CHAPTER FOUR: HOSPITAL NIGHTS
1527 Words
Rain poured endlessly against the hospital windows.
The city beyond Saint Aurelius Private Medical Center glowed beneath blurred lights while distant thunder echoed softly across the dark skyline. Inside Room 1907, the atmosphere remained painfully quiet except for the steady sound of medical machines.
Nina Castillo sat beside her father’s bed in silence.
Her eyes looked swollen from exhaustion.
Not that anyone noticed.
Nobody really noticed her anymore.
A cold cup of coffee rested untouched beside her while paperwork from the hospital lay scattered across the small table nearby. Bills. Medication reports. Specialist consultations. Private treatment extensions.
Numbers.
So many numbers.
Nina stared at them blankly before slowly setting the papers aside again.
Money was not the problem.
It never had been.
If the world discovered who her father truly was, entire governments would panic.
But secrecy mattered more than comfort now.
Her father insisted on it.
And Nina obeyed him.
Across the room, the weak voice of Alejandro Castillo broke the silence quietly.
“You haven’t slept.”
Nina immediately looked up.
“You should rest.”
Alejandro gave a faint tired smile.
“That sentence belongs to me.”
Despite his weakened state, his presence still carried weight. Even lying in a hospital bed, Alejandro Castillo felt like someone powerful enough to command entire rooms without raising his voice.
Nina stood slowly before adjusting his blanket carefully.
“How are you feeling?”
“Tired.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
Lately, that answer scared her more than anything.
She reached for the glass of water beside him.
“You need to drink something.”
Alejandro studied her quietly as she helped him carefully sit up.
“You went to the Sterling dinner.”
Nina paused slightly.
“Yes.”
“And?”
She forced herself to look calm.
“It was fine.”
Alejandro watched her face for several seconds.
Then he sighed softly.
“You lie badly when you’re hurt.”
Nina lowered her gaze instantly.
A painful silence settled between them.
She hated discussing Lucas lately.
Every conversation somehow made reality feel more unbearable.
Alejandro took a slow breath before speaking again.
“That family does not deserve you.”
Nina looked away toward the rain covered windows.
“It’s not about deserving.”
“No?”
His voice weakened slightly but remained sharp.
“You think I cannot see what is happening?”
Nina remained silent.
Because she knew he could.
Alejandro had spent his entire life studying people. Reading weakness. Predicting betrayal. Building power.
Nothing escaped his notice.
Especially not pain hidden inside his daughter’s eyes.
“He is becoming like his father,” Alejandro said quietly.
Nina immediately defended Lucas without thinking.
“He’s under pressure.”
Alejandro closed his eyes briefly.
“Power reveals character.”
Again.
Always that sentence.
Nina sat back down slowly beside the bed.
For a while, neither spoke.
The storm outside only grew louder.
Finally, Nina whispered softly:
“Maybe his mother is right.”
Alejandro’s eyes opened immediately.
“She is not.”
Nina forced a weak laugh.
“She said I don’t fit into their world.”
Anger flickered behind Alejandro’s tired expression.
“The Sterling family confuses wealth with superiority.”
Nina stared down at her hands quietly.
Maybe because they did not know the truth.
Maybe if Lucas understood who she really was, things would be different.
But the thought only made her feel worse immediately.
If Lucas only valued status now, then what would that say about his love for her?
Alejandro’s breathing suddenly became uneven again.
Nina instantly stood.
“Dad?”
She pressed the nurse call button quickly while helping him breathe slowly.
Within moments, nurses rushed into the room.
“Sir, try to relax.”
Nina stepped aside anxiously while doctors checked monitors and adjusted medication carefully.
Her heart pounded painfully against her chest.
Every time his condition worsened, fear consumed her completely.
Because despite all the power surrounding the Castillo name, none of it could guarantee more time.
After several tense minutes, the doctor finally turned toward Nina.
“He’s stable again.”
Relief nearly made her knees weak.
“Thank you.”
The older doctor gave her a sympathetic look.
“You should go home tonight.”
Nina shook her head immediately.
“I’m staying.”
“You need rest too.”
“I’m staying.”
The firmness in her voice ended the discussion.
Once the medical staff left again, silence slowly returned to the room.
Alejandro looked exhausted now.
More fragile than before.
