Chapter 5 - The Stepbrother
Two days later, I was moved to a standard recovery room. The tingling in my leg had progressed to a dull ache, and I could slightly wiggle my toes. The physical therapist said it was a highly promising sign, though I was looking at months of grueling rehab to walk normally again.
Dad had barely left my side, sleeping in the uncomfortable vinyl chair. He had officially filed for a restraining order against Evelyn and had his lawyer draw up divorce papers. Evelyn was currently sitting in the county jail, having been denied bail due to the severity of the charges and her attempt to interfere with an emergency call.
That afternoon, there was a knock on the door. It wasn't a nurse. It was Chase.
Evelyn’s nineteen-year-old son looked awful. He was wearing a wrinkled hoodie, his eyes bloodshot, shifting nervously from foot to foot. Dad immediately stood up, stepping between Chase and my bed.
"You shouldn't be here, Chase," Dad said, his voice hard.
"I'm not here to start anything, I swear," Chase put his hands up defensively. He looked past Dad, meeting my eyes. "I just... I needed to see if she was actually okay. The cops called me. They searched the house."
"I'm alive," I said coldly. "No thanks to your mother."
Chase swallowed hard, looking down at his sneakers. "She called me from lockup. She told me you faked the whole thing to get her arrested. She wanted me to sneak in here and get you to recant your statement."
Dad took a step forward, fury radiating from him. "Get out."
"Wait," Chase said quickly. "I didn't believe her. I know she's lying. She's been losing her mind over money for months. She owes some really bad people a lot of cash, and she thought she could bully you into bailing her out."
Chase reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black USB drive. He placed it on the tray table.
"What is this?" I asked.
May you like
"She kept a ledger on her laptop," Chase admitted, looking utterly defeated. "Every stolen dollar, every debt, every desperate plan. I copied it before the cops took the computer. Give it to the DA. Put her away. She’s sick, and she almost killed you."
With that, Chase turned and walked out, leaving us in stunned silence.
