Chapter 147 CHAPTER 147
Evelyn's POV
The image of the strongest man striking my head appeared in my head as I opened my eyes. I groaned and winced in pain. There was a gnawing headache and some funny feeling in my throat. I suddenly thought of those weeks when I was held captive by Xavier and I pushed myself up in fright.
Did he capture me again?
I was in a room that smelt and looked like a hospital. I wasn't chained or gagged. There was just a line connected to my arm, and a couple of wires around my head. I pulled myself out of bed even though I felt dizzy slightly. The door was just a few feet from me. I headed for it. Just as I pulled open the door, a woman looked up at me in fright and happiness.
It was my mother.
“Mum?” I asked, squinting.
“You're awake,” she said, rising to her feet. She moved closer to me until her arms wrapped around my body. “You shouldn’t be out of bed.”
I leaned into the warmth of her embrace and the memories of the evening flashed in my mind again.
“Michael,” I said. “Where is he? Did he get hurt?”
She massaged my back tenderly. “Alpha Michael is fine,” she said, although her voice carried some sadness I didn't understand.
“Where is he?”
She pulled away from me and looked at me. I knew when she was trying to hide something. It always showed in her eyes. “We should focus on you eating better first,” she said.
“No-” I felt a squeezing pain in my abdomen and my hand flew to it. It was then I realised I had not asked about my baby.
“My baby?”
She squeezed my hand. “He's been born.” She smiled happily. “Growing stronger everyday.”
I heaved a deep breath of relief. “How long was I gone?”
She ushered us back into the room. “Almost a month,” she said. “It's a miracle you survived.”
“A month?”
She nodded.
I sat on the bed and I noticed there were no signs of Alpha Michael’s presence around. It was strangely quiet.
“Where's Alpha Michael?” I asked again.
She pretended to be busy with something on the cupboard. “Likely in some board meeting or the other,” she said. “I should inform the nurses that you are up.”
She turned around quickly and headed for the door.
“Call him too,” I added as she left the room.
I sat quietly, waiting for her to return. I couldn't wait to see the smile on Alpha Michael’s face when he walked into the room. I imagined he would be holding our son. I didn't want to think of Xavier for now.
Minutes later, the door opened and a man in a white coat walked in. He smiled at me.
“The sleeping beauty has finally chosen to awaken,” he said, looking dismissively at the disconnected wires on the bed.
“Do you feel any pain? Headache?”
I shook my head, then pointed at my tummy.
He nodded. “We'll check it out later.”
When he finished his assessment, mum arrived. But she arrived alone.
Why was it taking so long for him to get here? I wondered.
She patted the pillow on the bed and sat carefully on it. “You should sleep, Evelyn.”
I frowned. “I've been sleeping for a month. That's the last thing I want to do right now.”
“Well if you don't rest, you won't get better. Alpha Michael will surely be here when you wake up.”
Between a little discussion of my mind wandering, I slept off. When I woke up hours later, it was dark and I was hungry. I expected to find Alpha Michael already there with recovery meals littered over the place, but I met emptiness. No one but my mum was in the room.
I was getting angry now. Something was definitely wrong. She was hiding something from me. If Alpha Michael was dead or dying, she had to tell me. I deserved to know the truth.
I pulled myself out of bed.
“He's not here yet,” I said. “Tell me the truth now. Please. Did… did he die?” Tears gathered in my eyes.
She lowered her head and shook it. “No. No. He's very much alive.”
I felt immediate relief.
“Then why isn't he here yet? It's been at least four hours. Where's my baby too?”
She raised her head. “Sit down, Evelyn.”
I sat down, frightened but still eager to hear what she had to say.
“Alpha Michael is married,” she said.
It took a while for me to get what she was saying. I mean, he was married to me before the incident. Why was she telling me that? But I saw her face and I knew she meant he was married to someone else.
My heart felt like stone.
“Who?” I asked.
“Rosaleen,” she replied and I felt anger and relief at the same time. Anger, that he'd gone to marry someone else while I was lying half dead. Relief, because I knew there had to be an explanation. I knew Rosaleen had definitely manipulated him.
“And my baby?”
“He's with his father. He couldn't stay in the hospital for very long. It was for the best.”
I nodded. “Does he know yet?”
She didn't respond.
“Does he?”
“I don't know,” she said. “He hasn't been here since he got married.”
I rose up. I was convinced there was a misunderstanding. I just needed to speak to him.
“I need my phone,” I said. “I want to call him.”
“Evelyn…”
“I need my phone!”
I felt tears brimming in my eyes. She rose up too. “It's pointless! I told you. People like them can't be with people like us.”
I looked at her, silent. There was no us or them. There was just him and me.
I turned away and headed for the door. I ran so fast, ignoring the pains in my tummy. The corridors were empty but I kept running until I found someone.
“I need to use your phone, please.”
She was startled but she reached for her pocket and handed the phone to me.
“Thank you,” I whispered and I typed out his phone number from memory.
The line connected in seconds and I heard his voice.
“Hello?”