Chapter 56 - Break Up!

**Third person's POV:**

The next day, some of the best doctors of Chicago came to see Camelia. They examined her, took sample from her rash, blister, pus, spit, blood and urine. But unfortunately no one could detect what actually was wrong with her.

Having no alternative, they gave Camelia symptomatic treatment. For headache and fever she was given paracetamol, for rash and blister, they gave her anti-allergic drug, for vomiting, stomachache, she was given gastric medicine. These gave her brief relief but eventually her condition worsened.

**Two days later,**

Lucifer was sitting on his study with the doctors. He was continuously tapping his feet on the floor due to excessive stress and worry.

They all saw Camelia's condition, examined her. Right now, her room was turned into a hospital room. Lucifer already appointed three nurses and all the necessary medical equipments and machines were already brought. Lucifer turned that room into a mini hospital.

One of the doctors said, "Mr. Martinez, her condition is rare. I have never seen something like this. Her skin is covered with rashes and blisters. Even from my 41 years of experience, I am not quite sure what her condition is. I had treated patients with anthrax, Ebola, skin TB, diphtheria, leprosy, cutaneous salmonellosis and so on serious skin diseases, but never seen anything like this. I am not quite sure what to prescribe her. Besides, her symptoms are not limited in skin. Her breathing difficulty, body pain, vomiting, blood vomiting, headache, and fever- we also count all of these while we prescribe a medicine. Every medicine has its adverse side effects and her condition is now way too serious for try an experiment on her." An aged doctor spoke to Lucifer. Rest of the three doctors nodded.

"What the hell does it suppose to mean? You are saying you don't know what's wrong with her? You can't treat her?" Lucifer gritted in anger.

"She is getting lifeless day by day and all you have to say is you don't know what's wrong with her? Is it a fucking joke?" Lucifer roared, but his voice wavered at last.

"Mr. Martinez, I don't have any word to say. We got the result of the tests which we ran on her samples. And I don't know how I should address it. It’s quite surprising. We found a presence of a new kind of microbe in her body. Right now, we are not sure what it is. It doesn’t seem like an infectious disease to me. But still I will ask you to keep her isolated because her immune system is vulnerable. She may not infect others but right now she doesn’t have the immunity to protect herself from any disease if others spread to her." Another doctor spoke.

"New kind of microbe? Don't you have any medicine or vaccine to it?" Lucifer's heart was beating fast now as he realized the situation.

The doctor shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no. We don't know. Please, look for other doctors too. We are trying our best. We have already called an emergency meeting with Chicago University Microbiology department. Two new bacteriologists are also coming from New York tomorrow." The doctor stated.

Lucifer felt like for the first time in his life, he was powerless, helpless, hopeless and small.

Camelia's body skin was full of blisters and rashes and it looked horrible. Her condition got worsened. She got fever with tremors and sometimes vomited blood.

Doctors made a special isolated room for her. No one was allowed to see or meet her without mask, personal protective clothes so that they couldn’t infect already sick Camelia. Not even Lucifer.

Camelia on the other hand was in so much pain, doctors gave her sedatives. She was given strict safe diets.

Her bed was covered with a transparent plastic curtain.

That night, Camelia refused to take the sedative and was feeling a bit better. She had her dinner which was chicken porridge and boiled fruits.

She told the nurses that she wanted to meet Lucifer. A few minutes later, he entered her room. Her body weakened a lot, and her face was white. Her face, skin lost its usual glow.

"Hey!" A small smile played on Camelia's pale, dry lips as she saw Lucifer entering.

"Hey! How are you feeling?" Lucifer asked.

"My stomach is paining a bit. But I am feeling better. I didn’t vomit in a while." She answered.

Lucifer was standing a few feet away from her, outside the transparent curtain.

Camelia sat up somehow.

"Lucifer, can you come a bit closer? I want to see you from close. I think I won't infect you as long as I am inside the curtain." Her voice shook up.

Lucifer went close to her and dragging a chair, he sat near her bed but outside the curtain.

"I didn’t see you in the last two days. I hate sedatives. Arrgh!" She whined. Lucifer didn’t say anything.

"I feel like touching you. But I know I can't touch you now. Not until I get better. Can you please place your palm on the other side of the curtain? I want to touch you through the curtain. You won't get infected, right?" Her small voice filled with desperate hope.

Lucifer stretched his hand and placed his palm against the curtain.

"Oh My God! Lucifer, I missed you so much!" Camelia broke into sobs as she united her small palm with his big one. The plastic curtain and Lucifer's hand glove were barriers between their palms.

"I will get better soon, right? What did the doctors say, Lucifer? I don't like staying like this anymore. I don't want to stay away from you. I hate this!" Fresh tears ran down her cheeks as she ranted.

"Why aren’t you saying anything, Lucifer?" She questioned.

"You know you are scaring me." Camelia laughed trying to brush of the fear in her heart.

Lucifer took his hand back and took a deep breath.

"Camelia!" He spoke.

"Yes?" Camelia responded.

"I have something to say, and I am going to say it now." Lucifer maintained.

"What?" She frowned.

"I don't want to keep this relationship with you." Lucifer stated.

"What!" Camelia exclaimed in shock.

"Did I hear something wrong?" Her voice trembled.

"No. I don't want to keep this relationship with you anymore." He pressed.

"Why? What's my mistake?"

"Come'on, Camelia. You should guess the reason. Camelia, I liked you because you were beautiful. But now look at you; your full body is filled with horrible blisters, rashes and God knows what. Your sight once pulled me towards you. And now your sight disgusts me. I don't want you anymore. I can't want any woman if I hate the very sight of her." Lucifer asserted making Camelia freeze.

For a few seconds, Camelia couldn’t move. She froze as the force of his words almost suffocated her; the words penetrated her heart like a sharp glaive. It was too much to take in.

But like a homeless little bird desperate for its nest, she tried, "But Lucifer, I will get well soon. Then I won't be ugly like this. Please don't leave me. I promise that I will get well and I will become beautiful again. I swear! Please, Lucufer! Please!"

She cried joining her both palms together before him, begged not to leave her. Tears were falling from her eyes like continuous flood.

This scene was enough to make the heart of any cruel person melt. It was enough to bring tears in the eyes of a statue. But what about Lucifer?

He shrugged.

"Camelia, you may get better. But you will never get back the beauty you had. Your skin will always carry the mark of this disease, making you look ugly. I want someone who is beautiful. I just used your body for sex. I can't keep you beside me when you are ugly. I hate you now. I will carry all the expense of your disease and after you get better, I will send you off to someone."

**Send you off to someone?**

**Then what about love?**

**What about the promises?**

**What about the ring?**

**What about the dreams?**

**Were those all lies?**

The thoughts inside her head screamed for answer. But Camelia stayed silent. After talking, Lucifer left her room.

She was sobbing so hard that her body was trembling. Today, Lucifer truly broke her. He broke her heart, soul and spirit.

Her already weak body couldn’t take this much mental stress. She fainted.