I Married My Billionaire Ex

9

LEXI'S POV

James is in a coma. I asked Savina not to leave the hospital until the doctor came out of the emergency room. I waited in her car while she went back inside to get an update.

After almost half an hour, she returned to tell me what happened. She was about to take me home, but I refused. And now, I am here, outside the hospital, alone and waiting. I really want to see James, but I haven't seen his parents come out yet, so I can't go inside. Knowing them, they wouldn't allow me to see their son. They were blaming me for what happened to their only son, so I quite understand them.

I saw Papa leave, and I was sure they'd already gone home. He was trying to call me, but I turned off my phone. I don’t want to talk to Papa right now.

I quietly cry here on the side of the hospital when someone suddenly hands me a clean handkerchief. When I looked up, I was momentarily stunned.

"Grey," I muttered softly.

He sat next to me and gently wiped away my tears. I felt awkward about what he was doing, so I quickly grabbed the handkerchief from him.

"That's why I couldn't sleep. You're out here, suffering in the cold while crying," he said seriously.

He took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

"You don't have to do this, Grey," was all I could say.

"This is the least I can do, Lexi."

I bitterly smiled. "They blame me for what happened to James. And now, he's in a coma. I really want to see him, but I know they won't allow me."

I don't know why I was telling Chase all of this. I should be pushing him away by now. But somehow, I found myself crying in front of him.

"I can help you, Lex."

I furrowed my brows. I don’t know what kind of charm Chase has. He was able to talk to the nurse on duty at the hospital with ease. James' parents had already left, so we were able to enter the hospital. The nurse allowed us to quickly visit James' room.

I gasped and covered my mouth when I saw James. There were various tubes inserted in his body now. He had some cuts and bruises on his face and arms.

"The nurse said James suffered brain damage, which is why he is in a coma. He was driving fast, and the impact was too strong when he crashed into a stationary truck. There is no concrete date for when he will wake up. But as of now, he is safe," Chase explained, while I just stared at the unconscious James.

"I knew him. He never drove that fast," I said, crying.

I walked closer to James and gently held his hand.

"James, why did you do that? I'm angry at you because you fooled me. But I wish it never came to this," I whispered to him.

I turned my gaze to Chase when his phone rang. He looked at it but didn’t bother to answer.

"We need to go, Lexi," he said seriously.

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"I will explain later. Let's go."

He took my hand and gently pulled me out of James' room. I was puzzled when we went through the fire exit, but when I saw James' mother entering the room, I understood why Chase was in such a hurry.

"How do you know the hospital layout so well? And how did you know James' mother was coming?" I couldn’t help but ask as we descended the stairs.

"My grandmother stayed here for a long time, so I almost know the place by heart. I told the nurse to notify me when James' parents came back," Chase answered directly.

I nodded slowly. "So, you have a thing with the nurse?" I asked.

I wanted to pinch myself for asking about Chase's personal life, and there I was, already spilling out the words in my mind. And I couldn't take it back. I heard Chase's soft laugh, so I bit my lip.

"What did you think about that? The nurse is the one who took care of my grandmother before. We’ve known each other for quite a long time, but we’re not in a relationship," he replied.

"I was just asking," was all I could say.

We went straight to the parking lot. I expected that he’d be driving my car, but he wasn’t.

"I’ll drive you home," he said.

"Where is my car?" I asked instead.

"It’s at home. I didn’t use it because I didn’t have permission from you. I asked Chelsea for your number, but you weren't answering," he explained.

"Then how do you know I am still in the hospital?" I asked, confused.

"I just know," he replied briefly, shrugging.

"Let’s go to your house. I’ll just grab my car from there, then I’ll go home," I suggested.

I figured if I let him drop me off, Papa would be waiting. If that happened, he’d believe everything Shiela said. Too much had happened tonight, and I didn’t want more drama. And I won’t let Chase get dragged into this mess I’m in. He helped me a lot tonight and that is the least I can do, to keep him out of my mess.

"Can you manage to drive later?" he asked.

"Yeah. I’m calm now," I quickly answered.

Chase nodded and started driving. We were silent the entire trip. When we arrived at his house, I was a little amazed at how big it was. It was much larger than Papa’s house.

I also saw my car in their garage, so when he parked his car, I spoke up.

"Thank you, Grey," I said sincerely, extending my hand to get my car keys.

"Why don’t you go inside first? Maybe you want some coffee?" he asked seriously.

"Are you doing all of this, so I reconsider the help you’re asking from me? Grey, I have a lot of problems right now. I can’t give you the help you need," I said straightforwardly.

"Of course not. Lex, you know me. Once I’ve been turned down, I won’t insist anymore. You have my word, I won’t ask for your help again. But for this once, please don’t turn me down. Let’s have some coffee first before you go home."

I nodded and didn’t refuse. Aside from feeling cold, coffee is my weakness. Plus, I don’t think I’m ready to go home yet.

As we walked into his house, I looked around. It was very clean and minimalist. There weren’t many lights on, so I assumed the others were already asleep. It was already around eleven at night, so that was understandable.

We went straight to the kitchen. He sat me down at the counter while he started making coffee.

"Chelsea might be sleeping by now. And I apologize for her being a bit too persistent," he said, breaking the silence as he handed me a cup of coffee.

"I never thought you had a sister."

Back in high school, he never mentioned having a sister. I didn’t even meet his family at that time. Well, what else could I have expected? He wasn’t serious back then.

"She was desperate. She didn’t want the woman my dad was setting me up with," he changed the subject.

"I didn’t know arranged marriages were still a thing," I said, laughing.

"It’s not forced. The thing is, I don’t have a girlfriend yet, so my dad is pressuring me to go on blind dates with the women he’s been introducing me to," he answered.

I nodded. "So what’s your plan?"

He shrugged. "I still don’t really know. Actually, I met that girl and her family. But like Chelsea, I didn’t like her either."

"But wait, why don’t you have a girlfriend? I mean, you're a heartthrob, girls are all over you."

He smiled at me. "Since you broke up with me, I haven’t had a girlfriend until now."