Chapter 34 Chapter 34
The silence after the storm was more terrifying and brooding than the storm itself.
I have to leave Aurora at my friend's house for the night as I didn't have any other option. I can't leave her at home alone, nor can I take her to the hospital with me.
The rain has stopped now, and the clouds have become silent but the storm in my life hasn't calmed down yet.
I had a bad feeling when Adrian left home, but I didn't think it would lead to this.
My knuckles turned white as I held the steering wheel tightly to stop myself from crying.
It wasn't the time to break down. I need to reach the hospital as soon as possible.
When the hospital building finally appeared in front of me, I didn’t even park properly. I left the car crooked and ran inside the hospital.
My heart clenched at the sight of it as it reminded me of the days when Aurora was admitted to the hospital, fighting for her life.
I stopped only for a second at the reception to ask where they had taken Adrian before running in that direction.
“Excuse me...”
A man stepped in front of me ...
“Are you Cynthia?” He asked carefully, quite hesitantly.
I nodded frantically. My throat has turned.
“I am the one who called you.”
“Where is Adrian?” I asked, breathless. “How is he?”
He hesitated before informing, “He is in the ICU.”
ICU?
The receptionist didn't tell me about this.
My heart thudded so loudly in my chest that it became painful.
“What has the doctor said?” I forced myself to ask.
“They haven’t said anything definitive yet.” He looked away briefly. “His condition is critical.”
My fingers curled into fists at my sides. Suddenly the floor felt unstable beneath my feet. For a second, the hospital corridor started spinning. It became hard for me to stand straight.
"Are you alright, ma'am?" The person asked.
I inhaled a deep breath and nodded.
"How did that happen?" I asked.
"I don't know. I found a car met with an accident in the middle of the road and he was inside. I just brought him here" he explained.
But something felt off about this man.
“Thank you,” I whispered, though my voice felt distant even to me. “For bringing him here.”
He cocked his head.
"Now, when you are here, I would like to leave" the man added awkwardly. “You’ll need to handle the formalities.”
He tapped my shoulder once before taking his leave.
My fingers tightened around my purse as I walked toward the ATM near the entrance.
My hands shook as I pulled the card from my purse. The same card that Adrian gave to me to pay Aurora's fee and keep with me.
I didn't use it earlier as I had enough savings to pay her fee.
It is the first time that I am using it. I slid the card into the machine and entered the pin.
My breath hitched in my throat when the balance appeared on the screen.
The amount staring back at me didn’t make sense.
It wasn’t a few savings. It was a huge amount. An amount that was more than enough to pay for the entire surgery of Aurora, still Adrian insisted on selling the house instead.
Why?
Why would he talk about selling the house when this money was sitting untouched and he already knew about it?
My chest tightened painfully.
'I promise, Cynthia. Today I will tell you everything. You need to accept me for who I am.'
A chill ran down my spine when his words echoed in my head.
A lot of thoughts crossed my mind at the same time. A woman behind me cleared her throat impatiently.
I quickly withdrew cash for Adrian's treatment and stepped back.
Without letting my mind wander back to the card in my purse, I walked back to the reception and placed the money on the counter.
After finishing the formalities, I walked toward the ICU waiting area.
The hallway felt too long and my legs felt weak but I kept moving. I sat on the metal bench outside the ICU.
It was cold.
Everything was cold.
I held my hands together to stop them from trembling. It was as if my life was collapsing in front of my eyes.
After what felt like an eternity a doctor stepped out of the ICU.
I immediately stood up on my feet.
“Doctor... how is he?”
He looked at me carefully with a furrowed forehead and frowned.
“Who are you to the patient?” he asked.
I swallowed.
“Wi... wife.” The word felt foreign on my tongue “I have the right to know what happened.”
He nodded slowly.
“He suffered severe head trauma during the accident. Most likely from impact against the steering wheel.”
My chest tightened painfully.
“There was minimal external bleeding,” he continued, “which means the internal injury went unnoticed for some time.”
My ears rang.
“Because of which he has slipped into a coma.”
For a moment, I couldn’t hear anything except the pounding of my own heartbeat. My vision went blurry.
I just prayed that everything was a dream. A bad dream.
But the concern on the doctor's face and his clear tone told me otherwise.
It was a reality.
A very cruel reality.
“When will he wake up?” I whispered.
The doctor sighed.
“We can’t predict that. It could be days… weeks… months or years"
My knees almost gave out.
Years?
No!
He asked me to wait. He said he would come soon. He would have to. He doesn't have any other options.
The doctor gave me a look filled with sympathy.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured before leaving.
Soon, one by one, nurses began exiting the ICU.
Without waiting for permission, I rushed inside and found Adrian lying on the bed, almost lifeless.
A bandage was wrapped around his head, tubes attached to him as his chest rose and fell mechanically.
He looked pale and empty.
My knees buckled slightly as I reached the side of the bed.
I held his palm in between mine. They were always warm when he held me but today they were cold.
"AD!" I called him softly.
It happened for the first time that I called him AD and he didn't reply.
For the past five years, he has always been with me, through all my ups and downs.
Even though I couldn't give him what he wanted yet he never left my hand.
Even now, he didn't think twice before going out in bad weather to save Aurora. The little girl with whom he isn't connected by blood.
"You said you are coming soon, Adrian" I sniffed "What will I tell, Aurora when she will ask for you? Please for her, open your eyes"
It was as if I were talking to myself.
“You don’t get to leave like this,” I whispered fiercely, "Aurora needs you the most right now. The fight is not over. We need to keep her with us, legally"
I swallowed the lump in my throat when all I heard was silence from the other side.
I know really well who is behind this. He always plays dirty.
I held Adrian's hand tightly.
“I don’t know what truth you were hiding,” I breathed, “but I swear… whoever did this…”
My jaw clenched.
“…will regret it.”