**CHAPTER 11**
**Maggie's POV**
Auntie Lilian called me to the hospital. She said they had found Halia unconscious near one of the forbidden forest territories.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Shock hit me first—then relief so sharp it almost hurt. They had found her. My best friend. My sister in every way that mattered. Dad wanted to come with me, but work kept him tied down, so I went alone.
The past few days had been unbearable. I hadn't been myself at all. Guilt clung to me like a shadow. If I hadn't insisted on going to the mall… if I had paid more attention… maybe Halia wouldn't have gone missing. The weight of it pressed heavily on my chest.
When I reached the hospital, I found her lying motionless on the bed, a drip attached to her arm. Her mother sat beside her while the doctor spoke quietly. She nodded as he explained, her face tight with worry.
The moment she saw me, her lips curved into a weak smile. She sat up and pulled me into a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around her.
We really were family.
I was raised by my single dad, but Halia and I became inseparable after our fathers—who had been coworkers—grew close. When her dad died, something inside her broke. I still remembered how she cried endlessly, how she refused to eat, how fragile she became. Watching her suffer had broken me too.
Since then, she had changed. Not just sad—*strange*. Different in a way I couldn't explain.
On the day we went to the mall, she told me about the blood she had found on her sheets. I tried to calm her down, telling her not to worry, but deep inside, fear stirred. She also mentioned a dream she had—one that left her shaken. I didn't know what to think, only that something felt wrong.
Then she was kidnapped.
I never understood why those men wanted *her*. Especially after everything she had told me. The memory of that taxi still haunted me—the wrong turn, the way the driver ignored us, his cold silence.
Tears slipped down my cheeks as we pulled apart from the hug.
"They said she was unconscious, but she'll be fine after the medication," Auntie Lilian said softly.
I nodded, relieved, my eyes drifting back to Halia. She looked fragile—drained—as if something precious had been taken from her.
Breaking the silence, I asked, "What about the people who took her?"
Anger burned through me. No one does this to *my* Halia.
Her mother's expression faltered for a second before she composed herself. "The police are doing their best to find them."
I nodded and moved closer to the bed, holding Halia's hand. She stirred slightly, and a small smile formed on my lips.
"You'll be alright," I whispered, kissing her hand gently.
Whoever did this to you…
**will pay.**