CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER-81. (DAVE IS THE VILLAIN).

"Josh?" I whispered, my brows knitting together in confusion as I watched him enter the room.

He was leaning heavily on a walking aid. His body was still stiff and bruised.

Even his face looked pale. His lips cracked, and dark shadows sat beneath his eyes. For a second, I almost did not recognize him.

He managed a weak smile when he noticed my expression, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He dragged himself closer to the chair beside my bed. As he tried to sit there, a wince escaped from his mouth.

"Hey," he said, his voice rough, hoarse, as if he had not spoken in days.

Josh was the least expected person to see me here. Moreover, when he is injured and unable to walk, why in the world did he come here?

The question etched me, so I pushed myself up a little, ignoring the ache in my chest. "Josh... what happened? Are you okay?"

His smile faltered instantly, and before I could read his expression, his shoulders began to tremble.

I did not know what I should have done. Do I console him or should I just keep quiet?

Before I could decide on what should I do, he gripped the edge of the bed as if he was trying to control himself together, but then...he broke.

Tears slipped down his face without warning. He bent forward, palming his face as if he wanted to hide his tears, but his shoulders shook violently.

"Josh..." My voice came frantic, panic and pity mixing together. I tried to reach out to him, but it took me a moment and a lot of courage. "What’s wrong? You’re scaring me."

"It’s enough," he choked out, his voice breaking. "I cannot do this anymore, Elena. I am done. I swear, the moment I can walk properly again, I’m leaving this city. I don’t care where I go. I will disappear if I have to."

His words felt as if cold water splashed over me. My lips parted in shock. "What are you talking about? Why would you say something like that? What has happened?"

He dragged in a shaky breath and finally looked at me. His eyes seemed almost bloodshot. The tears in them reflected something between grief and anger.

"You still do not get it, do you?" His voice cracked, raw. He looked at me with...pity? As if I were some dumb child who did not understand what he was talking about.

"You still think Dave is the hero here. The man worth bleeding for. But, Elena..." His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, as if he still contemplated how to spill it out.

He took in a deep breath as his gaze met mine. My whole body shivered, sensing how serious this situation was when he finally revealed, "Dave is the villain."

I froze as my heart skipped a beat. For a moment, nothing made sense.

Dave? No. That couldn’t be right.

All those times when he said that he had those triggers. How, when he first came to Caroline’s apartment with that ring?

Was it all a lie? And Grandpa Alber? Did he also know the truth?

Everything seemed to be shattered when a spark of suspicion hit me.

"What? And how do you know?" This time, my voice did not betray me, to which I was thankful.

Josh leaned back, laughing bitterly through his tears. He shook his head as if I was some idiot who could not understand that 2+2 is 4.

"You think he lost his memory? You think he has been in some tragedy. He was a broken man this whole time?"

His hands shook as he pointed at me, as if forcing me to see, "No, he has been acting all along. Every damn second of it because it served him."

My breath got caught. My already aching ribs started to ache more as if they were fighting against me with every inhale, "That’s... That’s not true. He would not..."

Josh slammed his fist weakly against the armrest, making me jump. His voice rose, sharp and desperate, "He did! He played you, Elena. He played all of us. He pretended because it gave him power. Because it made you stay."

His words echoed in the sterile hospital room, bouncing off the white walls until they etched into my skull. My body trembled as I shook my head slowly.

"No..." I whispered out, "No, you are lying. You’ve hated him from the start, Josh. This is just..."

"You think I want this? You think I would risk losing the only family that gave me such a good opportunity? These rich people just know how to use others for their own good." His voice cracked at last as he took in a deep breath.

I stared at him, my throat dry, my palms sweating against the sheets, when he continued, "Like you, I also thought this family was mine. Elder Boss Albert and Dave Boss, but we were wrong, " He shook his head as if he was still in disbelief, and did not want to accept this very fact.

His pain looked too real, his desperation too raw, which made me more scared. My voice trembled as I asked, "Then... why? Why would he do something like that? Why pretend?"

Josh closed his eyes tightly, his lips pressed into a thin line, before he exhaled shakily.

"Because it was the perfect shield. As long as he pretended, no one questioned him. Not even an ounce of doubt. He controlled the game, Elena, while we all were busy protecting him."

I felt my stomach turn, bile rising up. My mind screamed to push his words away, but something in his voice...something in his eyes made my resolve waver.

Still, I managed to whisper, "You’re wrong."

For a long moment, the room was silent except for the sound of both our ragged breathing.

"I knew you would deny it until I show you this." He whispered out.

Then, slowly, Josh reached into the pocket of his hospital gown and pulled out his phone.

My heart sank when I saw the way his hand trembled, the way his eyes refused to meet mine.

"You think I am lying, right?" His voice was low as he looked behind at the door, "Fine. Then hear it for yourself."

He unlocked the phone with shaking fingers and tapped on a file. The screen glowed faintly in the dim hospital light.

A recording.

Josh placed the phone on the edge of my bed. His lips trembled as he pressed play.

The sound of Dave’s voice filled the room.