Harvey blinked weakly, his lips curving into a faint, bitter smile. "Maya... I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice hoarse and broken. "I couldn't get the accounting records. This whole thing is just an accident. I don't blame you. You don't need to feel guilty."
Evelyn's head whipped around. "After everything that's happened, you're still defending her?" she screeched. Her voice cracked with disbelief. "Worried she'll feel guilty? Let me tell you—she won't! She doesn't care. She refused to help you, do you understand? She stood there and watched! She said she was afraid of getting hurt! Do you think a woman like that would ever feel guilty?"
The crowd rippled again, their disdain thick in the air.
Finally, a middle-aged woman stepped out of the crowd and approached me, her expression caught between confusion and contempt. "I don't get it," she said, her voice firm. "Your husband is still speaking up for you. You don't seem like the kind of couple who'd fall apart. Or is it..." She hesitated, narrowing her eyes. "Do you hate your husband?"
I shook my head slowly, my voice soft but clear. "Actually, I love him very much."
The woman froze, stunned by my words. Her brows furrowed and she blinked at me as if trying to decipher a riddle. "If you love your husband and your relationship with him seems good, then why..."
"Stop it," Harvey murmured, his voice faltering. His eyes fluttered closed and his body slumped suddenly, all strength leaving him.
"Harvey? Harvey!" Evelyn shrieked, her hands shaking him as panic filled her voice. "My son! My son, what's wrong? You can't leave us! Please, I'm begging you! Somebody, help us! Save him!"
Evelyn's wails rang out as Harvey's unconscious body sagged against her. People in the crowd gasped, shouting for someone to call an ambulance. A few people rushed forward to help, but Evelyn clung to Harvey desperately, nearly pulling him to the ground.
I stepped forward instinctively, reaching a hand out toward Harvey, but Lucia spun toward me, her face a mask of fury.
"Don't you dare act like you care now!" she hissed, shoving me roughly aside. Her eyes, dark with disdain, burned into mine.
The wail of sirens cut through the tension as an ambulance screeched to a stop. Paramedics poured out, expertly navigating the chaos as they reached for Harvey and loaded him onto the stretcher.