The curtains were all pulled closed, so that not even one single ray of sun could enter the room. It was better this way but still not fully comforting enough to chase away someone's reawakened fear.

Ramona had her knees pressed close to her chest with her arms around them. She was looking blankly at the note in Harry's hand, the note which held the words that had shaken up her soul and brought out the darkness, the fear, the nightmares of a horrible past, a dreaded reality from deep within. 

Right when she thought she was about to finally get rid of her eternal darkness, right when she was beginning to think that maybe everything was looking up... this had to happen. He was back, she knew it was him, Lucas. 

"It might not be him, Ramona. Maybe it was someone else's and was already there on the bench and you didn't see it before." Harry said slowly. He had hard time believing that it was from that evil person. He was supposed to be in jail. 

Ramona didn't break her gaze from the note, nor did she let an ounce of expression slip on her face that would give away her inner turmoil. "It's him, Harry. I know it's him. I know his handwriting." 

Harry didn't say anything back, he just pulled out his phone from his pocket feeling dread fill up his own guts at the possibility. He proceeded to call the jail security, the police to know what's going on. He needed to know if that man was really out there in the open, wandering around too close to them waiting for the right moment to pounce. 

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Evan laid on the hospital bed, feeling emotionally drained. The physical pain was somewhat bearable which might be the consequence of those drugs the elderly nurse was pushing in his veins regularly. They had been saying something about lessening the doses but Evan couldn't really pay attention how much of those dizzying injections he was receiving. 

He had just been so much busy trying to find a reason why Ramona had suddenly stopped coming to visit him. Sylvester was the one bringing in Julius everyday and that was freaking three days since he had kissed Ramona last. 

Was she upset about the kiss? Did he somehow made her feel insulted? Evan brainstormed and was freaking out silently. 

With a furrow Evan stared at the white wall at the far end the room where there were no medical equipment in sight. Those lifeless, complicated looking machines made him feel all uncomfortable and itchy. There were also the memories of Zess dying in such a kind of scenario too, which might be the main reason of him feeling like that. In the past days since the accident though he had been succeeding in keeping Zess's thoughts and her memories zipped up at the back of his mind. Mostly because of the fact that he was too much worried about Ramona's sudden withdrawal from visiting him. 

At that moment, Sylvester entered with baby Julius soundly asleep in his arm. Evan flinched out of his thoughts and looked up in time as Sylvester came to stand next to his bed and placed Julius on the vacant space beside Evan on the bed. 

Evan helped Sylvester cover the boy up in a short light blanket that Evan very well recognized as Julius's most favorite one. The kid loved to cuddle in it.

Evan noticed the slight frown of worry on Sylvester's forehead as the guys moved to sit on a chair beside the bedside table. A suspicion came in Evan's mind that something might have gone wrong in the Williams' household. What if it was Ramona? Had she fallen ill... or hurt? 

Now at the thoughts of Ramona being in any kind of trouble made Evan clench his fists in fury, even the fist of his badly injured hand too... and that made him want to growl out loud like a mad dog in pain. But he refrained from doing so for his little son was soundlessly sleeping next to him. He didn't want to disturb his sleep. 

"Why is Ramona not coming anymore?" Evan asked after a long time not being able to bear this silence. If he was alone in his room the silence could be understandable but it made him impatient knowing there's someone else sitting just over there on the couch and still there was that horrible silence intact. Not to mention that frown of deep worry on that person's face. Sylvester definitely knew what's going on. 

Sylvester looked up, his frown easing a bit. He didn't know how to answer Evan's question or if he should even give him that answer. 

Evan could see the mental battle in Sylvester's mind going on. "Just tell me that everything's alright with Ramona." 

"That's hard to say, Evan. She's just at home." Sylvester uttered each word guardedly not wanting any extra information to slip through. 

"And now I've no doubt that she's not alright." Evan stated seriously, somehow he caught what Sylvester wasn't saying. "She's upset with me, isn't she?" Evan inquired with dread. 

He had grabbed her and kissed her, just like he had grabbed her and f***ed her that night. Where was all the barbarism coming from in him recently? He used to be a proper celibate since his wife's death but it seemed like something had flipped inside him all of a sudden. And that flip personality would only get turned on just around and with Ramona... and no one else other than her. Not with those slutty women in the club before the accident, nor even with the sexy nurses swaggering around him all day and night in the hospital. Evan couldn't even think about these woman like that, like how he thought... felt about Ramona.

"No, it's not you Evan." Sylvester paused for a second. "What's going on with you two by the way? Didn't the both of you come to a conclusion about your, one-night-passion, as a mistake?" 

Evan's dilated pupils came back into life and from the world of thoughts hearing Sylvester's voice. 

"Yes, we did." Evan was quick to answer. It was a mistake, Ramona had stated their mind blasting night as a mistake and he had agreed with her without a question. They were supposed to move on from that but things don't always turn out as people want, do they?

Sylvester tilted his head giving Evan a scrutinizing look. "Well, then why are you guys still smooching around? Half of the population in the hospital are aware of how you guys can't seem to keep your hands off of each other, even in front of small children."

