Chapter 57  Chase pulled up to the Kennedy family estate, the sky overhead filled with ominous storm clouds and the wind whipping fiercely around. The weather had been downright awful lately–first, a heavy snowstorm, and now it looked like a downpour was on the way As the front door creaked open, my mom peeked behind Chase. When she was sure he was alone, a flicker of disappointment crossed.  her eyes.  “Hasn’t Amanda come bome yet?” she asked.  “Nope,” Chase replied  “Why did I even bother raising her if she’s just gonna pull this runaway stunt every time something small goes wrong?” Mom grumbled. her eyes settling on Chase, who was covered head–to–toe in mud. “Chase, where on earth have you been to get so dirty?”  “I took a spill, but it’s no big deal. Where’s Nicole?”  the mention of Nicole, Mom’s face softened immediately. “She knew you were coming and decided to whip up dinner herself.” Chase swapped his shoes and made a beeline for the kitchen. I got there just ahead of him. Nicole, hearing the commotion, deliberately nicked her hand with a knife.  Watching her, it hit me why I’d lost this fight. Beyond her tricks, she had a boldness I just didn’t possess.  When Chase came in, he saw her fumbling with the wound, blood all over the countertop. His accusations transformed into concem.  “What happened?”  “I’m sorry, Chase. I wanted to make your favorite dish, but I’m just so clumsy, I ended up cutting my finger.”  “Where’s the first aid kit?”  “In my room.”  In the dim kitchen light, Chase carefully tended to her wound, seemingly forgetting why he was even there. Once he finished bandaging her up, Nicole suddenly threw herself into his arms.  Chase frowned. “Let go, what if someone sees us?”  “Chase, why have you been so distant lately? Did I do something wrong? Please, just tell me. I can’t stand you ignoring me. I need you.” Chase remembered why he had come in the first place, his eyes turning cold. “Nicole, how did you end up falling down the stairs at the cafe that day?”  Without missing a beat. Nicole said, “Chase, it was an accident. Amanda bumped me, but please don’t blame her. It wasn’t on purpose.” Nicole had a knack for this, always steering Chase with her words  Chase scrutinized her, “Really? You’re not lying?”  Nicole looked up at him with teary eyes. “Chase, when have I ever lied to you?”  “Alright, next question. Did you know about Amanda’s pregnancy?”  Nicole hesitated, clearly weighing her response.  Chase leaned in, his gaze icy. “Why did she miscarry? Did you have anything to do with it?”  Nicole feigned shock. “Chase, how could you think that of me? Do you really see me as that heartless? I had no idea she was pregnant before then!”  Chase wasn’t buying it this time. He grabbed her by the collar, his voice low and tense. “Then explain why, when Amanda was trying to keep the baby, she miscarried and came out covered in blood after you visited! Even if you didn’t know before, you must’ve realized then. Why didn’t you tell me?”  Tears streamed down Nicole’s face. “Chase, I found out by chance that she was in the hospital when I was too. You visited me every day but never mentioned her. I didn’t want her to feel left out, so I went to see her and tried to clear up the café incident. But she got really upset, hit me, and started saying awful things about you, talking about revenge and stuff. No matter how I tried to calm her down, she just got more worked up, and then she lost the baby.”  Chapter 58