Chapter 24 Her Wellbeing
~ CARLOS’S POV
I kept my eyes on her, watching every move she made. I could see it all over her—the restlessness, the silent defiance. She was thinking about running. About leaving me. But that’s never going to happen. She’s mine. And until I get what I want from her, she’s not going anywhere.
As she moved through the garden, my gaze followed the rhythm of her legs. That’s when I noticed it— her steps were slowing, her balance unsteady. Still, I didn’t move. I watched. And then, without warning, she collapsed.
Everything in me kicked in.
I dropped what I was holding and rushed to her side. Lifting her into my arms, I snapped at the guards. "Call a doctor. Now!"
I carried her straight to the bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. Her skin was cold, her eyes shut tight. She wasn’t waking up.
I couldn’t understand why she fainted. She eats good, she sleeps good then what happened to her? Was it the overthinking? The stress? What exactly?
I stayed by her said for minutes, nearly an hour but there was no sign of her waking up nor the doctor coming in.
I waited for another minute but still nothing.
My jaw clenched as frustration built inside me. I stormed out of the room and spotted a maid in the hallway.
"Where is the doctor?" I asked.
Her voice trembled. "I couldn’t find one, sir."
I gave her a cold nod. "Good. You’re fired."
"Sir, please—" She began.
I cut her off without a second thought. "I don’t want any of your nonsense excuses. Either find me a doctor or get the hell out. You were supposed to be watching her. You were supposed to notice if something was wrong. But you didn’t and now this happened!" I growled, my voice echoed through the corridor as I turned and left her there, still begging behind me.
I didn’t care about a thing she’s saying. All I care about is Nala and making sure she’ll be alright.
I walked back into the room, shut the door, and sat by Nala’s side.
I stayed beside Nala, holding her hand, hoping for her to get up. I can feel in my bones that she would be alright. She probably just passed out because of stress, but she would be alright. I convinced myself.
Nala is very important to me and there is no way I’ll let anything happen to her, not after all the hardwork I’ve put in to get her here.
After what felt like forever, a knock came at the door. I turned my attention toward it, and Sophia stepped in with a cautious tone.
"Sir Carlos, the doctor is here."
"Send him in," I ordered.
The doctor walked in and gave me a small nod of acknowledgment before moving toward Nala. He’s my family doctor so I didn’t bother asking him any questions and just let him do his work.
He started by examining her pulse "May I know what exactly happened to her?"
"She fainted," I replied
He nodded and checked her eyes and then placed a hand lightly on her forehead. His touch was brief, impersonal, clinical as if he knew I was watching him like a predator.
A moment passed, then he straightened up.
"Nothing is alarming from what I can see," He said calmly. "Her vitals are steady. It could be exhaustion. She needs rest. No need to worry."
I frowned, unconvinced. "You didn’t run any tests."
"There’s no indication of anything serious," He replied, as if that were enough. "You told me she fainted, correct?"
I nodded
"Well in many cases, fainting is due to stress, dehydration, fatigue. Her body may have shut down temporarily. Let her rest for now. If she doesn’t wake up in the next few hours, then we can consider further steps."
"Okay."
"You can give her some space to rest and maybe check on her later."
I scoffed "Until she’s conscious, I’m not leaving her side."
"Okay, take care." He said as he packed his bag, gave a shallow bow before walking out.
I didn’t thank him. I didn’t see the need.
As soon as the door closed behind him, I stood and walked out of the room with quiet fury bubbling under my skin. Downstairs, I found Sophia cleaning the already spotless counter.
"Call the others,l I said, my voice low but firm.
Sophia looked up, startled. "Sir?"
"All the other maids," I clarified coldly. "Call them here. Now."
She hesitated, confused. "Is something wrong?"
"If none of you could tell she was slipping, if none of you noticed anything off, then you are all of no use to me. You were supposed to look after her." My voice hardened. "You failed."
Her eyes widened, panic flooding her expression. "Sir, we didn’t—"
"Enough!" I quickly cut her off not wanting to hear any of her ramble. From what I’ve noticed, Sophia seems to do more work around here than anyone else so I said "You can stay, the rest, dismiss them. I don’t want them around. I want new ones, immediately."
She swallowed her protest, bowed her head, and obeyed.
I turned and headed back upstairs, my mind still spinning. I pushed the door open quietly and stepped inside. The room was still. Her body had not moved. The same soft rise and fall of her chest. The same silence.
I sat back down beside her, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her cheek. Her skin was still warm. She looked so fragile, too fragile for someone like me.
I laced my fingers with hers again, pressing her hand to my lips. "You’ll be fine," I whispered, unsure if I was talking to her or myself. "You have to be alright… for me"
I stayed back, doing nothing but staring at her hoping she’d get up as soon as possible. I don’t really care about Nala but I care a lot about her wellbeing. And as long as I’m alive, I need her to be alive too.