Chapter 81: The infuriatingly demanding Adrian Larsen

"Miss, you should get some rest now. You're sitting here for hours. And your injuries should also be taken care of. Otherwise you can get an infection," said the young nurse as she gave Adrian another visit to check on him.

It was the fourth time she asked me to get myself treated. But nobody, even my family, couldn't move me from here. From beside the man who reigned over my heart.

The man who hasn't opened those electric blue eyes yet. And since I got my consciousness back, without wasting any second, I rushed to his side. They moved him to another room after his operation.

My heart clenched as my gaze roamed over his paler than usual features, ruffled hair and limp body. Just his broad chest rose and fell along with his breathing. That was the only thing that told me he was still with me.

With my throat tightening, my eyes burned with tears, I gulped. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm fine."

"But…"

A sharp glance of mine made her shut up.

"She is right, Sofia. You should go and get yourself treated." Sinister entered the room, Lilly and Mom trailing behind. "And after all of that happened, you need rest. So listen to what everyone is saying."

"I don't need any rest. I have said it already. I'm not moving from here until he opens his eyes." My voice came out as a snap.

My whole body was at the verge of giving up. Every inch of my body cried for some rest. Not only physically, I was also exhausted mentally. But my brain wouldn't let me budge from beside his side.

What if he opens his eyes in my absence and doesn't find me here?

"We understand your concern, honey. But you should also take care of yourself. If something happens to you then how would you take care of him? And what will he say if he sees you in this condition when he wakes up?" Mom placed a hand on my shoulder. "He won't like it at all, now will he?"

"Mom, please." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"We are here to keep an eye on him when you get some rest. So don't worry about him," Lilly said. Her tone was vulnerable, appearance was disheveled. "And I will spend some time with my son in that way too."

I was about to argue. But her dull eyes stopped me.

I wanted to say she could stay here with me in this room. But that would be selfish. She wanted some alone time with her son.

A sigh left me.

Grasping his hand, I placed a kiss on his knuckles. "I will be back soon."

A lone tear fell from my eye. Wiping it away, I let my gaze linger on his features before getting up.

As I cast a nod at them, Mom led me outside of the room. My legs hesitated, my heart yearned to be with him. But I knew Lilly needed to be with him as much as I did. So throwing another glance at him, I then left Sinister and Lilly with their son alone.

***

"Here, drink it," Mom ordered, placing the glass of orange juice before my face.

"I'm not in a mood, Mom."

The nurse left the room once she was done taking care of my wounds.

A glare from my mother was instant. Her lips pressed tight.

"You have already given us a lot of trouble by leaving the mansion and not heeding to anyone's advice, young lady! Now I don't want to see any more tantrums! Do as I say. Drink it!"

I opened my mouth and then closed it. It was the first time in years she has talked to me in that way. Well, she had a reason to. I did make a mistake by trusting Tim.

Even though he helped us in the end by saving Adrian from that bastard's second bullet.

He was admitted into the hospital with Adrian. Max told me his condition was critical. I wanted to go and see him, but I couldn't leave Adrian's side for a single moment to do so. He was my first priority now.

My heart clenched.

It's been almost half an hour since I left him with Sinister and Lilly. My insides were yearning to go near him.

Letting out a sigh, I took the glass from her hand and took a sip. I knew she wouldn't budge from here until I obeyed her order. And the moment I did so, her features softened. She ran her hand through my tangled hair.

"I was so scared. I thought I wouldn't be able to see you again…" Her voice cracked as she blinked away her tears.

Guilt washed over me. Even if I didn't know the events would turn out against me that night, directly or indirectly It was my fault all of this happened. It was my fault everyone's life was in danger. Especially Adrian's.

Something clutched my heart in a tight grip. If I had listened to Adrian, this wouldn't have happened.

But what choice did I have? I really thought Alex needed my help.

Placing the glass aside, I grasped her hands and made her sit beside me. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the trouble I have given you. I- I didn't know they would trap me like that and Tim would betray me. But I know, no excuses can make it up to all of you. I have put all of your lives in danger. I'm really sorry, Mom. I promise, I didn't want this for anyone. I…"

"Shh, I know. Yes, you have made another mistake. You got emotional and didn't think rationally. But I'm not upset because of it. It's just that…" She let out a shaky sigh. "We don't want to lose you, Sofia. You're the life of our family. Our little princess. If something happened to you, we…"

As a tear rolled down her cheek, I wrapped my arms around her. Tears burned my own eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I promise, I won't do that again. I won't trust anyone like that ever. I have taken my lesson."

Pulling away, she squeezed my hands. "Just because some people couldn't be loyal to their family, doesn't mean everyone else is bad. Take lessons from your mistakes, but that doesn't mean you would stop trusting people. Life doesn't go like that. Without trust and love, one can't live happily."

