When Love is a Question Mark
Chapter 29: Who’s behind?

Chapter 29: Who’s behind?

As the ambulance sped through the city streets, Samuel’s mind raced with countless questions, none of which had answers. His eyes stayed fixed on Zinnia’s pale face, her breathing shallow but steady. Relief mixed with a heavy sense of dread as he tried to piece together what had just happened.

Who would do this? And why?

Suddenly, the conversation he’d had with Timmy replayed in his mind. The burner phone. The messages. And the name that made Samuel’s blood run cold: James.

The news about James had shaken both him and Zinnia. At first, Samuel had thought it was all a cruel joke, part of someone’s twisted plan to mess with their lives. But now, seeing Zinnia unconscious, he wasn’t so sure.

Could James really be involved in this, or was someone else using his name to lure Zinnia into danger?

As the ambulance turned sharply, Samuel’s thoughts spiraled out of control. He leaned closer to Zinnia, whispering, "Why did you go out, Zinnia? What were you trying to find?"

His phone buzzed. Another message.

Samuel pulled out his phone, expecting an update from Timmy, but what he saw made his heart pound harder.

"It’s all about James. You should’ve known."

The blood drained from Samuel’s face. He stared at the message, and a terrifying thought struck him—what if Zinnia had gone out tonight because of James?

He quickly opened Zinnia’s phone again, scrolling through her messages, desperate for any clue. There it was. A message from an unknown number was sent earlier that evening.

"Zinnia, it’s me, James. I’m back, and I need to see you. I’m outside your gate right now. Meet me, and I’ll explain everything."

Samuel’s breath caught in his throat. He knew it couldn’t be James—James had been declared dead years ago. Timmy’s recent investigation had confirmed there was no sign of him being alive.

But the message was convincing enough to fool anyone who knew James. It was enough to make Zinnia believe it.

Thank God for the tracker Zinnia had installed on the phone. That one decision might have saved her life. Without it, Samuel wouldn’t have found her in time.

But why would she trust a message like that? Why would she believe James was back?

The pieces were starting to come together. Samuel could feel it in his gut—someone had used James to manipulate Zinnia, to get her alone, and to hurt her. But who? And why?

He immediately forwarded the messages from Zinnia’s phone to Timmy, demanding an investigation into every detail about the texts she’d received regarding James.

When they reached the hospital, the paramedics moved swiftly, rushing Zinnia inside for treatment. Samuel stayed close by, refusing to leave her side, even when the doctors asked him to wait outside.

Sitting in the waiting room, the weight of everything pressed down on him. His phone buzzed again—Timmy.

"Sir, I’ve been looking into the messages," Timmy said, urgency in his voice. "The one Zinnia got about James... it’s fake. But whoever did it knew what they were doing. They used a voice modulator and recent pictures of you. It looked real enough to convince anyone."

Samuel clenched his jaw. "Do you think it’s the same people spreading the news about James?"

"It’s possible. But here’s the thing—the photos were doctored. I found the originals. Whoever’s behind this had access to recent photos of you and altered them to look like James. They knew exactly how to make it look like he was alive."

Samuel’s grip on his phone tightened. "So, they knew Zinnia would come if they mentioned James."

"Exactly," Timmy replied. "It’s clear someone’s been planning this for a while. They’re using James to get to Zinnia... and to you."

Samuel leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. Rage, fear, and confusion swirled inside him. But one thing was certain—Zinnia had been targeted because of James. Because of him. And now she was lying unconscious in a hospital bed because of it.

"I need you to keep digging, Timmy," Samuel said, his voice low and cold. "Find out who’s behind this. I don’t care how long it takes."

"I’m on it," Timmy promised. "We’ll get to the bottom of this."

After hanging up, exhaustion washed over Samuel. He hadn’t slept properly in days, and the weight of everything was starting to crush him. But he couldn’t rest. Not yet. Not until Zinnia woke up. Not until he found out who had done this to her.

He paced the waiting room, his mind consumed by the growing mystery. Why use James’s name now? Why drag Zinnia into this? And how far would these people go?

Hours passed before a doctor finally approached him. "Mr. Lucas?"

Samuel stood up quickly, his heart pounding. "Is she okay?"

"She’s stable," the doctor said with a reassuring nod. "It looks like she was drugged with a sedative, but we got to her in time. She’ll wake up soon, but she’ll need rest."

Samuel let out a long breath, relief flooding through him. "Can I see her?"

The doctor led him to a private room where Zinnia lay, still unconscious but breathing steadily. Samuel pulled a chair up beside her bed and took her hand in his.

As he sat there, watching her sleep, one thought kept echoing in his mind: This was all about James.

Whoever was behind this knew how much James had meant to Zinnia. They knew how to manipulate her, how to make her believe he was alive. But the James Zinnia had loved was gone. And now, someone was using his memory to tear their lives apart.

Or was it possible that James was alive? Was someone keeping him hidden, manipulating him? Or worse, was James the one behind all of this?

The last thought made Samuel’s stomach turn, but he couldn’t ignore it. No matter how much he hated the idea, he had to face the truth: Zinnia and James had shared a close relationship once, a bond that Samuel had always tried to overlook.

He leaned closer to Zinnia, his voice barely a whisper. "I’m going to fix this, Zia. I swear, I’ll find who did this to you."

But deep down, Samuel knew this was only the beginning.