Chapter 1885

The word "murder" sent a chill through the crowd. Instantly, everyone took a few steps back, no one daring to get involved. Only when Fiona and her group had disappeared into the night-car and all-did people seem to snap out of it.

"Call the police! Somebody, please call the police!" A girl, shaking from head to toe, fumbled for her phone and tried to dial Pearl's parents. She was so scared, her words barely made sense. "Mr. and Mrs. White, it's Pearl... she's bleeding everywhere, and there were... three people, they just took her—I... I don't know..."

She didn't even finish her sentence before she fainted right there.

Pearl was rushed to the hospital. Tyler and Nash waited anxiously outside the surgery room, pacing tight circles. It wasn't long before Pearl's parents arrived— faces pale, eyes wide with fear. The police showed up soon after.

The officers didn't take Tyler or Nash away. Nash flashed the Woods family name, and with no real evidence tying them to what happened, the police could only wait until Pearl was out of surgery to ask questions.

Tyler, though, wasn't so lucky with Pearl's family. The Buckels refused to let it go, demanding Tyler confess. Pearl's mother, Deanna, dropped to the floor, sobbing so loudly it echoed through the hall. Her heartbreak was raw and hard to watch.

"What did Pearl ever do to you? Why would you hurt her like this?" Deanna wailed. "She was about to go abroad-she had her whole life ahead of her. You've ruined everything! If she doesn't wake up, I don't want to go on either. My poor, sweet Pearl..."

Tyler just stood there, silent. He was sure Fiona had left for a reason-maybe she'd found something important.

"Keep it down! This is a hospital-other patients need to rest," a nurse snapped as she walked by.

Deanna's grief twisted into fury, and she started shouting at the nurse, threatening to file a complaint.

The nurse, now the target of her anger, didn't bother coming back. Even the police waiting nearby shook their heads, thinking Deanna was taking things too far. They just gave her a gentle warning and left it at that.

About an hour later, Pearl was finally wheeled out of surgery. Her face was so pale it was almost blue, and she was still unconscious. But the doctors said she'd survive, and that was something.

Tyler and Nash exchanged a look-both knew what had to be done.

Thanks to the Woods family's influence, Nash was allowed to stay with Pearl, keeping an eye on her in the hospital room. Tyler had another job: he needed to get his hands on the knife that had been stuckin Pearl's back.

The hallway was empty.

Tyler slipped into the operating room, the door left half open. Inside, the doctors were just about to send the knife back to Pearl's room. Tyler walked up quickly.

"I'll take that,” he said, reaching out his hand.

The two nurses glanced at each other, confused. They hadn't left the operating room and had no idea the police had been waiting outside earlier.

"You are...?" one of them asked.

"I'm her brother," Tyler lied without missing a beat. He looked totally calm-no sign of nerves, not even a blush.

The nurses seemed to buy it. One of them wrapped the knife in gauze, then slipped it into a plastic bag before handing it over. "I don't know what kind of metal this is, but it's dangerously sharp," she said quietly. "The wound on her back....all the nerves were severed. It's going to take a long time for her to recover."