Chapter 47: Care

AUTHOR’S POV

Ava's mother, Katherine, watched her as she slept, her head resting on the pillow next to hers. Gently raising her hand, she brushed a few strands of hair from her daughter's face.

Observing Ava's serene expression, she leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. She was scheduled to be released from the hospital the following morning, and she intended to tell Ava everything about her father.

With a sigh, Katherine leaned against the pillows, emotion tightening in her chest. Of all the girls on the planet, he had to pursue her, and she had to fall for him. The resemblance became undeniable once she realized he was Raphael's son. He had his eyes.

What exactly was she supposed to say? How was she going to tell her daughter that she had been unknowingly dating her half-brother?

The guilt was too much to bear. None of this would have occurred if she had only been honest with Ava about her father from the start and had not been so resentful and self-centered.

She couldn't bear to lose Ava, and she was afraid she would despise her forever upon learning the truth. Ava was her everything, her life.

Katherine was startled out of her reverie by a sudden ring, and Ava shifted next to her. Katherine hoped it wouldn't be work because Ava was exhausted.

Since calling off her engagement the day before, she had been a complete mess. She had sobbed for hours in Katherine's arms, and Katherine was at a loss for words.

Seeing her watching, Ava smiled tiredly at her as she grabbed her phone. But her smile turned to a frown as she looked at the screen, and she muted the call.

Katherine's heart clenched as Ava lay back down beside her, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She knew exactly who was calling. It had to be him.

She started to say something to console Ava, but was interrupted when the phone rang once more. In any other time, Katherine would have picked up the phone and told Camilo to stop bothering her daughter. But at the moment, just thinking about him broke her heart, and she couldn't even risk hearing his voice.

Once more, Ava cut off the call, but as soon as she put the phone down, it began to ring again. “Camilo, please." Her voice cracked as she said, "I can't do this with you." But then her expression changed, her brow furrowed, and her eyes widened as she sat upright.

"What?" she asked, her tone sharp with shock, and Katherine immediately sat up, her heart thudding in response to her daughter's concern. "My god. Yes, of course. Just give me a few minutes," Ava said quickly, before hanging up the phone.

Katherine opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but Ava spoke up first. "I need to step out for a moment, Mom. I’ll be back.”

“What’s wrong? Where are you going?”

"Camilo's here. I have to go to him."

"Honey, I don’t-" Katherine began, but Ava cut her off with a quick kiss on the forehead.

“I know, Mom. But he needs me right now.”

Before Katherine could say anything else, Ava dashed to the door and disappeared. With a tightening chest, Katherine leaned back against the headboard. "No, God. Please," she said quietly, just as the door opened again and August entered the room.

"Where is Ava rushing off to?" he asked, closing the door behind him and looking at Katherine. But she didn’t respond, causing his frown to deepen as he walked over and sat down beside her.

"Does she know?" he asked gently, concern threading his voice, and Katherine shook her head before looking at him. “Then what’s wrong? Why did she run out of here? And why are you sitting here, looking as if the world has ended? Did the two of you fight?” he asked, but she remained silent with a vacant expression.

August watched her, seeing how she looked dazed. “She’s going to him,” she finally said in a distant voice, her eyes unfocused before suddenly grabbing his hands tightly.

"August, you need to help me. "You must keep her away from him," she pleaded.

A bewildered August blinked. “I don’t understand. You promised to tell her everything as soon as you got home. Why are you saying this now?”

She yelled, "Because tomorrow is too far away. I can’t take that chance. What happens if they reconcile before I tell her? Who knows what he's planning?"

“I doubt that will happen,” August tried to reason. “She-”

“She loves him, August. This breakup is destroying her. Don’t underestimate that.”

“Still, what can I do? How am I supposed to stop her?”

“I don’t know!” she cried. “I don’t know, okay? But something needs to be done. They can’t get back together. I can’t let that happen. How will I live with myself if I let her fall back into his arms, knowing what I know? Just… do something. Anything, please. I need your help.”

Before he could respond, she fell back onto the bed, her breathing becoming rapid and shallow.

"Kat?" August yelled out in panic. “What’s happening?”

He noticed the beads of sweat on her forehead as she began to hyperventilate and immediately called the doctor while holding her hand and attempting to calm her.

