Two Months Later

When I opened my eyes, the white hospital ceiling blurred into focus. The beeping of the machines filled the room, steady and rhythmic. My whole body felt heavy, like I had been asleep for a long time.
A nurse noticed me stirring and quickly rushed out of the room. Moments later, Mia and Oliver walked in.
“You’re awake,” Mia said, her voice trembling.
I blinked at them, trying to understand what was happening. Then my gaze shifted to the calendar on the wall. The date hit me like a punch.
Two months.
I had been unconscious for two months.
Before I could process it, more people arrived—Cam, Ava, Ella, and the rest of my friends. They looked relieved, like they had been waiting for this moment for too long.
“You scared the hell out of us,” Cam said, forcing a grin.
“We thought we lost you,” Ava whispered.
Mia squeezed my hand. “Lydia tried to kill you.” Her voice was tight with anger. “But she didn’t succeed.”
Before I could ask more, they excused themselves—Cam and the others left to grab snacks, and Mia went to fill out some forms. That left me alone with Oliver.
He sat down beside me, exhaling slowly. “You were in a coma for two months,” he said quietly.
I stared at him. “Two months?” My voice came out hoarse.
He nodded. “Lydia gave you some kind of overdose—something dangerous. If we hadn’t gotten to you in time…” He didn’t finish the sentence.
I swallowed hard. “But you did.”
After Oliver told me I had been in a coma for two months, the first question that left my mouth was, “Did they catch her?”
Oliver nodded. “Yeah. She’s in prison.” His voice was firm. “I made sure of it.”
Relief washed over me, but a part of me still felt uneasy. Lydia was dangerous. If she had gotten away that night, she could’ve done this to someone else. At least now, she couldn’t hurt anyone.
I swallowed, my throat still dry. “How did you find me?”
Oliver leaned back slightly, running a hand through his hair. “I saw the evidence and papers in your house. You must have left them before going after Lydia.” He exhaled. “When I realized you were missing, I started looking. I had a bad feeling.”
I listened silently as he continued.
“I checked around, asked people if they had seen you, and then I went through your notes. That’s when I realized you were looking into Stiles’ death—really looking into it.” His jaw clenched. “I found out about Lydia, about the fraud, the threats… everything. It all made sense.”
He met my eyes. “I knew she’d try to get rid of you.”
A lump formed in my throat.
Oliver’s voice was quieter now. “I found you at the under-construction building. You were barely breathing.” His fingers tightened into a fist. “I thought I was too late.”
I looked away for a moment, trying to process it all. I had been so close to dying. If Oliver hadn’t found me in time… I shook the thought away.
“You saved me,” I muttered.
Oliver scoffed, but there was no humor in it. “Yeah, well… you owe me.”
I smirked weakly. “I’ll add it to the list.”
Despite everything, despite the months of silence and pain, I knew one thing for sure—Oliver had my back. And that was enough.
All my friends were gathered around me in the hospital room, the air filled with relief and excitement. It had been too long since we were all together like this, and despite everything, it felt… normal.
Ava leaned forward, grinning. “Max and I are finally going to be doctors.”
Max smirked. “Well, almost. Still a long way to go.”
Clara crossed her arms, looking at me. “And you will be in Blue Shark University finally.”
The room fell silent as I shook my head. “No,” I said firmly. “I changed my mind.”
Everyone looked at me in surprise.
“They were a fraud,” I continued. “Everything about them—corrupt admissions, fake certificates, the way they covered up the truth about Stiles. I don’t want to be part of that place.”
Mia raised an eyebrow. “So what now?”
I took a deep breath. “I’m thinking about law school. I want to become a lawyer.”
For a second, no one spoke. Then Oliver let out a short laugh. “Of course you do.”
I smirked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re too stubborn to let things go,” he said, shaking his head. “You don’t stop until you get justice.”
Ava smiled. “Honestly? I think it suits you.”
Clara nodded. “Yeah. You already acted like an investigator through this whole mess. Being a lawyer makes sense.”
Cam grinned. “Guess that means we’ll have a lawyer in the group now. Who would've thought?”
I glanced around at all of them, the people who had been with me through everything.
This wasn’t where I expected to end up. But somehow, it felt right.