Chapter 41

I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was the strange man standing in my bedroom, talking on the phone, facing the wall. My heart thumped against my chest, thoughts evading my mind. What if this is a divorce lawyer that Dan hired to divorce me because he knows the truth? I squinted my eyes without saying anything, trying to make out from the features who it was, but came up with nothing. “Hi, who are you?” I asked my voice, sounding groggy and a bit rough as I spoke to the strange man.

He turned with a big smile on his face, “Hey, Em. You are finally awake.” I stared at him in shock. “Hi, Luca. What are you doing here?” I asked, smiling, happy to see him, and he crouched on the bed for a hug. I smiled at him, shocked that he came all this way, even though a part of me kept telling me to be aware. The last time I saw him, I was going through the darkest time of my life, chasing the truth about my identity. I don't even know him that well.

“Well, I heard that you are not well from an old friend, so I decided to instantly come to see you.” My hand immediately dropped to my stomach, thinking back to the last thing my mind remembers. I sighed in relief when I felt my bump still there. “It’s nice to see you, but this was not the ideal time to visit,” I said, thinking about all the drama happening in my life, being surrounded by males, I certainly do not need another.

“I think this is an excellent time, it’s when you need support the most, so I’m here to be your pillar.” I smiled at the kind words, even though I knew half of them were meant as a joke. “I don’t need you to be my pillar of strength; I already have one. My husband.” I said, awkwardly smiling. He looked around for a second, and I rolled my eyes, knowing what he was about to say. “Well, I don’t see him here.” I laughed, shaking my head at him.

“Could you please get him for me? I urgently need to speak to him about something.” He nodded and walked out the door, leaving a small gap in the door. A minute later, Dan walked in with a relieved look on his face. “How long have I been sleeping?” I asked as he engulfed me in a warm hug, kissing me. “You’ve been sleeping for two days.”

“Wow, the pain must’ve taken a toll on my body,” I said, bewildered, that I slept for so long. “The last thing I remember is being told to push…”I said, awkwardly laughing even though it wasn’t funny when it happened, because I just blacked out instantly. “That witch wanted you to give birth here, but thank god you switched off in that moment.” His whole demeanor changed, and he seemed angry from just thinking about this.

“Where is she now?” I asked, hoping that I could get a chance to talk to her, maybe she could tell me what made her come to my house, even though we never called or told her anything. She’s a witch, so she should know more than we do. “I sent her packing right after that, but I have a bad feeling that it’s not the last time we will be seeing her.” I chuckled, nodding my head. "I wish you had waited for me to wake up before kicking her out. I have so much to discuss with her."

"I'm sorry, but she was risking your life and my son's." He walked in circles around slowly, as if something was on his mind, but he didn't know how to say it. "Afternoon, Emerald." I turned my head, and a man who looked to be about his forties was standing at the door wearing a white coat. "Hi..." I was confused about what he was doing in my house. "What is a doctor doing here?" I asked Dan about my nerves going up Why would he bring the doctor without my knowledge or concern? "He's the one I called after Corvina left." He said as he rolled his eyes, probably annoyed that he had to say her name. I wanted to chuckle because he looked weird doing that, but my mind was focused on the door that was inserting a drip into my arm.

"What is the drip for? I feel fine." I asked, making sure not to sound like I am, that might make Dan suspicious. "You lost a lot of blood, this to make sure that you don't faint or anything." He said, chuckling, I nodded awkwardly. "So what's wrong with me, doc?"

"I couldn't find the reason for the blood loss, even though helping you while admitted to the hospital would've helped you know with the hospital tools. But there is no sign of danger." I nodded, still feeling uneasy around the doctor. I never really liked doctors. "I'm satisfied with everything, so I will see you tomorrow," the doctor said and quickly exited the room. I breathed out a sigh of relief, and I heard Dan chuckle. I completely forgot that he was in the room with me.

"Wow, you were holding your breath that whole time?" I awkwardly laughed at his question, unable to give him a straight answer. "Who called Luca Vance?" I asked Dan while trying to imitate Luca's voice as I said his name, and he clicked his tongue, annoyed. "I don't like it that people think they can come and go in my house. I need to make an example so everyone can stay away." I looked at him, confused by his agitated body language. "What kind of example?"

"Someone randomly coming to my house and never being seen ever again." I looked, not sure whether to laugh or be worried that he's not laughing. "That's not funny," I said, looking at him with a serious face. "Yeah, neither is having my brother's cellphone number on speed dial."