She was right. But after Tim and Marie, I didn't know if it would be that easy for me.

"You aren't mad at me, are you?"

"Not anymore. You are here with us safe, that's all I want."

A small smile tugged up my lips. Then something sneaked in my mind. A question.

I shifted in my place. "What happened between you and Monet, Mom? All that you said there…"

"Don't worry, he is not your father. You're a McCommer. It was a plan to buy us some time by using an old incident." She interrupted, making me let out an internal sigh of relief. Even though Marie's words made it pretty clear, her assurance just put an end to my doubts.

Seeing my expectant gaze to know the answer to my first question, she looked away, sitting straight. A sadness flashed across her features.

"Just know that your father helped me and Max escape my abusive ex husband and took us in."

A gasp left my lips.

He used to abuse her?

My fists clenched. And he claimed to care about his family? That bastard!

"But how did Dad meet you?" I asked, wanting to know more.

"James used to work for Russell's Dad as well. And in that way, your dad and he became close." Closing her eyes, she let out a breath. "Leo and Russell often visited James' old house, where… we used to live. I met Leo there for the first time."

Then a tiny smile appeared on her lips.

"From the first meeting, I knew he wasn't like the others in the gang. He was compassionate. He respected women unlike Monet and Russell. And soon he noticed bruises on me." Her gaze met mine. "He tried to talk to James. But he didn't like his interference at all. And h-he poured his anger on me. But one day when he raised his hand on Max for the first time, I knew I had to end it. If not for me, for my son. So I sought help from Leo. And he took me and Max in, away from James."

"And then? What happened?"

"After some time, we fell in love and he proposed to me. He gave me all the happiness in this world, gave Max a father he never had. Tackled Monet for us. But… then he came back after years. And you know the rest."

I nodded, placing a hand over her shoulder before giving it a squeeze.

That explained her always being so uncomfortable whenever I asked her about Monet. There was always a fear in her eyes.

"But he is gone now, forever. He won't come back in our lives to torment us. We are free," she said. A happiness lit on her face.

"We are," I agreed. All thanks to him. He indeed kept his promise, he freed us from Monet. Freed me.

A knock on the door tore my gaze from Mom.

As the door opened, Zion limped in. A small bandage on his forearm and a tired smile of his greeted me.

"Hey, Sofia. How are you doing now?"

I reciprocated his gesture. "I'm good, thank you."

Exchanging greetings with him felt odd. I knew him as my enemy's son till this early morning. But now he was one of our well wishers. I never thought he would go against his father to help us.

"Great. Uh, something important came up, so thought to check on you before leaving." He cleared his throat. "And also apologize for all the things you had to go through because of my father. Not to forget I also had to act according to his wish to be on his good side. I'm sorry, Sofia. I didn't want to hurt you in any way. But…"

"I know." I cut him off. "It was all an act, just like Alex did. It was you who helped me out that night when I got caught in your mansion, wasn't it?"

He nodded. "Yes, it was me. I had to behave like your enemy that day, but I couldn't just leave you there like that knowing that if Dad got a hold on you, you wouldn't be able to leave."

I smiled. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, Sofia. I had never had a family. My mother died in my childhood after she faced the same fate Julia had. Since then, I have hated that man. But I never had the chance or courage to go against him. But when I got to know about his plans against you, Max's family, I knew I couldn't let him do that," he said, glancing at Mom for a moment. "I never met Max or Julia before, but… step or not, Max was my brother. A brother I never got to know. I don't know if I'm sounding crazy, but when Monet was planning against you all, I felt like I had to help you guys out. That's why I contacted your father after Dad kidnapped you."

He was fumbling with his words. From what I noticed, he was a tough man who had difficulties showing his emotions. Just like Max. And expressing his feelings was hard for him. Just like Max, he also had a traumatic childhood.

My heart went for him.

"And I will be forever grateful to you for that," I said honestly. "And you're right, Max is your brother. So in that way, you're family now. What's gone is gone now. Leave it in the past. You will always be welcomed in our family, Zion."

Surprise flashed across his features. Gulping, he nodded. A slow smile spread across his face.

"Thank you." He cleared his throat again, his tone heavy with emotions. "Uh, I should go now. Will see you later."

With my nod, he turned around and then walked out of the room.

***

"Please, wake up," I whispered, my lips brushed against his knuckle. "I need you."

It's been five days since that incident. Five agonizing days had passed, but he didn't open his eyes. He still didn't give any response to my countless requests and pleadings for him to wake up.

I craved to see those electric blue eyes watching me with that intensity. I craved his warmth, his touch.

The doctors didn't know when he was going to regain consciousness. And I was at the verge of losing my sanity. Every second of my life was passing away in despair and apprehension.

