Chapter 55 55
Lila had barely noticed the slow shift in her body, the mounting exhaustion that had been creeping up on her. It wasn’t just the sleepless nights or the stress; it was something deeper, something she couldn’t shake. She had been pushing herself...more than she should have. She hadn’t eaten properly in days. She hadn’t slept properly in weeks. But she still kept moving forward, because what choice did she have?
But the human body has its limits. And Lila’s was being tested. She had pushed herself too far. And now, it was catching up with her.
The dizzy spell hit first, a slow wave of nervousness that she tried to brush off. She had been sitting on the couch, staring blankly at her phone, scrolling aimlessly through work emails and texts she hadn’t had the energy to reply to. The weight on her chest was building, but it was something she had learned to ignore. Life had always demanded so much of her...always pulling her in a million directions. She hadn’t had time to stop, not even for herself. But this time, she couldn’t ignore it.
Her body betrayed her again, sending waves of nausea and dizziness so intense she thought she might lose consciousness right there. Her vision blurred, and she gripped the side of the couch for support, her breath coming in shallow gasps. The room spun around her, and before she knew it, the world went black.
The shrill sound of her phone’s alarm echoed through the dim room, snapping Lila back to reality. Her eyes flickered open, her head pounding. She tried to move, but her limbs felt like dead weight. Her phone was just out of reach, still buzzing with incoming messages. A few moments passed before she gathered the strength to pick it up.
The screen lit up with several missed calls and texts..each one more frantic than the last. Her eyes scanned them, hoping for something...anything..that would ease the tightness in her chest.
The last message that caught Lila’s attention was from her sister, Clara.
“Lila, how are you doing?”
Lila barely managed to reply, “I think I’m going to die any moment now.”
Not long after, Clara responded, “What’s wrong, Lila?”
A few seconds after Clara’s message was delivered, Lila typed back, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I just feel so nauseous.” Just then, Clara’s call came through.
“Hello? Hello?” There was no response from Lila.
Finally, Lila managed to answer, her voice trembling.
“Lila,” Clara said softly, “You need to rest. You’re exhausted.”
But Lila had no energy left to reach out to anyone, not even Clara, not when her head was spinning and her body refused to cooperate. She had pushed herself past the point of exhaustion, and now there was no way to outrun it.
Minutes passed. Her mind was foggy, but there was one thing she was certain of, she couldn’t stay there like this. Not alone. Not anymore.
A wave of panic crept up on her as she reached for her phone again; this time, it was only Damien that came to her mind to call or text. She immediately opened her message to start texting Damien. Damien, I’m not feeling well. I need help. Please. Call me.
She pressed send and patiently waited. And waited for his reply, But there was no reply. Not a single word from him. Nothing.
Her heart clenched painfully in her chest, but she didn’t have the energy to dwell on it. She just wanted to sleep. She just wanted the pain to stop.
Just then her phone buzzed, and she immediately took the phone to view the context of it, but it was Cosmote a great network disturbing their usual ways
But her phone buzzed again. She thought it was Damien and immediately took her phone to see, But The name on the screen wasn’t Damien’s. It was Clara.
Lila, are you okay? I’m coming over. I’m worried about you. Clara’s message was a lifeline, and it was all that Lila had left and all she wanted for now.
She managed to send a weak reply. I’m so tired, Clara. I can’t... I can’t do this anymore; I need you here, Clara, I need you, Clara.
Clara didn’t waste any time. Within minutes, Lila heard her friend’s voice outside the door. Clara was there, frantic as ever.
Lila barely had the strength to respond when Clara rushed inside.
“Oh my God, Lila! What the hell happened?” Clara’s voice was a mixture of concern and disbelief as she rushed to Lila’s side, helping her sit up.
“I’m fine,” Lila mumbled, though she knew it was a lie. She wasn’t fine, and she hadn’t been for days. She just didn’t have the energy to keep up the pretense anymore.
Clara’s eyes filled with concern as she took a long look at Lila. Her usually lively, radiant friend was pale, disheveled, and far too still. “You're not near anything; you’re anything but fine. You need to go to the hospital. This is beyond exhaustion. I’m not letting you stay here like this.”
Lila tried to shake her head, but it only made the dizziness worse. “No, Clara, I’m just... I’m fine. I just need to sleep.”
But Clara wasn’t buying it. “No, Lila. This isn’t just tiredness. You collapsed. This is serious. You’re going to the hospital.”Before Lila could protest further, Clara had already called for an ambulance.
It wasn’t long before Lila was lying in a sterile hospital bed, the beeping of the machines around her a constant reminder of how fragile she had become. She could barely keep her eyes open as the doctor came in to check on her. She didn’t care to listen to the details of her condition, she was too tired to process anything.
But she couldn’t ignore the deep, unshakable sense of betrayal gnawing at her. As she asked Clara to help her pass her phone, not so long after Lila's phone was in her hands, she was scrolling to see messages or calls, but amidst all the calls and texts, Damien. He hadn’t even responded to her message. She had begged him for help, for a sign that he still cared, but he hadn’t given her anything.
She couldn’t understand it. Had she done something wrong? Was she so insignificant to him now?
The sting of it all hit her harder than the exhaustion. And it made the pain in her chest deepen.
“Damien,” she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible. “Where are you?”
Meanwhile, Damien was far away, caught in the whirlwind of his business trip. It was supposed to be a simple trip..some important meetings and a few dinners with clients. But the weight of Lila’s text message had been eating at him ever since he saw it. He hadn't had time for himself to talk more on his phone. He’d been ignoring his phone, keeping himself busy, but something about the way she had worded it had triggered a feeling deep in his gut. He had known for days now that he should reach out to her, but he hadn’t, he hadn't had the time for that
Just then, he excused himself from whatever business he was doing, he took his phone outside with him, and When he finally opened his phone to check his messages, he saw the one from Clara.
Lila’s in the hospital. She collapsed. She’s not doing well, Damien. You need to come back. Now. Damien froze. His heart stopped for a second.
He had ignored it. He had pushed her away. And now... Now, she was in the hospital, and he wasn’t there.
The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. The regret flooded him instantly, followed by a rush of guilt so powerful he could barely breathe. He had been so damn focused on his issues, so obsessed with his pride and anger, that he had allowed her to fall apart. And now she was paying the price.
He couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t focus on the meetings anymore. He needed to get back to her.
Damien quickly texted Clara, a rush of panic in his fingers.
I will be on my way in a jiffy, just Keep me posted. I’ll be there soon.
He immediately went back to the conference room and started signing all The necessary papers; as he was signing the papers,he thought of how he was going to grab his things and rushed out of the hotel room, his mind clouded with worry. Lila needed him. He needed to be there for her. He didn’t know how he had let it get this far, but he was going to fix it and for all this to go well ,he had to concentrate on the papers he was signing.