Chapter 25

Mira’s POV

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the smell.

Hospitals always had that same sharp scent of antiseptic and medicine that clung to the air. It was impossible to mistake. The second thing I noticed was the faint beeping somewhere near my head.

For a moment I simply lay there, staring at the white ceiling above me, trying to remember how I had gotten here.

Then it all came rushing in. I’d been at the garden with Alejandro. Then the cold and the pain I knew I shouldn’t have ignored.

My hand instinctively moved to my chest, pressing lightly over the spot where the agony had struck earlier. Now there was only a dull soreness, like my heart had run a marathon and decided it hated me for it.

I shifted slightly on the bed and the movement must have caught someone’s attention because a voice suddenly gasped.

“Mira!”

I turned my head slowly.

Alejandro was seated in a chair beside the bed, leaning forward so fast it almost looked like he had been launched from his seat. His usually composed face looked completely different now. His hair was slightly messy, his jaw tight, and there were dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept at all.

On the other side of the bed sat Zara.

My best friend shot up from her chair so quickly it nearly toppled backward.

“Oh my God,” she said dramatically, placing a hand over her chest. “She lives.”

I blinked at her.

“Zara is that you?” I teased.

“Who else would it be?” she replied dryly. “Your fairy godmother? Don’t play with me like that young woman”

Relief washed over her face but she tried to hide it behind her usual sarcasm.

Alejandro leaned closer.

“How are you feeling?”

His voice was low, careful.

Too careful.

I frowned slightly.

“Why are you looking at me like someone just ran over your dog?”

He let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh, but it quickly faded.

“You passed out in the garden,” he explained. “You scared the hell out of me.”

Zara nodded dramatically.

“Correction,” she added. “You scared the hell out of both of us. Do you have any idea what time it is?”

I glanced around the room again, my brain still trying to catch up.

“What happened?”

Alejandro rubbed his face tiredly before answering.

“You collapsed,” he said quietly. “You were holding your chest and then you just… went down.”

His eyes studied me carefully, like he was afraid I might disappear again.

“We brought you to the hospital immediately.”

I pushed myself up slightly against the pillows, ignoring the mild ache in my chest.

“I’m fine,” I muttered.

Zara snorted.

“Yes, clearly,” she said sarcastically. “Because people who are fine love fainting dramatically in front of men at night. Very romantic by the way.”

I shot her a look.

“Shut up.”

Alejandro still hadn’t taken his eyes off me.

“What happened out there?” he asked quietly.

I shrugged. “Nothing.”

His brows drew together.

“Mira.”

“I probably just didn’t eat enough yesterday,” I said quickly. “You know how hectic everything has been since you got arrested.”

The lie came out smoothly.

Zara looked at me, her eyes narrowing slightly. She knew me well enough to recognize when I was brushing something off, but thankfully she didn’t say anything.

Alejandro still looked unconvinced.

“You screamed,” he said. “People don’t scream from skipping lunch.”

“Maybe I’m dramatic,” I replied.

Zara immediately raised her hand.

“Oh she absolutely is.”

I glared at her again.

Alejandro sighed and leaned back in his chair, clearly frustrated but not pushing the subject further.

“Do you mind giving us a minute?” I suddenly said, glancing at him.

His brows lifted. “Why?”

“I want to talk to my friend,” I said simply.

He hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Alright.”

Alejandro stood up slowly, though his eyes lingered on me like he was reluctant to leave.

“I’ll be outside.”

Once the door closed behind him, Zara immediately turned to me with the most dramatic expression imaginable.

“Mira Martinez,” she whispered sharply. “What the hell was that? When did the pain return? And why didn’t you tell me anything? Have you been skipping your drugs too?

I sighed and rubbed my temples from her many questions.

“Slow down Zara, you’re going to give me a headache.”

She stared at me. “You better start taking.”

I looked away.

Zara leaned closer. “Your heart is getting worse, isn't it?”

Silence filled the room for a moment.

Finally I nodded slightly. “Yes.”

Her face softened instantly.

“Mira…”

“I’m fine,” I insisted quickly.

“You literally collapsed.”

“It’s happened before.”

Zara groaned quietly. “Is that supposed to ease the tension I’m feeling?”

“I just pushed myself too hard yesterday,” I said, trying to sound casual. “Too much stress.”

She crossed her arms. “How bad is it?”

I didn’t answer.

That silence alone was enough to answer her.

Before Zara could question me further, the door opened again.

A doctor stepped inside holding a tablet and he gave us a polite smile. “Miss Martinez, I’m glad to see you awake.”

Zara straightened slightly.

“How bad is it?” she asked bluntly.

The doctor hesitated before speaking. “Your heart condition is showing signs of deterioration and I must say, what you have is the rarest I’ve seen in a while.”

My stomach dropped. I knew what I had wasn’t a joke but it still hurt to hear.

Zara looked at me with wide eyes.

“But with proper monitoring we can manage the symptoms,” the doctor continued.

I quickly glanced toward the door, lowering my voice.

“Please don’t tell Alejandro.”

The doctor looked surprised. “He brought you here.”

“And he doesn’t need to know my medical history,” I said firmly.

The doctor hesitated again before nodding slightly.

“Very well. But you must be careful. Episodes like the one you experienced yesterday night could become more frequent if the condition continues progressing.”

Zara looked like she wanted to scream.

Instead she just pressed her lips together tightly.

The doctor finished checking a few things on the tablet before giving me a final nod.

“Get some rest.”

Once he left the room, silence settled again.

Zara rubbed her face. “Mira, this is serious.”

“I know.”

“You can’t keep hiding it.”

“I’m not hiding,” I said quietly.

She gave me a look.

“You literally just begged a doctor to lie to your boss”

I didn’t respond.

A knock came from the door.

Then Alejandro stepped back inside. His eyes moved immediately to me.

“You look better,” he said softly.

I gave a small shrug.

“Like I said. I’m fine.”

Zara stood up suddenly.

“Well,” she announced, stretching dramatically. “I’m going to get coffee before I fall asleep in this very depressing hospital chair.”

She glanced between the two of us with a knowing smile.

“Try not to faint again while I’m gone.”

Then she walked out before I could protest.

Now it was just Alejandro and me.

He slowly moved closer to the bed again. For a moment neither of us spoke.

Finally I sighed. “You don’t have to sit there looking like someone died.”

His eyes darkened slightly. “You scared me tonight.”

I shrugged. “Well I’m alive.”

He studied my face for a long moment.

Then he spoke quietly. “I thought I lost you.”

I blinked. That was… unexpected.

“Alejandro,” I said slowly, “stop acting like you liked me anyway.”

The words came out half joking but something about them made the room suddenly feel heavier.

He didn’t laugh. Instead he stepped closer to the bed.

“Mira,” he said softly.

I frowned slightly. “What?”

He ran a hand through his hair, looking unusually nervous.

“I was trying to tell you something yesterday in the garden before you collapsed.”

I tilted my head. “Oh?”

His eyes locked with mine.

And for the first time since I had met Alejandro Montenegro, he looked completely unsure of himself.

“I think…” he began slowly.

Then he exhaled.

“I think I’m in love with you.”

My heart skipped. And not in the dangerous medical way.