The rain had stopped, but the sky over the city still looked heavy, as if it hadn't finished grieving.
Rhea stood outside the police station for a moment longer than necessary. The cold wind brushed against her face, but she barely felt it. Her mind was elsewhere...inside a hospital room where Noah lay motionless, surrounded by machines that breathed and beeped for him.
Three days.
Three days and he had not woken up. The doctors had stopped making promises. Rhea clenched her fists. Something is wrong. Not with the evidence. Not with the story everyone had accepted. But with the truth beneath it. And that truth was locked inside a single person. Evan...
She pushed the glass door open and walked inside. Detective Kolon sat behind his desk, reading through a stack of reports. The fluorescent light above him hummed faintly. He looked up when Rhea entered.
"Miss Rhea," he said calmly. "You shouldn't be here."
"I need to see Evan."
Kolon leaned back slowly in his chair.
"That's not possible."
"Please." Her voice cracked slightly, but she steadied it.
"Noah is critical," she said quietly. "He hasn't woken up. The doctors don't know if he will."
Kolon's expression shifted just slightly.
Rhea stepped closer to the desk. "You arrested Evan for attempted murder," she continued. "But something about this case doesn't make sense. I know Evan. I've known him for years."
Kolon watched her carefully.
"I need to talk to him," she said. "Just once."
"That boy tried to kill someone," Kolon replied.
Rhea's eyes hardened.
"And what if he didn't?"
Silence filled the room.
Kolon tapped the edge of the report file with his finger, thinking. The case had been simple on paper. Too simple. An anonymous tip. A knife. A victim. A suspect caught at the scene. Everything aligned perfectly. Kolon sighed and closed the file.
"You get ten minutes," he said finally.
Rhea's breath caught.
"But," he added firmly, "I'll be watching the entire time."
She nodded.
"Thank you."
The holding room was quiet. Evan sat on the metal bench, staring at the floor. He looked smaller than Rhea remembered. His shoulders were slumped, his hands resting loosely in his lap. His hair was messy, and dark shadows sat beneath his eyes like bruises. He hadn't slept. The door opened. Evan didn't look up. Rhea stepped inside. The moment she saw him, something inside her chest tightened painfully. For a second, tears rushed to her eyes seeing his state but she quickly blinked them away. Not now. She walked closer and sat on the chair across from him.
"Evan."
No response. His gaze remained fixed on the floor.
She swallowed.
"Noah is critical," she said softly.
Still nothing.
"He's in the hospital."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"He's still unconscious."
Evan's fingers twitched faintly. But he didn't look up. Rhea leaned forward.
"Evan… I need you to tell me something."
Silence.
"Do you remember Hunter?"
At that name, something shifted. It was subtle. But she saw it. Evan's breathing changed.
"What happened that day?" she asked gently.
Nothing. He remained still. Like a statue carved out of guilt. Rhea felt frustration rising inside her.
"Evan," she whispered. "You have to talk."
No movement. Her voice grew stronger.
"You have to speak for Noah."
That sentence broke something. Evan slowly lifted his head. His eyes met hers. And in that moment, Rhea saw something she had never seen before. Fear. Not the fear of punishment. The fear of loss. Tears filled Evan's eyes almost instantly. Then they began to fall. His lips trembled. And suddenly...He broke.
A broken sound escaped his chest. Then another. Then a sob. He bent forward, covering his face with his hands as the crying turned into uncontrollable wailing. The sound filled the room. Raw. Helpless.
"I tried," he choked between sobs. "I tried to reach him…" His voice shook violently. "I called him… I ran… I tried—" He struggled to breathe. "I saw it," he whispered hoarsely.
Rhea's heart pounded. "Saw what?"
Evan wiped his face with trembling hands. "The vision." The room felt colder. "I saw Noah being killed," he said weakly. Rhea stared at him.
"There was no time," Evan continued. "No one would believe me. No one ever does." His voice cracked.
"So I went there myself." His hands trembled again. "But now everything is ruined." Tears streamed down his face.
He looked at Rhea like a lost child. "Noah will wake up… right?" The question hung in the air.
"He'll come to me, right?"
Rhea didn't answer. She just looked at him. Then she asked quietly, "Evan… did you try to kill Noah?"
Evan froze. The room became silent again. Seconds passed. His gaze slowly dropped to the floor.
"I…"
His voice barely existed.
"I don't know."