Caught Between Two Hearts

CHAPTER FOUR

MAE

A persistent, rhythmic beep... beep... beep... of a heart monitor pulsed near my ear; throbbing painfully in sync with the blinding ache splitting through my skull.

I blinked several times before finally forcing my eyes open properly; bright lights blurred my vision while the sharp smell of antiseptic filled the air around me, and for several long seconds, my mind struggled desperately to understand where I was because everything felt distant, heavy, and painfully unreal.

Then suddenly, everything came rushing back; Miss Lemon firing me, the crowded street, deafening sound of tires screeching violently against the road, terrifying horn blaring, and people screaming. Hot tears rolled slowly down my cheeks while I lay there completely still;

I didn’t even need to look beneath the hospital blanket to know how badly my body had been damaged from the accident. The sharp ache stabbing beneath my ribs the second I tried moving slightly, and the medical equipment surrounding me to keep my body stabilized already told me enough.

Tears slid across my face, down my neck, and slowly soaked into the pillow beneath my head; my head pounded painfully…

“…my bag;” I whispered weakly after several seconds. A nurse who stood nearby, glanced toward me immediately.

“Miss?” Panic slowly crept into my chest.

“My sketches…” My voice trembled despite how weak I sounded; “Where are my sketches?”

The nurse quickly approached the bed. “Please relax; you just regained consciousness.”

“My sketches,” I repeated desperately.

The nurse tried calming me gently, “Miss, stress will only worsen your condition right now.”

She was interrupted, the moment the room door opened; slowly, I turned my head toward the entrance...

“Mae!” Mia’s voice cracked painfully through the room. Relief flooded her tear-stained face the second she saw my eyes open.

“Oh my God…” she sobbed while hurrying toward the bed,

“You scared me to death!” she cried softly,

“Mia…” My voice came out weak and broken. Her fingers tightened around mine like she was afraid I would disappear.

“I was so scared when the call came in…” Her voice trembled;

The nurse beside us smiled softly before quietly leaving the room, giving us privacy. For some minutes, Mia simply stared at me while tears continued sliding down her cheeks; then suddenly, anger flashed across her face.

“You could’ve died!” she snapped emotionally. “What were you even thinking?"

I looked away weakly. “I wasn’t paying attention…”

“Well, very typical of you whenever you’re drowned in your thoughts!”

"The driver said you just walked straight into traffic like your soul had already left your body!”

Despite everything, a tiny laugh escaped me. Mia can be very funny when narrating scenes; she wasn’t even sounding like she was told, but like she was present at the scene, with body expressions, which seemed like I reacted almost like that too.

Pain instantly shot through my ribs. “Don’t laugh!” Mia panicked immediately.

“The doctor said you fractured two ribs!”

My eyes widened slightly. “…two?”

“Yes, two!” she repeated dramatically while also pointing toward the cast wrapped around my wrist.

“And your arm was injured too... Mae, you looked horrifying when they brought you in!”

Fear slowly settled inside my chest... Hospital bills, medication, no job. Tears gathered in my eyes again almost instantly.

“I’m ruined,” I whispered brokenly. Mia’s expression softened immediately.

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am...” I said quietly still sobbing;

“I lost everything in one day.” Silence filled the room briefly…

Then Mia hesitated strangely. Something about her expression changed.

“Mae…” she said slowly.

Mia looked around briefly; She hesitated again;

“You had a parcel delivered to the atelier shortly before I got the emergency call,” she explained softly.

Confusion flickered across my face instantly. “A parcel?”

She nodded slowly. “Patrick Sterling sent it.”

I was confused; “…what?”

Mia immediately raised both hands, trying to calm me down. “Relax first,” she whispered carefully.

“Your current condition does not need dramatic reactions.” Still looking intrigued, I stared at her speechlessly while she reached into her handbag.

Then she carefully brought out a small designer envelope and placed it gently beside me on the bed.

“He said it was compensation;” she continued softly.

“For the dress Ella ruined during the gala.” I slowly turned my head toward the envelope while my heartbeat quickened painfully... “Patrick Sterling.”

Why would someone like him even care enough to do this? Men like Patrick Sterling lived in worlds filled with private jets, billion-dollar companies, tight schedules, and rapport with the high and mighty; so the idea of someone that powerful even remembering my existence felt completely unreal.

“To be honest, I’m just grateful I secured it before Miss Lemon noticed;” Mia muttered while folding her arms;

“Otherwise, she probably would’ve claimed it belonged to the atelier.”

Still stunned, I slowly reached toward the envelope with trembling fingers.

“…how much is inside?” Mia laughed sheepishly.

“Enough to make me question my entire career choice.” My brows furrowed weakly.

“Mae…” she whispered dramatically while leaning closer.

“That money can settle your hospital bills, buy your medications, and still leave enough for your rent.”

My breath caught immediately. Carefully, Mia opened the envelope for me before pulling out the contents. Then my eyes widened completely. A cheque rested inside beside a short handwritten note.

“For your damaged designs — Patrick Sterling.”

Still disbelieving, hot emotion rose unexpectedly into my chest; not because of the money, but because after the worst day of my life, after losing my job, my atelier, and almost my future in a single afternoon, someone had still looked at my work and considered it valuable enough to protect. As the cheque rested on my trembling palms, my heartbeat slowly quickened beneath the steady hospital silence. Patrick Sterling’s name stared back at me boldly from the handwritten note, and somehow, despite the pain crushing my body, a thought quietly settled into my chest…

“But why did he care at all?”