Chapter3
1284 Words
Rowena's POV
My eyelids fluttered open, my consciousness tugged awake by a sharp, throbbing pain. A low groan escaped my lips as I instinctively raised a trembling hand to my forehead, flinching at the tender spot. The ache was searing, as if my skull had been pried open by a jagged blade.
“Are you alright, madame?" A soft, feminine voice chimed in, cutting through the fog.
Blinking through the haze, my gaze focused on the nurse standing before me, a kind yet cautious expression on her face. For a moment, words escaped me as I took in the sterile white walls, the faint beeping of machines, and the sharp scent of antiseptic. Slowly, the pieces fell into place. The accident. The chaos. The screeching tires. My heart sank as the realisation hit—I was in the hospital.
“Where... where am I?" I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper, my mind struggling to keep up with the fragments of memory. The nurse offered a nervous, reassuring smile, but it did little to ease the knot of fear tightening in my chest.
“The hospital. You were brought in…”
“Where am I? What country or city?”
“New York.”
I heaved a sigh. Thankfully, I was still in the city. I feared that maybe the accident wasn't an accident but was planned by her, Godfrey, and his crazy mistress. From the look I was given that night and the way they looked at me, I had no doubt that maybe they had a hand in it.
Had they planned this? Did they mean for me to die in that crash, my body discarded somewhere far from the city, leaving no trace? It seemed too coincidental, too perfect for it to have been a mere accident. But then again, what if I was wrong? What if it had all been a tragic mistake?
I bit my lip, my mind at war with itself. Though Godfrey harboured no love for me anymore, I struggled to believe he could hate me to such an extreme. He had always been distant, but murder? It felt like a line even he wouldn't cross—or would he?
After all, he had plenty of reasons to want me gone. Our court marriage meant she was entitled to half of everything. Maybe that was enough to drive him over the edge, to rid himself of me once and for all, so he could keep his fortune intact.
“Are you okay?” The nurse asked, pulling me from my reverie. I nodded while offering a slight smile at the nurse.
“I am.”
“Do you have family members we could call to inform them? Any relatives?”
I hesitated, a bittersweet ache blooming in my chest. A part of me, deep and vulnerable, still longed for Godfrey to rush to my side, to take my hand in his like he used to.
I yearned for the days when his kisses were soft, filled with promises, and his words were laced with reassuring words that once made me believe he’d always be there for me. But I knew better now. Those days were gone, and any gesture of affection would feel as hollow as the space he’d left in my heart.
Even if he did show up, the idea of him playing the devoted husband in front of the nurse made my stomach turn. I couldn’t stand the thought of him pretending to care, all while knowing it was just a performance, a mask he wore for others to see. It would only deepen the betrayal I already felt. Besides, I doubted he’d even bother coming at all.
“Yes, I do. I have two friends that I’d like to inform.” I replied, and the nurse nodded with a smile; she turned around to leave after informing me that a phone would be brought to me soon. “Before you leave, I would like to know when I’d be discharged, and I’d like to know who brought me here.”
"I'm afraid that's not for me to disclose," the nurse said with a soft but firm tone, her apologetic smile barely masking the professional detachment. "But don’t worry, the doctor will be with you shortly. He’s currently in the middle of surgery." With that, she gave a nod and quietly left the ward, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Moments later, the door swung open again, this time accompanied by a flurry of footsteps.
"Oh my goodness, Rowena. How are you feeling?" Matilda, my closest friend, burst into the room, her voice thick with concern. I had barely managed to call her earlier, my voice shaky as she recounted the accident. I could still remember Matilda’s gasp on the other end of the line, followed by frantic assurances that she’d be there as soon as possible.
“You came.” I said as my eyes welled up with tears. Matilda walked towards me, wrapping her hand around me in an embrace.
“Of course I would,” Matilda said, as she patted me softly. “I care very much about you, you know.”
Trailing behind Matilda was her husband, a familiar face from Godfrey’s office. He offered a polite nod as he stepped forward, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers—white lilies and soft pink roses—clenched tightly in his hands, likely intended to brighten my room, or perhaps soften the mood. I forced a weak smile, grateful for the gesture, though my heart felt distant from it all.
“How are you doing, Rowena?” Josh asked, dropping the bouquet on a table while walking over with a smile. “Have you informed Godfrey about it? Where is he? I didn’t see him when I came.” He asked before tucking his hands into his pockets.
I wished he didn’t ask her that. Knowing how close Godfrey was with them, I didn’t want to paint him in a bad light before them, even though he deserved it. I bit my lips, thinking of the best way to break it to them.
The door swung open again, and this time, the doctor walked in. He had a smile on his face as soon as his eyes fell on me. “How are you feeling right now?”
“I feel fine.” Natalie replied, grateful that he had walked in right on time.
“What's wrong with her?” Matilda threw a question at him instead, while her husband excused himself to make a call outside.
“About that.” The smile on the doctor’s face faded as his eyes locked with mine. “Though we were able to save you, we unfortunately couldn’t save the foetus.”
I thought I heard wrong. Foetus? What the hell was he talking about? I assumed he was either playing a prank or maybe he was mistaking me for someone else.
There was absolutely no way I was pregnant. We had been unlucky so many times, and that was why my husband slowly fell out of love with me. Well, apart from my body too.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, still awed by the news. “What do you mean??” I propped her up against the bed frame.
“It seems you are not aware of it. I apologise that you had to find out this way.” The doctor apologised, a feeling of guilt weighing on him as he stared at me, who was already tearing up.
“How long?” I asked, my heart pounding as more tears streamed down my eyes.
“A month.”
- Writer
