Chapter 134: 134

EVA

The hot water beat against my shoulders, steam filling the bathroom, as for that moment I let myself forget everything. The attack, the blood, the fear.

And hoped that maybe, just maybe, the water would wash away all that just happened. I won't remember it, and I won't have some sort of terrible Dejavu later in the future.

Just the water and some quiet.

I stood a little longer than I needed to, and massaged myself while at it. My body ached from sleeping in a weird position, my neck was even still stiff, and my eyes were heavy like I didn't just sleep for hours. Yes, few hours, but this wasn't my first rodeo with less sleep.

I didn't know how much more I could take. I felt like I was holding myself together with string and hope, and both were fraying fast, the more he was unconscious.

What would happen if he…succumbed to the pain. I mean, I know he was strong and all, he was by far one of the strongest people I've ever met, but everyone is still glass and bones and a beating heart in front of a gun, especially one with bullets like that.

With the images I saw on the internet I don't see how a person can survive a bullet to anywhere vital, and we're humans, every fucking where is vital, we've got blood everywhere, we've got organs on almost every part of our body, one to the stomach puts your intestines, your kidneys, your spleen, your everything in that area to risk, I might not be the smartest person in the room but I know my anatomy, and as of yesterday, I can see what bullets do.

Seeing him in that condition, just gave me a whole new awakening of how dangerous he's living and how any second, any second he could be gone, forever. And I can live like this knowing that one day I would wake up, and see Nico bleeding in front of me, here again to take me to either a bleeding body or a…dead one.

How can I live knowing that that day will come.

Hoping it doesn't is never how these things work, there's always an end to everything, and call me a pessimist, but I'd rather get the terrible thought over with.

My phone suddenly vibrated on the sink.

I turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around myself. Ignore the tickles from the water dripping down my neck to my legs, and pooling on the tile floor. I walked to the sink and picked up my phone.

It was from the hospital.

I took a deep breath and answered before the third ring.

"Ms. Bishop? This is Dr. Patel's office. We're calling to remind you about Lily Bishop's surgery tomorrow. She'll need to be admitted by six in the morning…"

I stared at my reflection in the mirror as I listened to her go through the procedures needed and how Lily might be calm for the surgery if I was there.

My face was pale, my eyes red-rimmed from lack of sleep and crying.

The world never stops dealing you blows once it starts, does it?

Tomorrow's Lily's surgery whether I liked it or not. I knew the doctor said it would be fine, that it was minor surgery, just move some things, add some and remove some.

Make sure everything's right, and she doesn't fall sick again, and I get it, but that still doesn't make it any better.

Chloe is having an affair with Nico, which…isn't even a problem but still, imagine how awkward it would be if all this passed?

Mira is playing chess with her life with a man who's kind of after her life. A man I don't even know.

Jace is no longer being an asshole, thank goodness.

Dante has been shot, and is unconscious.

Nico is the same. Sage is no longer on the planet, and my daughter is about to go under the knife. Sometimes it feels selfish being the only one healthy, and safe, but then again it feels worse, being the only one witnessing all this.

Everyone around me, I just…facing life. These things happen and sometimes you start to believe what people say about you. Maybe I really am a jinx, maybe I ruin everything in touch.

I gripped the edge of the sink and forced myself to breathe.

One thing at a time.

I could only handle one thing at a time.

"I'll be there tonight, please let her know." I said. "Thank you for calling."

I hung up and set the phone down. I stood there for a moment, gripping the edge of the sink.

Why is all this happening? Why now? Why so sudden?

She is so small, so fragile. And tomorrow she will be on an operating table. The doctor said it would be fine, but I still can't shake the fear that was settling deep in my chest.

I don't know if I can handle losing her. If I'll survive it. I closed my eyes and took another breath, then another, until the knot in my stomach loosened just a little.

“No!” The wind carried a shout from downstairs and through the bathroom door. Faint at first, then clearer.

What's happening? I frowned and walked to the bedroom door, listening.

Was Nico leaving already? I hurried to the closet , walking in to find something to wear.

I skimmed through Dante's rows of shirts until I found a familiar blue one hung neatly by the hanger. I stared at it, confused.

That's my shirt

I don't really remember leaving it here, so how…? Did I forget it after one of those nights I spent here.

I pulled it on, and grabbed my pajama pants, pulling it on too. My hair dripped on my shirt immediately, soaking through the shirt.

I walked out of the room and down the stairs. The voices grew louder, as I rounded the corner into the foyer, coming face to face with Blair.

There were many other routes my day would've taken to get worse, not this one.

She stood near the entrance, her coat on, and her perfectly styled hair glimmering under the day's light. Her eyes scanned the room like she was looking for something and when it landed on my annoyed face, her face twisted into an ugly expression.

"What are you doing here?"

I sighed. "I don't see how that's any of your business, Blair. Why are you here?"

She scoffed, her eyes raking over me, taking in my wet hair, my bare feet, and whatever else she planned to pick on. "It is my business. I'm here to see my fiancé. Why else would I be here?" She exhaled. "You know what? Don't bother about it. I won't make a big deal out of you being here. You can have fun with him one last time."

First of all ew, second of all, ew.

I wasn't that desperate to be loved.

She made to walk past me toward the stairs but I quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

"Dante isn't in," I said. "You can come back later."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why don’t I be the judge of that? Move."

"No."

She took a couple steps back. "Seriously, what's your deal? If you really want to have a go trying to be a problem for me, by all means do, and watch how easily I'll ruin you and everything you hold dear. You have no right to stop me from seeing my fiancé."

I met her gaze, all the fight left in me gone. "I don't care what you think I have the right to do, Blair. And now's not a good time to even want to fight you. Your fiance isn't in. You can call him or come back when he's around. That's your choice.”

I didn't know if she or his family knew the kind of things he involved himself in. But until he's conscious, everyone stays out. Call me daring, but I've seen how he is with the people around him, and I've seen how he is with his family.

If one person knows, rest assured, the rest will know, and with the dynamics, trust me, someone's going to try to use whatever useful information they can find in the fact that he owns a port to bring him down.

She scoffed. "You think you're protecting him? Fork what exactly? Do you really, really think he needs you to protect him from me? He's going to be my husband, Eva. You're just a loose end he’s going to cut sooner or later."

"Then why are you here? If you're so sure about your position, why do you need to check up on him? He's your fiance, and I'm not going to argue with that."

Her smile faltered, just for a second. Then she stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You're nothing. You've always been nothing. And when this is all over, you'll go back to being nothing."

I turned away from her and saw the driver I had called earlier standing near the door, waiting to take Nico home.

"Take Ms. Beaumont out, or walk her to her car if she came with one" I said. "Make sure she reaches her there safely. Then you can come back and do what I asked you to do earlier."

The driver nodded and turned to Blair. "This way, ma'am."