Chapter 20

"Alfred hasn't visited us for some time now," Samantha's mother suddenly said as she peeled the fruit she was feeding her father. Samantha was sitting on the side of her father's bed, busy watching a show on the television.

"He's probably busy with work, Mom," she replied.

"Probably? You're not sure? Have you not spoken to him?" her father asked.

Her father had been in the hospital for three days, and by the grace of God, his condition was improving. The doctor had told them that her father would only be in the hospital for a few more days, which they were all very grateful for. Especially since their hospital bills were getting bigger and bigger.

"Not really. You know Alfred—he doesn't like to be distracted when he's working. Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'll come around," she replied.

She hadn't seen or spoken to Alfred since they'd talked in the cafeteria. He'd called and texted her, but she never answered. She didn't know what she would say to him after their last conversation. Alfred hadn't visited her father again either.

She regretted everything that she'd said to Alfred. She felt bad. She was a hypocrite for acting like that when she was at fault.

She sighed heavily, and her father noticed.

He gently stroked her hair, causing her to turn around. He then gave her a warm smile. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

She nodded, smiling. "Of course, Dad. And I'll be even better when you're completely healed and home," she replied.

"If it were up to me, we'd already be home. But the doctor and nurses are stubborn and want to keep me here," her father complained.

"You're the stubborn one! You haven't been listening to your doctor. They just want to observe you before they send you home," her mother said.

"Observe what? There's no need! I'm fine. I feel like I'm only going to get weaker here in the hospital."

"Stop complaining, Macario. This is why you keep getting into trouble! You're too stubborn for your own good."

Samantha just laughed at her parents' bickering.

They were still bickering when the door to the room slowly opened. They all looked at the door, and there they saw her friend, Rose.

"Rose."

Rose smiled as she entered the room. She was carrying a basket full of various fruits.

"Hi, Auntie," Rose greeted her mother.

Rose handed the basket of fruit to her mother. Her mother thanked her with a huge smile on her face.

"Hi, Uncle," Rose greeted her father as she sat on the other side of the bed. "You look great already! It's like you were never hurt at all!" Rose said happily, making her father smile.

"That's what I keep trying to tell Gina and the doctors, but they don't listen to me. Can't they see I am as strong as a buffalo!" her father said proudly. He even raised one of his arms to show off his muscles.

Rose grinned. "Well, then you should show them how strong you are, Uncle! Why don't you punch the doctor? Then we'll see if he still won't send you home," Rose said, laughing.

"Oh please, Rose. Don't give the old man any ideas. He might actually do it," her mother said.

Her father laughed out loud but immediately frowned when his wound hurt.

"See? You say you're okay, but just a little laugh and you're groaning in pain."

Samantha shook her head at what her mother said.

She stood at the foot of his bed. "Quit being stubborn, Dad. If you want to get out of the hospital faster, listen to Mom and the doctors and nurses," she said, trying to make her father understand.

She shook her head again when her father just snorted. He didn't argue though.

She turned to look at Rose, who was smiling at her parents, who were giving each other sharp glances.

"Rose," she called to her.

Rose turned to look at her, and Samantha gave her a serious look. "Can we talk?" she asked in a serious tone.

Rose nodded as if she already knew what Samantha wanted to ask.

She decided to bring Rose to the hospital's cafeteria. They sat at the far end, where there weren't many people and they could talk without being disturbed. They faced each other with serious expressions.

Rose's legs were crossed, and she rested her hands on the table.

Samantha looked straight into Rose's eyes. "You know everything already," she said.

"Yes, I do," was Rose's quick answer.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would it have changed anything?"

"Yes!" Samantha answered in a loud voice.

"And what would it have changed?" Rose said with a cynical laugh. "Samantha, you knew what would happen if you gave in to him, but what did you do? Instead of walking away, which would've been the right thing to do, you went with him! What happened to 'I won't let it happen again'?"

"I was blackmailed," she reasoned quickly.

"Oh, please! Don't give me that bullshit!"

Samantha was slightly surprised by the way Rose's voice suddenly raised.

