Chapter 54  “L.” Chase stammered, looking as if he was trying to find the right words, but all that showed was a mix of confusion and unesse  “I heard Amanda was pushed before she got taken to the hospital. Who on earth would do something so cruel to a pregnant woman?”  Chase’s face twisted with a grim realization. I could see it in his eyes; he was piecing it together.  Could Chase remember that day at the café when I faced off with Nicole? I had told him there was surveillance footage proving it was all Nicole’s doing. But he didn’t buy it. Instead, he shoved me, and that’s how I ended up in the hospital.  To him, I was just some manipulative liar. How could he imagine that just one push could land me in a hospital bed?  Finally, a flicker of guilt crossed Chase’s face. He stared at his hands, muttering, “I didn’t know, I really didn’t know she was pregnant. I was just so stressed, I…  Looks like I was right–it was you,” Dr. James said with a sneer. “Mr. Reyes, do you remember what you promised when I let Amanda go Buck then? You swore you’d treat her well forever. And now, just a few years later, you push your pregnant wife aside for someone else. Is that what your promise was worth?”  Chase’s previously confident demeanor was gone, replaced by unease as he looked at Dr. James. “If she was getting the right care, then why did she miscarry?”  “That’s a question for your beloved sister. Amanda followed every doctor’s order, stayed in bed, and endured everything to keep the  sister showed up, Amanda baby, even when she was so sick she could hardly eat. She did everything she could. But the moment your lost the baby.”  Even then, Chase was quick to defend Nicole, “There must be some mistake. Nicole is too kind. She wouldn’t hurt Amanda. Amanda’s her sister, for goodness‘ sake.”  Dr. James‘ expression matched the cold smirk that played on my lips.  Chase would judge me without hearing the whole story, but with Nicole, he was quick to let her off the hook. It wasn’t hard to see how Chase weighed me against Nicole in his heart.  Dr. James crossed his arms. “If you’re convinced she’s not involved, then I’ve got nothing to add.”  Chase made a call and soon got his hands on the hospital’s surveillance footage from that day.  The footage didn’t catch what happened inside the room, but it did show Nicole going in. Not long after, there I was, crawling out like something out of a horror movie, a trail of blood in my wake.  Derek was in the footage, too. I only remembered seeing a fancy pair of men’s shoes and a wheelchair before I passed out. But as ! watched the footage, I noticed Derek’s expression was chilling.  Chase paused the frame with me crawling into the hallway and studied it for a long time, his face a mess of emotions I couldn’t quite read. Was it regret, frustration, or maybe even a touch of pity?  He clenched the mouse, his voice shaking, “She must have been terrified during the surgery, right?”  “The procedure was quick,” Dr. James assured, “My colleague did a clean job. The physical pain didn’t linger, but…”  Dr. James locked eyes with Chase. “How long do you think the heartache will last?”  Chapter 55