Evan groaned. Only one person could spread such exaggerated version of something and Evan was aware of who that person was, of course it was none other than Oliver. The witness of that earth shattering kiss besides the blushing nurse who scurried off after. He was going to deal with that big-mouthed douche soon but for now he had still some unsolved queries at hand. 

Leaning forward Sylvester placed his elbows on his knees as he spoke in a serious tone, "Look, Ramona had been through a lot... and when I am saying a lot, it's really - A LOT. So whatever you do, just remember this one thing that if she's hurt at the end of the day, the very next moment you'll have to deal with your own body and put it under the ground after getting killed."

A little stunned and irritated at the very clear threat Evan scoffed. "Do you have a crush on her?"

Sylvester sat straight again removing his elbows from his knees. He could clearly see the jealousy in Evan's eyes, his words and his attitude. And Sylvester could have enjoyed riling him up but thought against it and just smiled crookedly. "Would be fatal crushing on her when I've got a girlfriend back in the city. Since the moment I saw Ramona sitting lonely in the waiting room of my elder sister's psychiatry clinic I knew I've earned myself a younger sister in the form of a potential friend." Sylvester bragged. 

Evan sat staring at Sylvester. The guy was still smiling not knowing that he had given up some information here. 

Psychiatry clinic. Nowadays, a rehab facility. It looked like Ramona had really gone through "a lot" like he had been hearing lately.

"You say psychiatry clinic?" Evan asked slowly. He remembered Ramona's scar covered back, Oliver pointing out someone else doing that to her, Ramona's being drunk... was that because she had been trying to forget something! Evan began connecting all the dots. 

Someone had hurt Ramona. Really bad. And without an inch of mercy. 

It couldn't be put into words what Evan was feeling at that moment but he surely wanted to burst out of his own skin and kill someone. Especially that son of a bit** who hurt her like that.

Sylvester sat with a blank face. Truth certainly had it's own way of coming out. Seeing Evan's raged, question filled eyes set on him solely, Sylvester sighed. "I won't be a back stabber, Evan, discussing about her past to someone without her consent." He added after a pause while at the same time pulling himself up to a standing position. "But you know one thing?... I've never seen her doing so good since I met her at the clinic that day. You make her remember her darkness that's for sure, but I've also been noticing how that's encouraging her to fight against them. That's something the professionals couldn't even do to her. According to Harry and Billy - you're a fucking psycho monster sometimes, but I say - you're a monster that's being weirdly useful as I notice."

Evan didn't know if Sylvester was praising him or demeaning him. He didn't even want to know. Now with a vigor, his desperation raised to a higher level of no return. His questions seemed to only increase after having that conversation with Sylvester, which weighed like a freaking mountain on his chest with the added vengeance for an unknown bastard. 

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Ramona was still sitting in the middle of her bed, the sheriff had come with a junior officer and had taken the wicked not away with them to the station. They were saying that someone had played a stupid prank on her. 

Apparently the jail officers had ensured them that Lucas was safely tucked behind the bars and was being guarded with tight security. Harry had breathed out a sigh of relief and was now cooking in the kitchen.

Ramona didn't believe them. She knew Lucas was out there, hiding in the shadows, waiting for the ultimate moment to pounce on her. He was just reveling now, on her fear. Like a demon he fed such dark emotions. She knew him very well.

But no one would believe her, no one. She felt helpless. It felt like all the walls of her own bedroom was closing in on her, it was so suffocating.

A sigh sounded very near her making Ramona jump in fear.

"It's just me, sis." Harry said with concern. He shook his head. "Do you know one thing?"

Harry was helping her off of the bed and leading her out of her room. "What?" Ramona asked in a whisper.

"You're the one harming yourself more than Lucas ever could." 

For a long time Ramona kept looking at Harry. She saw truth in his words, she realized how much true his words were. Lucas could only hurt her body, it was she herself holding onto the fear he created and let it destroy her soul.

"I know." Ramona mumbled. Ironically, how easy it was to realize this fact - this truth... but how hard to act upon it, overcome it. 

They said, everything you want is on the other side of the fear.  What they didn't bother to say was how to reach that promised other side, how to make that journey possible. It was one thing saying and another thing actually be in the shoes of who was suffering.  

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Question of the chapter, how come Lucas is in the jail still while we already know he's out there stalking and throwing notes like a teenager on people? :/

Evan's so close to Ramona's past now, he has already figured out more than half of it. The rest will be out there soon too. 

As usual, Oliver had made good use of his big mouth there in the hospital too. I guess he's enjoying his time over there. ;) haa haa... The plot of Elliver's (Oliver+Elli) story is formed. How many of you're excited? 

Please don't forget to vote, comment, follow me and share this story. Your support, your responses make me write faster and upload in ultra quick speed. So keep voting and commenting everyone. Thanks to those lovely fellows, my sweet munchkins for voting and commenting. People who're following me, Heyaaaaaaaaaa lovely buddies, thanks for following me! You guys make me so happy. Love you all. (big smile)

Take care till the next upload. <3
- Lara