And then—
Her eyes fluttered.
Slowly.
Painfully.
But they opened.
Tears exploded down my face. “Susan… baby, I’m here. Mom is here.”
Her lips parted, dry and trembling.
It took everything she had just to whisper one word:
“…bike…”
My heart shattered all over again.
“It’s okay,” I said quickly, holding her hand. “It’s over. You’re safe now.”
But her eyes… shifted.
Past me.
Toward the door.
Toward him.
The biker.
He hadn’t moved. He stood frozen like he didn’t deserve to breathe the same air.
Susan stared at him.
Long.
Deep.
Like she was searching through a memory.
Then, with the weakest movement…
She squeezed my hand.
And whispered again:
“…him…”
The room went silent.
My pulse roared in my ears.
“No,” I said instinctively, shaking my head. “No, sweetheart… he helped you. He—”
But Susan’s eyes filled with fear.
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.
And then she said the words that changed everything:
“He… was there…”
The biker’s face drained of all color.
“I told you,” he said hoarsely. “I was there—”
But Susan shook her head.
Weak.
Terrified.
“No…” she whispered.
Her voice barely existed now.
But we all heard it.
“He… was closer…”
Silence.
Heavy.
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