Here was Sharlene; a police officer spoke to her calmly, probably checking to see if all her alibi was correct and that she was not implicated in the assault on her friend.
"On the hospital CCTV, you were seen leaving around noon and returning at midnight, which is the height of what happened to Ms. Atienza. Can you tell me where you came from and why it took you so long to get home?" The policeman asked her.
She just sighed; she recounted the incident where she went home to her grandmother's house to rest for a while. She also talked to people she knew there.
"I called my two siblings to eat for a while, so it took me a while to get home to the hospital. I was at the hospital before the crime you mentioned. You can ask Martin; I caught up with him then. "I was already at the hospital before the crime you are talking about," she explained calmly.
The police officer just stared at her intently. The officer showed her a broken mirror.
"That's what the suspect used." The officer explained to Sharlene.
She didn't say anything at the time; she really couldn't answer because she had no knowledge of the incident.
"According to the investigation, you and Sheila had an argument. "Please clarify whether you were involved in any way." Asked the officer again to her.
"Nothing, sir." Sharlene answered directly. "I had been back to Sheila's house before the crime. Then, I was with my siblings. Later, I caught up with Martin while he was visiting my daughter Ashley."
Martin suddenly arrived at the police station. She sighed. The policeman looked at Martin, who had just arrived.
"Is it true that you caught up with her in the children's ward?" The policeman asked Martin, who had just arrived at the office.
Martin nodded immediately. "That woman had nothing to do with it. I caught up with her at the hospital before. After visiting the child, I went straight to Sheila." Martin elaborated on his side.
"Did you see a woman hanging around his house, Mr. Francisco?" The police asked the man in front of her.
"I didn't see a woman hanging around; we just heard Sheila screaming at the top of her lungs from her room. We caught her hurting herself with a begging voice and a smile." Martin shook his head while witnessing what really happened.
"Are you saying she did it self-inflicted?" asked a lawyer who was listening quietly.
"Y—Yeah, it seems like that." Martin managed to say it.
She only listened silently; she didn't know what was going on around her either.
"Okay, let that woman go, but she's still under investigation." The lawyer managed to say it.
Sharlene's eyebrows rose, she didn't say anything more, and the police immediately removed the handcuffs from her hand. She just held her hand. She had to leave and go back to the hospital.
She returned immediately when she saw a familiar face talking to Tashia.
"Tashia," she called her sister.
"Sister." Tashia looked at her.
She immediately recognized the person in front of Tashia. She just swallowed her saliva.
"Lawrence." She mentioned his name.
"Can your sister and I talk?" Lawrence asked Tashia if he could talk to her sister.
Tashia looked back and forth between her and the man, and even though she was confused, she nodded.
"I'll watch Ashley for now." Her sister said those words as she hurried back to the room where Ashley was.
Lawrence pulled her gently. They were there in the waiting area, talking quietly to ensure their conversation remained private.
"Why are you here at the hospital?" Sharlen asked Lawrence with a shock.
Lawrence just looked at Sharlene intently. Lawrence sighed before speaking.
"I was supposed to visit you at the school where you teach, and besides, many of us know you, and you have become quite the teacher." He smiled at her as he looked at her.
"Sorry if I can't reply to every chat you have with me; I'm really busy." She apologized to her companion.
"No problem, we have our lives now, and I understand." It smiled at her.
Lawrence leaned against the wall and looked at her.
"I—I heard of what happened to your child." Lawrence continued to tell her, and his voice was full of worry.
Sharlene just looked at his companion.
"How did you know that, Lawrence?" She asked him who was listening now.
Lawrence only sighed before answering. "As I told you before, I visited your school, didn't I? Besides, you were on leave to take care of your child." Lawrence explained it to her.
Sharlene didn't need to lie anymore.
"Yeah, I was on leave to take care of the child." Sharlene admitted.
"How can I help you? As I heard from your sister, she's in a coma."
Those really are children. Sharlene just said it in her mind.
"Don't blame your sister; I just forced her to tell me. Can I see your child?" Lawrence asked her gently.
"Y---Yeah." She just nodded. Sharlene walked ahead so they could enter. She immediately turned the door. Tashia was there guarding Ashley; she was also surprised by her entry with a visitor.
"How is she now?" Lawrence inquired about her condition.
"Her wounds on her body have recovered; the blood clot in her brain is slowly dissolving." She said, suppressing her emotions.
The man just nodded at her. He suddenly patted her.
"If there is anything I can help you with, just tell me." The man offered her some help with a gentle look.
"You just got here, right? Don't, because I know the child is slowly recovering; I'm just waiting for Ashley to wake up." She said this while gently touching the cheek of the child who was sleeping soundly.
"Please, Sharlene, don't reject me anymore. You know I'm also a stubborn person, and besides, you're my friend; I don't have any family to go back to." Lawrence's voice was sad.
Sharlene didn't want him to hear her now. She only just smiled. "Don't talk like that; you also know I'm brave, right? Don't worry, I'll ask you for help too." She just smiled.
"Jeez, as usual, you really are a hard-headed person." Lawrence said and shook his head. "I'm leaving. You know when you can talk to me, right?" he asked her.
She just nodded. Lawrence just waved at her. She just stared at the door.
"Sister, who is that?" Tashia asked her.
"Ah, one of my friends, and the first friend I ever had." She just smiled at Tashia. "He's Lawrence Martinez Salazar." She still remembered the name.
Martinez? A question crossed her mind.
Does she know Leah Martinez? She asked her one question after another.
"Tashia, stay there; I just have to ask her something." She hurriedly went out. She looked for Lawrence; she immediately saw him about to get on the elevator.
"Lawrence, just a moment." She called out, her breath catching.
Lawrence was shocked by her; instead of getting on the elevator, he waited for her.
"Do you need something, Sharlene?" he asked her.
"C--- Can we talk? I just have a question for you." That was all she could say.
Sharlene saw his surprise, but the man just nodded at her.