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Chapter 10 : The Night of the Crash

Angela's heart was pounding as she climbed into the cab, still jittery with nerves. She had arrived on Jaca Street, the very spot where her sister had perished and Leonardo had been injured. Her emotions were a tangled mess of curiosity and fear, desperate to uncover the truth but terrified of what she might discover.

Why had two accidents occurred in the same place on the same night? The questions gnawed at her as she arrived at Mentara's Mall, a desolate place with few shoppers due to the lack of public transportation. Angela stood beneath a flickering lamppost, her eyes scanning the spot where her sister had lost her life. She had read about it in the newspaper and heard it on the news, how Esper's body had been dragged by the speeding motor and how she had died instantly.

Angela had been on the other side of the world, too far away to say goodbye. Her sister's death had been ruled as a hit-and-run, but Angela couldn't shake the feeling that it was something more, something darker. She believed with every fiber of her being that Esper had taken her own life because of Leonardo Vera.

Suddenly, Angela's gaze fell upon a vendor across the street. She hurried over, her heart racing with anticipation. "Excuse me, Ma'am," she said breathlessly, hoping to glean some answers.

The woman rose to her feet, her expression one of pure terror. "Please don't hurt me," she stammered.

Angela rushed to reassure her. "I'm not here to hurt anyone. My sister was the woman who died in that accident. I wasn't here when it happened; I was working as a nurse in another country."

Slowly, the woman's fear began to subside. "And why are you here now?" she asked. "It happened a long time ago."

Angela's eyes filled with tears. "I can only come here now because it hurts to look at the place where my sister died."

The woman nodded sympathetically. "It was a terrible thing," she said softly. "Many nights, I couldn't sleep thinking about that accident."

Angela studied the woman's face, realizing that this was the witness she had been searching for. According to the news, no one had seen what happened to her sister that night. But now, the witness was standing right in front of her, apologizing for being there.

"It's not your fault," Angela said gently. "You didn't cause the accident."

The woman looked relieved. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

Angela took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "Can you tell me what you saw that night?" she asked. "Anything that might help me understand what happened."

The woman hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I saw a black car speeding down the road," she said. "It hit the woman on the motorcycle and kept going."

Angela's heart sank. "Do you remember anything else?" she asked.

The woman shook her head. "No, that's all I saw," she said. "I'm sorry."

Angela thanked her and turned to leave, her mind reeling with new information. The black car had been responsible for her sister's death, not the motorcyclist as the news had reported. It was a shocking discovery, and Angela knew she had to keep digging to uncover the truth.

The elderly witness's voice shook with intensity as she described what she had seen. "I remember seeing the woman stranded in the middle of the road. Two motorcyclists were knocked off their bikes, but the woman didn't move. Then, out of nowhere, a black car parked on the corner sped towards her, hitting and dragging her. The car stopped and then backed up, hitting her again. It was clear the driver of the black car intended to kill the woman before driving off."

Angela was brought to tears by the vendor's story. She couldn't believe that someone else had taken her sister's life. It was obvious that Leonardo had nothing to do with the tragic event.

"Why didn't you report this to the police?" Angela asked, her voice laced with concern.

"I was afraid for my safety and that of my family. I thought there might be a hired killer in the black car," the vendor explained. "At the time, I couldn't risk getting involved in any criminal activity."

"Then why are you telling me now?" Angela pressed eagerly.

"I feel guilty for not speaking up sooner," the vendor replied. "I promised myself that if I ever had the chance to tell someone the truth, I would. And now, you've come along. I also remember seeing something unusual - one of the riders got into a taxi and left the other man behind."

"Fredrick," Angela whispered to herself. "He left Leonardo?"

The vendor continued, "An ambulance arrived soon after, but I was too afraid to approach the scene in case the perpetrator returned. I didn't tell anyone else about what I saw."

"Did you see the license plate of the black car?" Angela asked, hoping for a clue that could lead to the killer.

"There was no license plate on the car," the vendor replied sadly.

Angela wiped her tears as her phone rang unexpectedly. She hesitantly answered, "Hello?"

"Angela!" a familiar female voice cried out. "It's Mrs. Vera. Please come to the hospital quickly. Leonardo has committed suicide. He's slashed his wrist."

Angela's body shook with disbelief at the news. She almost dropped her phone, overwhelmed by another shocking event. After saying goodbye to the vendor, she quickly hailed a cab and headed to the hospital.

The cab screeched to a halt at the emergency room entrance, and Angela rushed inside to find Leonardo's mother in tears in the lobby.

"What happened, Mrs. Vera? How could Leonardo have slashed his wrist? What led to this?" Angela asked urgently.

"I don't know. Mrs. Gale and I found a cutter in his hand when we checked on him while you were gone. We realized what he was doing to his wrist," Mrs. Vera replied, still sobbing.

The doctor emerged from the ER and approached them, asking, "Who's with Mr. Vera?"

"I am, his mother," Mrs. Vera replied quickly.

"He's stable now, but he's lost a significant amount of blood and needs to be closely monitored," the doctor informed them.

Leonardo was admitted to the hospital, and Angela stayed by his side while he was unconscious. Her mind was in turmoil as she tried to make sense of everything. Who could be behind the murder of Esper? And who was riding in the black car? The vendor's story had added another layer of complexity to the case, and Angela knew there was another foe that needed to be found.

Leonardo opened his eyes and saw Angela standing beside his hospital bed. "Where am I?" he asked weakly.

"Stop pretending like you don't know where you are. You're in the damn hospital," Angela said sharply.

Leonardo looked at her, confused. "Why would you trick me? Did you send me away so you could hurt yourself?"

Angela's eyes narrowed. "You're so self-absorbed. You don't care how your mother feels watching you waste away. You don't care about anyone but yourself."

Leonardo winced at her harsh words. "I didn't mean to hurt her."

"But you did. And now you're lying there feeling sorry for yourself instead of taking responsibility for your actions," Angela snapped.

Leonardo didn't respond, staring up at the ceiling.

"Tell me where you got that cutter you used to hurt yourself," Angela demanded.

"I don't know, I'm blind," Leonardo muttered.

"Don't play dumb with me. You found that cutter somewhere, and you're going to tell me where," Angela said firmly.

"I'm blind. I don't know. I just touched it in the bathroom," Leonardo murmured.

Angela narrowed her eyes at him. "You expect me to believe that? You're always finding excuses and trying to avoid responsibility for your actions."

Leonardo closed his eyes and ignored her.

Angela's mind raced with different possibilities. Someone wanted to harm Esper, Frederick had abandoned Leonardo, and now he had a cutter to harm himself. It felt like someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

She clenched her teeth and vowed to find out the truth and punish whoever was responsible.

As she placed Leonardo's belongings in the cabinet, she felt a sharp pain in her finger. She looked down to see a blade that had cut her. It was then that she noticed a sharp blade in Leonardo's bag.

Angela's heart sank. Someone was trying to push Leonardo towards suicide, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was somehow involved in it. Her conscience was in turmoil.

As the door swung open, she fixed her gaze on the gleaming blade and watched as Lara Chavez darted across Leonardo's bed.

"Get out, nurse," Lara spat, her voice seething with anger. "I'll take care of Leonardo."

But Angela refused to budge. "I'm staying," she said firmly, blocking Lara's path.

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