Her jaw tightened, and her fists clenched. The look she gave Rose became sharp. "I tried to get away from him, Rose. Believe it or not, I tried. But he has his ways of pulling me back to him—"

"What ways? Fucking you? Is that it?" Rose quickly cut Samantha off, leaving her mouth hanging open. "You know how much I hate cheaters. I've been cheated on, Samantha, and it's not fun. In fact, it was incredibly painful, to the point that I wanted to end everything—"

"Oh, come on!" Samantha, in turn, cut Rose off. There was a cynical grin on her lips. "Stop acting like a saint, Rose. You hate cheaters, huh? Then how do you explain what you're doing to Jackson? You're in a relationship with him, yet you're fucking your ex-husband! You hate cheaters, yet you're making Terrance cheat on Brianna by seducing him. And yet you're still lecturing me with this bullshit?"

"My situation is completely different than yours!" Rose defended herself. She dropped one of her hands on the table as her jaw tightened in anger. Samantha could see the fire in her eyes. she looked so mad. It was the first time Samantha had seen her friend get this mad.

Their sharp glares competed for a few minutes until Rose blew out a frustrated sigh. She was trying to regain her composure.

"Okay, let's settle this like adults," Rose said. Her voice had become calm. Even her gaze, which had been very sharp before, suddenly softened.

Samantha sighed. She'd gotten carried away.

She leaned back in her chair, and like Rose's, her expression returned to normal.

"I'm not your enemy, Samantha. I'm your friend, and you know how much I care about you. I just don't want you to make decisions you might regret," Rose said calmly.

She nodded. Rose continued speaking, "But I won't say sorry for the things I said." She rolled her eyes, which made Samantha laugh a little.

"Same here. I won't say sorry. I was just telling the truth," she replied, pouting.

"Well, yeah, except for that part about Jackson and me being in a relationship. We don't have that kind of relationship, okay?" Rose responded, rolling her eyes again. "Anyways, what's your plan?"

Samantha sighed. "I don't know anymore, Rose. I want to stay away from Damon, but I don't know how, especially now that he's so close to my parents. And it looks like he has no plans to stop bothering me either," she explained dejectedly.

Rose nodded. "I still can't believe you've gotten yourself into this mess," she said, disappointed. "What about Alfred? Do you plan to tell him about Damon?"

"No!" Samantha answered quickly. "He can't know. He might hate me, Rose."

Rose rolled her eyes. "You should have thought of that before you gave yourself to Damon," she said. "Also, do you think you can keep it from him forever? You said it yourself, Damon is close to your parents, and he has no intention of letting you go. So whether you like it or not, you two will still see each other. And who knows what he might do? What if he tells Alfred himself? That will hurt Alfred even more," Rose continued.

Samantha's fists clenched, and she gritted her teeth. "He wouldn't do that. He can't do that," she said.

"Samantha, you've been living with Damon. I'm sure you know exactly what he can do. If I were you, I would admit everything to Alfred while it's still early. It'll be better for him to hear it from you than from Damon."

"But what if he gets angry? What if he hates me?" she asked worriedly.

"It's inevitable. What do you think will happen when he eventually finds out? Do you think he'll hug you and say it's okay? Of course not! He'll be mad, Samantha, and you can't blame him for that." Rose sighed. "Just tell him the truth. If he gets angry and decides to leave you, let him. After all, it's all your fault," Rose said, rolling her eyes again.

Samantha was unable to respond because Rose stood up.

Frowning, she looked up at her friend. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I have something I need to do. I'm just going to say goodbye to Uncle and Auntie first."

"Does what you need to do have anything to do with your ex-husband and his fiancé?"

Rose grinned broadly. "How did you know?" she asked in a pleasant tone. "Terrance told me that they would be celebrating their anniversary today, so I am going to celebrate with them." Her eyes beamed as she spoke. "Oh, I'm so excited to see that bitch's reaction when she sees me! I'm sure that slut's nose will flare with anger," Rose said excitedly.

Samantha laughed at Rose's words.

"This is why I won't say sorry for what I said," she explained, shaking her head.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Okay, I'm leaving. Please fix this mess you've made," she said and turned her back on her, but before Rose could leave, Samantha spoke up.

"By the way, how did you meet Damon? And how did you know that I was with him?" she asked.

Rose turned to her. "I have my ways, my friend," she answered before finally leaving the room.

Samantha shook her head.

How did Rose find out about her and Damon? Samantha wasn't sure she wanted to know anymore.

She stayed in the cafeteria for a few more minutes before getting up, deciding to go back to her father's room. She was shocked when she saw Damon and Alfred outside her father's room. They seemed to be talking about something important.

She suddenly felt nervous. She was still a few steps away from the two of them, but she could already feel the strong tension between them.