Chapter 36

Chapter 36
BENEDICT’S POV

The ambulance had barely pulled away when I followed in my own car, tailing them all the way to the hospital, my jaw clenched and my hands gripping the wheel hard enough to ache. I had never been a man to lose composure, but what happened back in my office was still gnawing at me. Those were not images that would leave me anytime soon. And damn me, but I still could not separate the bitterness from the concern.

By the time I reached the hospital, she had already been wheeled into emergency. I was left pacing outside, restless, each step echoing against the tiled floor like a clock tick reminding me of how useless waiting was. The nurses told me nothing other than to wait for the doctor. And right now, waiting seemed like a curse.

I had barely worn a path into the floor when the doors to the corridor banged open. My parents swept in, my father walking briskly, my mother clinging to his arm like she was about to faint herself. Justin followed close behind, his eyes darting around until they landed on me.

“What happened?” my father demanded. “Where is she? What did the doctors say?”

My mother’s voice broke in before I could answer, higher and more frantic. “Is she alive? Benedict, tell me she’s alive.”

I exhaled, trying to force the tension out of my shoulders. “She collapsed in my office. I don’t know why. I’ve been waiting here for news, just like you.”

Justin stepped closer, his jaw tightening. “Collapsed?”

“Yes,” I replied evenly. “One moment she was standing, the next she was on the ground. She started convulsing with foam seeping at the corner of her mouth. I called an ambulance immediately.”

The words sounded detached even though my pulse was still racing from the memory. I left out the conversation that preceded it, of course. No one needed to know about that. Especially not Justin.

For a long moment, silence hung heavy between us. My father ran a hand down his face, my mother closed her eyes tightly, and Justin’s fists clenched at his sides.

Then, suddenly, he snapped. “This is your fault.”

My brows shot up. “What?”

Justin’s eyes burned. He took a step toward me, stabbing a finger into the air. “This is all on you. What the hell did you do to her, Benedict? What did you say?”

I straightened. “Are you out of your damn mind?”

“Don’t play innocent!” he barked, his voice carrying down the sterile hallway. “Why was she even in your office in the first place? She’s my fiancée. She has no business with you. Unless—” He sneered. “Unless you can’t stand the fact that she chose me instead of you.”

My jaw tightened, and I forced myself to breathe slowly through my nose. But Justin wasn’t finished.

“You’ve always been like this,” he spat. “Hovering in the background. Pretending you’re above everything but secretly craving what you can’t have. It’s pathetic. You always looked pitiful chasing after Sabrina, and now you’ve finally driven her to this.”

I moved a step closer to him, my fists twitching at my sides. “Careful, Justin.”

“Oh, what?” he sneered. “Going to punch me to prove you’re not the sad little outcast of this family? Go ahead. It won’t change the truth. You can have your roadside wife, your little toy you parade around to make yourself look respectable, but at the end of the day everyone knows the truth. You’re second best. Always have been, always will be.”

The insult hit me, I won’t lie. “Enough,” my father’s voice cut sharp, but Justin kept on.

“You can’t stand that she loves me. You can’t stand that she chose me. You still want her, don’t you? That’s what this is about.”

My vision blurred red. “Shut your mouth.”

“Why? Because I’m right?”

That was it. I launched at him before I could stop myself. My fist connected with his jaw in a clean, hard blow that reverberated up my arm. He staggered back with a grunt, then threw himself at me in return.

We hit the floor in a clash of fists and rage. My mother shrieked, my father bellowed for us to stop, but their voices were drowned out by the pounding of blood in my ears. Justin clawed, I struck again, years of resentment boiling to the surface in every swing.

“Stop it!” My father tried pulling at Justin’s arm, my mother tried tugging at mine, but we were too far gone. The scuffle rolled dangerously close to the chairs against the wall, a tray clattering to the ground.

Then a new voice boomed down the corridor. “That’s enough!”

The doctor stood there, his expression thunderous. “If you don’t cut this out immediately, I’ll have security throw you both out. This is a hospital, not a boxing ring.”

Breathless, I froze. Justin shoved me once more for good measure before we both pulled apart, our chests heaving, our faces flushed.

The doctor looked between us like we were insolent children. Then he cleared his throat. “Miss Sabrina had a seizure. We’ve stabilized her and she’s resting now. We’ll need to run more tests to determine the cause, but for now she is out of immediate danger.”

My mother gasped with relief. My father muttered a prayer under his breath. Even Justin, for all his rage, sagged slightly at the news.

I exhaled, my shoulders loosening at last. “Can I see her?” I asked.

Justin’s head whipped toward me. “No. She’s my fiancée. I’ll see her. Not you.”

I clenched my fists again, but before I could respond, he leaned in close, his voice dripping venom. “You should worry about your dumb little roadside wife instead of my Sabrina.” With that, he turned sharply on his heel and stalked down the hall.

For a long moment, I stood rooted on the spot as my rage churned. Then, like a slap, realization struck me. 

Fuck! Louisa.

I pulled out my phone, intending to call my driver to pick her up, and froze when the screen lit with dozens of missed calls from the orphanage. Cold dread seized my stomach. I pressed redial instantly.

The moment the line connected, Sister Jacinta’s urgent voice answered. “Benedict? Finally! We’ve been trying to reach you. It’s Louisa… she suddenly collapsed. We had to rush her to the hospital.”

The ground vanished beneath me. My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned white. “Which hospital?” I demanded, my voice sharper than I had ever heard it. When she answered, I was already moving even though my chest was pounding.

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