The rest of the family visited him everyday, some of them constantly stayed beside me taking terms as I refused to leave his side. My days and nights passed on the chair beside his bed, or on the couch at the corner of the room.

Mom and Dad forced me to take medicines but they couldn't take me home no matter how much they tried. Instead, I had Laura bring me some pairs of clothes to change into.

Lily also offered to stay here while I go home and take some rest. But even if it was selfish, I politely declined her offer. She could stay beside him if she wanted, but I wasn't gonna budge from my place until he opened his eyes.

My heart clenched at his silence. A tear slipped down my eye.

The more days passed, the fear clutched my heart even more tighter in a choking grip. His not regaining his consciousness was settling a hollowness inside me.

"Please, talk to me." I sniffled. "I know you're mad at me for breaking my promise. You can punish me if you want, tie me to your bed for the rest of my life. I don't care. But please, don't do this to me. Your silence is killing me, Adrian. Please, open your eyes."

Letting out a shaky breath, I rubbed my cheek against his hand, kissing the back of it. Another tear left.

"Miss, It's time for you to change your bandages. Please come with me so that I can change them," said the same nurse. Dad had given her responsibility to take care of me.

"No thanks. I'm fine."

"Miss, please. You can't go on like that. You're barely eating and sleeping. You're not even taking your medicines properly. It's not good for your health!" she exclaimed, her lips pressed tight in displeasure.

"I said I'm fine. I will do it later. You can leave now," I said, my tone was monotonous.

Shaking her head, she murmured something under her breath before leaving the room.

When the door opened again, Lilly walked in. As she threw a small smile at me, I quickly wiped my cheeks.

"You don't have to hide your tears from me, honey. I know what you're feeling."

My gaze snapped to her as she took a seat beside Adrian. Leaning in, she let her fingers run through his hair before pulling away. A shaky breath left her.

"I don't know if you're aware of it or not, I had stayed away from my son for years for my own selfishness. He had lived his whole childhood alone, without any happiness in his life," she said, her tone was low. "And when I finally realized my mistake and came back, he didn't completely let me in. He couldn't forgive me. How could he? His own mother left him when he needed her the most. She left him because she couldn't handle her messed up life."

Blinking away her tears, with her eyes set on Adrian, she gulped.

Her pain reached my heart.

"But then you came along." She looked at me. "And I saw a flicker of hope in you. My son started to smile. He was... happy. An emotion I had never seen in him. And finally when I thought everything was going to be alright, this happened."

Her lower lip trembled.

"I- I don't even know if he is going to wake up, ever."

I put my hand on her, squeezing it gently.

"I know. He told me everything. And trust me, yes, he might still be mad at you, but he loves you a lot. Even if he doesn't show it, he does. I'm sure he will let go of the past soon. I promise. Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. You were just lost, not a bad mother. He knows it." My eyes then fell on him. "And don't worry, he will wake up. Don't lose hope. He has to. He has a wedding to be present at."

"I just hope you're right." Her gaze bored into mine. "I always knew you were good for my son, Sofia. He doesn't know how lucky he is to have you."

I shook my head. "I'm the one who is lucky to have him."

"You both are." Suddenly a sadness washed over her face. "And about the wedding, everyone was so excited about it. I had already planned so much for your wedding. But now... I don't know when that will happen." She sighed. "By the way, did you two decide any dates? Or any venue?" A tiny spark of enthusiasm glinted in her orbs.

At the question, I took a deep breath at the painful tug in my chest remembering our last conversation.

I glanced down at my ring. "No. We didn't." My voice cracked. "And honestly, I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon with him in this condition. And when he wakes up, he will need a lot of time to recover completely."

She nodded in understanding.

"You're right. I..."

"Next week."

A faint voice interrupted her, making our heads snap to the direction of it. And there he was, lying on the bed.

Electric blue eyes met mine.

My whole body froze as my heart stopped for a moment. And then it started beating so fast that I feared it would jump out of my chest any moment.

Jumping up from my chair, I hovered over him. Cupping his face, my eyes searched his features desperately. "Adrian!"

I breathed out. Intense happiness mixed with relief bloomed across my chest. Tears blurred my vision.

"Y-you woke up!"

"Next week..." He let out a whisper.

"Huh? What did you say, baby?" To listen properly, I leaned close to him. My heart was still pounding in my chest, hoping it wasn't another dream of mine. To have him back in my arms.

Snaking his hand around my waist, he pulled me closer. My chest firmly pressed against his hard one. His hot breath tickled my skin as his hoarse yet husky voice whispered in my ear.

"The wedding will happen next week."

Yes, I was definitely not dreaming. My infuriatingly demanding Adrian Larsen was back.