MTLNOVEL Chapter 635: It was him.
Arwen was taken aback. "The accident that I had back when I was at Cralens High?" she asked, as if just to seek confirmation.
Aura nodded.
"But how is that possible?" Arwen's voice was filled with disbelief. "It was Ryan who took me to the hospital."
She might have forgotten many of her memories, but one thing she remembered vividly was waking up and seeing Ryan sitting beside her. Her mother had introduced him then, telling her that it was he who had saved her life.
The moment was pivotal for her.
It gave Catrin a valid reason to make her feel indebted towards him, and force her to approach Ryan —willingly. If nothing else, then at least as a friend.
He had brought her to the hospital and saved her that day. Thanking him was something she felt she owed him. Later, this very belief served as the reason why she agreed to get engaged to him.
Not entirely out of gratefulness, but because Catrin insisted he deserved her, because he once saved her life. And with him, she would be safe. Like before, he would always come forward to protect her.
She glanced at Aura now, her gaze flickering, searching for an answer —one that could help her make sense of what she had been missing all these years.
Was it Aiden who saved her that day? And not Ryan?
Maybe Aura understood the storm within her. She placed her hand gently over hers on the desk and gave a small nod. Then her gaze deepened, turning inward as she went down the lane of memories to revisit that dreadful day.
"Yes," Aura said softly. "I saw it with my own eyes."
She took a moment before continuing.
"When he came rushing in to find you, I didn't know who he was. But I saw the desperation in his eyes. He seemed like someone who had been searching for you everywhere, terrified that something might have happened. He asked the teacher about you, but since you hadn't shown up at school, the teacher didn't know anything either."
Aura's voice trembled slightly as the memory came flooding back.
"He left after that —but something about it didn't sit right with me. I couldn't focus, I felt this … unease. So, making an excuse, I followed. I checked around the campus but couldn't find you. That's when I stepped out to look further."
She remembered it in detail because that day had even traumatised her.
She had seen the accident happening right in front of her eyes. How could she forget?
She looked at Arwen, and it all felt like a nightmare. But she knew it wasn't. She had seen it happening with her very own eyes. Her hand clenched over Arwen's as she fought to stay composed.
"After looking around for a while, I finally saw you walking along the roadside, a bit far away. I was about to call your name when a lorry sped past my view. I couldn't see you, but I heard someone screaming a name on top of his lungs. Moon."
Arwen gasped. That name. She didn't remember anyone calling her with that, except Aiden. She waited and listened as Aura continued to narrate it all.
"And then —when the lorry drove away, I saw you lying down the road in a puddle of blood. at a distance. The crowd gathered, but I couldn't move or react. I stood there for a long while, until I saw him coming out of the crowd, carrying you in his arms, unconscious."
Arwen didn't know why, but tears stung the corner of her eyes the more she heard her. Her throat tightened, and her hands felt clammy.
Aura watched her, taking in a deep breath. "Later, when I came to visit you at the hospital, it was Ryan there. Before I could say anything, everyone had already believed that he was the one who saved you. I even told your mother that there seemed to be a confusion, but she was adamant about Ryan. So, I thought maybe I saw it wrong. After all, everything happened so quickly, and the boy I saw wasn't anywhere in the hospital. I took it as my imagination."
"Only when I saw him with you last time in the store did I realize that it wasn't any imagination, but he truly existed in this world. I thought of telling you that evening itself, but then I wasn't sure."
She said it all, and Arwen glanced at her. Her expression was difficult to read, but before Aura could ask her what she was thinking, she heard her speak.
"It was him, Aura. It was him."
Aura blinked. "You believe it."
Arwen smiled and nodded. "Of course, I do." She then pulled her hand from her grasp and slowly pushed back the chair to stand up. "Thank you for helping me discover this, Aura. It has helped me understand something that I was long struggling with."
Aura didn't know what she was talking about. But there was something she wanted to ask.
"Arwen, will we remain the same? You are a friend that I can't bear to lose." She asked, slowly rising from her chair. Her emotion was reflected clearly in her eyes —guilt mixed with fear.
Arwen stared at her. "Aura," she began slowly. "I didn't expect my friends to lie to me. But you lied —not once but many times. But even so, …" she paused to give a small, kind smile. "I believe your lies weren't meant to deceive me. I overreacted. After all, you were also a kid and, at a young age, we all get scared. I don't blame you, but I hope after this, we stay honest with each other."
Aura's eyes brimmed with tears. Looking at her, she nodded. "Of course. I can neither lie to my friend nor my business partner." She raised the three fingers. "I swear, I won't lie to you ever again."
Arwen smiled before checking the time on her watch. "It's getting quite late now. I will make a move now."
She didn't find it all. But what found was enough to help her discover the rest.