Nina sat beside him quietly before reaching for his hand.
Her father’s fingers tightened weakly around hers.
“You remind me of your mother,” he whispered.
Pain crossed Nina’s expression instantly.
Isabella Castillo.
Even after all these years, hearing her mother mentioned still hurt.
“What was she really like?” Nina asked softly.
Alejandro’s expression changed.
For the first time that night, warmth softened his tired eyes.
“She was kind.”
Nina smiled faintly.
“You always say that first.”
“Because it mattered most.”
A quiet silence followed.
Then Alejandro continued softly.
“She hated the world I built.”
Nina blinked slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“She believed power corrupted people.”
His gaze drifted toward the rain outside.
“She wanted you far away from corporate greed. From violence. From the darkness surrounding families like ours.”
Nina listened quietly.
Alejandro rarely spoke about the past.
Especially not about Isabella.
“But after she died,” he whispered, “I realized kindness alone cannot protect people.”
Nina’s chest tightened.
The sadness in his voice felt unbearable.
She squeezed his hand gently.
“You protected me.”
Alejandro looked at her carefully.
“Not enough.”
The words unsettled her instantly.
Before she could ask what he meant, Alejandro suddenly coughed violently.
Nina quickly helped him sit forward.
Fear returned immediately.
When the coughing finally stopped, exhaustion covered his face completely.
“You need rest,” Nina whispered.
Alejandro leaned back weakly against the pillows.
For several moments, he simply stared at the ceiling quietly.
Then finally:
“If anything happens to me…”
Nina immediately shook her head.
“Don’t say that.”
“You must listen carefully.”
“No.”
Emotion cracked inside her voice unexpectedly.
“You’re not dying.”
Alejandro’s eyes softened painfully.
But he continued anyway.
“There are things hidden from you for a reason.”
Nina felt unease settle heavily inside her chest.
“What things?”
Alejandro studied her silently.
Then slowly said:
“The world knows nothing about Nina Castillo.”
Her breath caught slightly.
“You kept it that way.”
“Yes.”
His expression darkened faintly.
“Because once people discover who you are, they will either fear you… or try to use you.”
Nina frowned slightly.
“I don’t understand.”
“You will.”
His voice lowered weakly.
“One day, every person who underestimated you will regret it.”
Again that sentence.
Again that strange certainty.
Nina wanted answers.
But before she could ask more, Alejandro’s eyes slowly closed from exhaustion.
Within minutes, he had fallen asleep again.
The room became silent once more.
Nina sat beside him for a long time without moving.
The rain continued endlessly outside while the city lights flickered against the glass.
Eventually, her phone vibrated softly beside her.
Lucas.
For a second, hope rose instinctively inside her chest.
Maybe he missed her.
Maybe tonight he would sound like himself again.
Nina answered quietly.
“Hello?”
But Lucas sounded distracted immediately.
“Nina, where are you?”
“At the hospital.”
“Oh.”
Disappointment crossed his tone briefly.
Nina’s chest tightened.
“You sound busy,” she whispered.
“I’m with investors right now.”
Laughter echoed faintly in the background again.
Luxury.
Music.
Elite conversations.
A completely different world from hers.
Lucas sighed softly.
“You left dinner early.”
Nina stared at her sleeping father.
“Nobody wanted me there.”
Silence followed instantly.
Lucas rubbed his forehead on the other side of the call.
“You’re overthinking things.”
Nina closed her eyes slowly.
Overthinking.
That word hurt almost as much as the humiliation itself.
“She insulted me, Lucas.”
“She was speaking realistically.”
The moment those words left his mouth, something inside Nina went painfully still.
Not anger.
Not shock.
Just quiet heartbreak.
Because he agreed.
Maybe he always had.
Lucas exhaled quietly.
“Nina…”
But she interrupted softly.
“It’s late. You should focus on work.”
Another pause.
Then Lucas finally said:
“Fine. Get some rest.”
The line disconnected again.
Nina lowered the phone slowly.
For several seconds, she simply stared at the dark screen in silence.
Then finally, tears slipped quietly down her face.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just silent heartbreak inside a dark hospital room while the only person who truly loved her slept weakly beside her.
And for the first time in years, Nina began wondering what her life would look like if she stopped begging to be chosen.
- Writer
