Becoming Strangers Again by Lily

RYAN

Standing over the unconscious man, the one we had been waiting on for what felt like forever to wake up from his coma, I couldn't help but scrutinize his face. His features stirred something deep in my memory, yet I couldn't place him. In my lifetime, I've met countless people, which might explain why I couldn't recognize him outright. But still, there was something oddly familiar about him. Where had I seen that face before?

Turning to Amell, who stood quietly beside me, I broke the silence. "Where did you say you know this man from?"

Amell's eyes remained fixed on the motionless figure. "I don't know him personally," he said after a pause. "I needed a driver after I broke my ankle-someone who could also help my sister. That's when he showed up, practically begging me to give him a job. So, I hired him." I shot him a sharp look. "You hired him just like that? No background check? No questions asked?"

"Are you serious right now?" I snapped. "You hired someone for a job as personal as driving-having him cart you and your sister around and you didn't know a thing about him?"

Amell shook his head, unfazed by my outrage. "He's the only one left in his family," he said. "The guy's been to jail, sure, but he served his time. He's a free man now."

I froze for a moment, my brain struggling to process what I had just heard. Slowly, I turned my head to look at him. "Are you kidding me right now?" I demanded. "You knew he had been to jail, and you still took him in to drive you around?" Amell shrugged nonchalantly. "And so what if he's been to jail?"

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my temper in check. "I'm not one to judge," I began, my voice steady but cold. "But I am one to be cautious. What exactly did he go to jail for?"

Without a hint of hesitation, Amell rolled one shoulder and casually picked up the chart in his hand, studying what appeared to be a scan result. "Murder," he said, as if he were commenting on the price of groceries. "He went to jail for murder."

"Murder?" The word barely escaped my lips before my entire body stiffened. It took every ounce of restraint I had not to grab Amell by the collar and shake some sense into him. My fists clenched at my sides, and I felt my patience slipping away. "You mean to tell me," I said through gritted teeth, "that you hired a man convicted of murder-a murderer-to drive you around? And not just you, but my wife and kids too? Are you out of your damn mind?"

Amell looked up from the chart, completely unfazed. "He did his time. People deserve second chances."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. My mind raced with thoughts of what could have happened, the risks he had taken without a second thought. This wasn't just carelessness-it was recklessness. "A second chance doesn't mean you hand him the keys to your car and trust him with your family!" I snapped, my voice rising despite my attempt to stay calm. "You put everyone at risk for what? To feel good about yourself?"

change, but I wasn't done. I wasn't

time, paid his dues to society, and faced the consequences of his actions," Amell said, his voice calm. "I didn't see any reason to punish him again for his past by refusing

meeting my glare. "I had him test drive me, and he turned out to be a good and careful driver. He drove me and my sister around for a while without a single issue. That's why I suggested he drive Lily and the boys. I couldn't

reasoning felt too casual, too dismissive for a situation as serious as this. I crossed my arms, my jaw tightening as I fired back. "Well,

his arms, he continued to stare at the man in the hospital bed, his gaze distant. "I'm not defending him," he said, his voice quieter now. "I'm just saying... it's possible he's not the culprit. We don't know the

up if you don't have anything useful to say," I snapped, my

back down. "I'm just saying, you shouldn't bank all your hope on him having the answers to all your

room creaked open, and one of my security team members stepped inside. He leaned in close, lowering his voice as he whispered in my ear.

push down the weight of everything happening. "Let her in," I said curtly. If she wanted to see Clover, now was as good a

got other patients

wakes up, have one of the nurses call me." Without waiting for

and my

and my mother stepped inside. The moment I saw her, my defenses, so carefully built up over the

distance between us. She opened her arms, and I walked straight into her embrace, burying

allow myself to break down in front of Lily. I have to be strong for her, for both of us. Someone has to keep it together, someone has to control their emotions and offer the reassurance the other needs. That someone is me. "They will be fine," my mother said softly, patting my back as she held me close. "They

Lily would lose her mind if they didn't. Hell, I would lose my mind if they didn't. Our lives, our family-it would all fall apart if they

same.

the unconscious man on the hospital bed.

to look at Clover, his face pale and motionless. "Yes," I said simply, watching as she moved closer to

reached him, she leaned in, then, as if struck by something, she froze. "Is he the one?" she asked quietly, her voice barely