rats? They were big, probably younger than me, but they weren’t messing around.”
Caroline blinked. “Wait, they were that young?”
“We were almost at the lot,” Matt went on, “and remembered we forgot the roast chicken. Sam went back to get it. Lilian and I waited by the car, just a few others around. I didn’t think I’d see the guy again, but he showed up with two friends and started giving me hell.”
I clenched my hands, feeling the tension knot in my chest.
“I tried to stay calm, especially with Lilian there,” he continued. “But the guy kept pushing me. I shoved him back. It turned ugly. The other two joined in, and they beat the crap out of me. They had some nasty objects, brass knuckles or something. Lilian got slapped when she tried to help, so she ran for the cops. I remember seeing them. And Sam, too. He tossed the chicken. That’s the last thing I remember. But it seemed they were there specifically for me. I don’t know why.”
He looked down, exhaling. “Now I’m here, being treated like a baby while you two hover.”
I stayed quiet for a moment, trying to make sense of it all. “Why do you feel they were after you? Hope you haven’t made yourself enemies, Matt.”
Matt shook his head. “They’re just dickheads. I promise, sis, I did nothing wrong.”
“You need to be more careful,” I said. “I don’t think there were any CCTVs around, right? One of those cheap parking lots?”
Matt nodded.
“Thank God Lilian ran for the cops,” I muttered.
We lapsed into silence until Matt stirred.
“That good-looking guy who was with you earlier, where is he now?” he asked, eyes narrowing at me. Caroline smiled, facing me as if that question was all she’d been waiting to ask.
Such nosy siblings I’ve got. I almost laughed at the thought but instead, a knot of unease twisted in my stomach. What if... what if Matt’s attack was because of me? It didn’t make sense, but still, a gut feeling whispered the possibility and that scared me.
I met his gaze. “Home, I guess.”
“Who is he?” Matt pressed. “A friend?”
I hesitated. It was time to come clean.