Chapter: The News That Reached Everyone
The dining room was beautiful.
Warm afternoon sunlight filtered through the tall glass windows, reflecting against polished marble floors and expensive decorations chosen personally by Anita. The long dining table was filled with food. Roasted chicken. Fresh salads. Grilled fish. Creamy mashed potatoes. Fruit juice served in crystal glasses.
Everything looked perfect.
Yet Anita barely noticed any of it.
She sat at the head of the table, her fingers lightly touching her fork while her thoughts wandered elsewhere.
Both of her sons had arrived later than expected from university, but lunch was still warm enough for them to enjoy.
A few moments later, the sound of footsteps echoed.
Thomas entered.
His expensive suit looked slightly wrinkled from work. His face carried visible exhaustion.
The moment David and Solomon saw him, both immediately looked away.
Neither greeted him.
Neither smiled.
The atmosphere instantly became uncomfortable.
Thomas felt it.
He felt the silent accusation.
The disappointment.
The anger.
Ever since the cheating scandal became public, his sons had become colder toward him.
Especially because they adored their mother.
And seeing Anita hurt had made them choose sides without speaking a word.
Thomas quietly sat down.
No one spoke.
The silence stretched.
David, the eldest, remained calm.
At twenty-four years old, he was already being groomed to eventually enter the business world. He resembled Thomas slightly—the same sharp jawline and composed demeanor—but there was a steadiness to him that belonged entirely to himself.
Solomon was different.
Wild.
Creative.
Loud.
Passionate.
At nineteen, he possessed Anita's beauty and artistic talent.
Fashion sketches filled his notebooks.
Design ideas occupied most of his thoughts.
And unlike David, Solomon wore every emotion openly.
At that moment, he was scrolling through his phone while eating.
Suddenly—
His face went pale.
The fork slipped from his hand.
Clang.
David immediately noticed.
"Solomon?"
No answer.
His younger brother's fingers began moving rapidly across the screen.
"What happened?"
Solomon swallowed hard.
"John Bello."
His voice shook.
David frowned.
"What about him?"
Solomon looked up.
His eyes were already turning red.
"He got into an accident."
The entire table froze.
"What?"
David reached for his own phone immediately.
Solomon was already opening article after article.
Videos.
Photos.
Posts.
Rumors.
Conflicting reports.
Thousands of comments.
His breathing became uneven.
"It looks serious."
His voice cracked.
"There is no confirmation if he's alive."
The words hit harder than expected.
Solomon had followed John's novels for years.
His room contained every published copy.
He had cried while reading some chapters.
Laughed through others.
To him, John was not simply an author.
He was someone whose stories had shaped parts of his life.
Anita heard everything.
At first she assumed it was another person.
Another John.
Another accident.
But before she could finish the thought—
The dining room doors burst open.
Nanny Joy hurried inside.
The older woman was breathing heavily.
Her usually composed face had completely lost color.
"Madam!"
Anita stood immediately.
"What happened?"
Nanny Joy looked shaken.
"Bad news."
Her voice trembled.
"John Bello has been involved in a serious accident."
For a second—
Anita forgot how to breathe.
The room spun slightly.
Her hand gripped the table.
Thomas stood up immediately.
"Anita?"
She barely heard him.
Her ears were ringing.
John.
Her son.
The child she had abandoned.
The child she continued pretending did not exist.
The child whose grandmother had protected him from everyone.
A terrible image entered her mind.
A hospital bed.
Blood.
Machines.
Funerals.
Regret.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"Find the hospital."
Her voice came out strained.
"Immediately."
Nanny Joy nodded and hurried away.
David and Solomon exchanged confused looks.
Neither had ever seen their mother lose composure like this.
Solomon blinked.
"Mom?"
Anita forced a smile.
A terrible smile.
One that convinced nobody.
"It's nothing."
But inside—
Fear was consuming her.
For the first time in years, she realized there might not always be another chance.
Another tomorrow.
Another opportunity to fix what she had broken.
And that thought terrified her.
Across the city—
The news reached another family.
Mike received the report through television broadcasts.
The moment the damaged vehicle appeared on screen, he recognized it.
His face lost all color.
The hospital room immediately became silent.
Everyone noticed.
Mia sat propped against pillows recovering.
Barnabas and the others turned toward Mike.
"What happened?"
Mike was already standing.
"We are leaving."
His voice was hoarse.
The family exchanged nervous looks.
No one argued.
They understood immediately.
John.
The son Mike had publicly acknowledged years ago.
The son he had failed repeatedly.
The son whose existence remained a wound he never truly discussed.
Looking at Mike's face now, they finally understood how much guilt he carried.
Fear.
Regret.
Helplessness.
It was all visible.
For the first time.
Even Mia looked worried.
Meanwhile Bella remained seated.
Her expression hardly changed.
She simply reached for her eldest son's hand.
Barnabas looked at her.
Bella's eyes narrowed.
"Remember."
The room turned toward her.
Silence followed.
Even her own children looked uncomfortable.
Nobody answered immediately.
The timing felt wrong.
Cruel even.
Yet Bella appeared completely unbothered.
One by one, her children nodded.
But several of them looked away afterward.
For the first time, some wondered if their mother had gone too far.
Elsewhere—
Jennifer received the news.
And broke down completely.
The moment she saw the first accident photo, her phone slipped from her trembling hands.
"No..."
Her voice cracked.
"No, no, no..."
Tears immediately filled her eyes.
Within minutes she was crying so hard she could barely breathe.
Her small apartment felt suffocating.
The walls too close.
The silence too loud.
She paced back and forth while refreshing every page she could find.
Nothing.
No updates.
No confirmation.
Only rumors.
The uncertainty was torture.
When Jessica heard her crying over the phone, she abandoned everything and rushed over immediately.
Less than thirty minutes later she arrived.
The moment Jennifer opened the door, Jessica pulled her into a hug.
Jennifer cried harder.
"He can't die."
Jessica froze.
The words sounded surprisingly personal.
More personal than simple admiration from a fan.
But she said nothing.
Instead she guided Jennifer back inside.
Both sat together on the bed.
Phones in hand.
Waiting.
Praying.
Refreshing pages repeatedly.
Hour after hour.
The room grew darker as evening approached.
Neither noticed.
Jennifer's eyes became swollen.
Her throat hurt from crying.
Jessica silently handed her water several times.
Finally—
A notification appeared.
The fan group exploded.
Messages flooded in.
Updates.
Hospital confirmation.
Survived surgery.
Critical but stable.
Alive.
Alive.
Alive.
Jennifer reread the words over and over.
Again.
Again.
Again.
As if afraid they would disappear.
Then suddenly she burst into tears.
Not sorrow.
Relief.
Pure relief.
She buried her face against Jessica's shoulder.
Jessica hugged her tightly.
"It's okay."
Jennifer shook her head while crying.
"No."
Her voice trembled.
"You don't understand."
Jessica remained quiet.
Jennifer stared at the screen.
At the update.
At the name.
John Bello.
The man whose books had accompanied her through prison.
The man whose stories had given her hope during the darkest nights.
The man who unknowingly helped her survive.
She whispered softly.
"Thank God."
Outside her apartment, the city continued moving.
Cars drove past.
People laughed.
Businesses closed.
Families gathered for dinner.
And everywhere—
The same news continued spreading.
From phones.
To televisions.
To conversations.
To social media.
Like wildfire.
Because some stories could not be hidden.
And neither could this one.
By nightfall, thousands of people who had never met John Bello were praying for him.
While inside a hospital ICU room—
The man everyone was talking about remained unconscious.
Completely unaware that for the first time in his life—
So many people were afraid of losing him.