Within seconds, a doctor and nurse entered the room. They evaluated her quickly, and the doctor turned to August.

"She's having an anxiety attack. Please wait outside.”

August nodded and exited. And as he walked down the corridor, he reached into his pocket to call Ava, only to discover that he had left his phone in the car.

"Shit!"

••••

MEANWHILE

Ava rushed into the hospital room. "How is she doing?" she asked Camilo, who had just finished speaking with the doctor. Before Camilo could respond, she reached over and took Noa, who was asleep in his arms.

Though he was sleeping, his little body trembled from the aftershocks of his sobs, and Ava could tell he had cried for quite some time before falling asleep. She kept gently rubbing his back, her heart breaking for both him and Mera, despite what had happened between them.

Yes, she was still angry at her for what she had done, but she would never wish anything like this on anyone. Camilo explained what the doctors had said. The bullet didn’t hit anything vital, and Ava finally asked what happened.

He had told her over the phone that Mera had been shot, but there was not enough time to explain everything.

In response, Camilo motioned for Ava to sit down and offered to retake Noa, knowing he was a heavy load. However, his phone rang before Ava could hand him over.

"Sorry," he muttered, pulling it out and answering it. Ava realized it was Pedro calling, Camilo's right-hand man. "Keep an eye on her at all times, Pedro, and do not let her leave the house, no matter what. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said before hanging up and turning his attention back to Ava.

“Here... I’ll put him down,” he offered again, reaching for Noa, but Ava stopped him.

“It’s okay. I've got him.”

They were a few floors up from her mother's room, in the VIP section of Camilo's family's private hospital. It was quiet and comfortable, and Noa could sleep well. But Ava could not bring herself to put him down. Seeing him sob in his sleep, his clothes stained with his mother's blood, tore at her.

“Are you sure you don’t want to lay him down?” Camilo asked gently as he sat beside her.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she said, and he turned to face her.

“Thank you, Ava, for being here. I don’t know how I would’ve handled any of this without you.” He held her gaze, and Ava swallowed hard. She missed him so much, and it hurt to be near him without being able to hold him or tell him how much she missed him. She cleared her throat and leaned back slightly, realizing he had begun to lean toward her, which brought both of them back to reality.

“What happened, Camilo? Who shot Mera?” She asked, redirecting their attention back to the matter at hand, and his jaw clenched as his entire demeanor changed before he dropped the bomb on Ava.

"Camila," he said flatly, and Ava gasped in shock.

"Wh-Wh-"

"I shot Alejandro," he dropped another bombshell, and her eyes widened as he went on to explain everything that had occurred. Ava listened in disbelief, trying to process the information before pressing her free hand against his back, her heart aching for him.

At the moment, it didn't matter that she was still upset with him for what he had done to her. She would be there for him, no matter how hard being close to him was.

She still loved Camilo. She still cared deeply about him, and that would not change regardless of what happened between them.

The previous five years with him had been the best of her life. Yes, he cheated on her, and indeed, he had broken her heart. But one wrongdoing didn't undo all the good he'd done for her over the years. It didn't make him a bad person, but somewhat flawed.

“I’m sorry, Camilo. I’m sorry he pushed you to that. And I want you to know that I'm here for you," she said softly, reaching for his hand. He took hers and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it.

Thank you, Ava. I-" he started, but her phone rang and interrupted him. She quickly excused herself and responded to it. It was August.

"What?!" Her eyes went wide as he told her that her mother had suffered an anxiety attack.

“I’m coming!” she said, already standing up.

“What happened?” Camilo asked as she ended the call, and Ava informed him that he had to leave, adding that her mother had an anxiety attack.

"I can ask the doctor to call me when Mera awakens. I can come with you," he said, but Ava interrupted him.

“No. I’ll come back to check on her again. I’ll take Noa with me,” she said, gathering her bag and heading for the door, but Camilo went after her.

“Are you sure, Ava? He’s sleeping. I can take care of him.”

“I don’t mind, Camilo. He's just an innocent baby. Plus, it’s better if I take him. I don’t want him to freak out when he wakes up. He's more familiar with me than you. I’ll call you.”

“Okay... Thank you again, Ava.”