Chapter 17
1499 Words
Elysia opened her eyes to the morning sunlight streaming through the open curtains, swaying gently in the breeze.
She slowly sat up.
The doctor had told them the previous day that she would be discharged today.
Her mother and Jade had insisted on staying the night, but after Kai assured them he'd take care of her, they had left without much argument.
Jade, of course, had flashed her that ridiculous heart-eyes look before walking out the door.
A small yawn escaped Elysia as her gaze drifted to Kai.
He was still asleep.
Even in sleep, his brows were furrowed, as though something weighed heavily on his mind.
He had spent the entire night making sure she was comfortable, barely closing his own eyes.
He was slumped in the chair beside her bed, one elbow resting on the mattress while his head leaned against his forearm.
She reached out and gently smoothed the crease between his brows.
He stirred lightly, his hand instinctively catching her wrist.
His eyes opened a fraction. For a second, he looked disoriented.
Then his gaze settled on Elysia.
"You're awake."
The sleep vanished from his face almost instantly.
He straightened in the chair.
"How are you feeling?"
Elysia smiled.
"You look like you slept worse than I did."
Kai didn't smile back. He ignored the teasing.
The door opened gently, and the doctor walked in, a clipboard tucked under one arm.
“Good morning,” he said with a warm smile. “I see you're doing much better.”
They both turned toward him.
“I am. Thank you, Doctor,” Elysia replied with a smile.
The doctor nodded as the nurse entered behind him carrying a tray of medicine and a syringe.
“We'll give you one last injection before you're discharged today,” he said. “It's for both you and the baby.”
Elysia instinctively rested a hand over her stomach.
“O-Okay...” Elysia stammered.
She glanced at Kai, then back at the doctor.
Her eyes were already filled with a childish kind of fear.
A small smile finally tugged at Kai's lips.
He knew exactly what that look meant.
Elysia had been terrified of injections since childhood.
Even now, all these years later, she still hadn't outgrown that fear.
As the doctor prepared the injection, Elysia instinctively reached out and grabbed Kai's hand.
He didn't hesitate. His fingers closed gently around hers in reassurance.
The doctor walked over to her bedside.
“Don't worry. It won't hurt a bit,” he said with a chuckle.
He lifted the sleeve of her hospital gown, swabbed her upper arm with an alcohol pad, then positioned the syringe.
“Just a little pinch.”
The needle slipped beneath her skin.
Elysia squeezed Kai's hand tightly and shut her eyes.
The doctor slowly pressed the plunger, emptied the medication, then withdrew the needle in one smooth motion.
The doctor immediately pressed a small cotton ball against the spot before placing a bandage over it.
“All done,” he said with a smile.
Elysia slowly opened one eye.
“That's it?”
The doctor laughed. “That's it.”
She let out the breath she'd been holding and finally released Kai's hand.
“See?” Kai teased softly. “You survived.”
Elysia shot him a look.
“Barely.”
Both Kai and the doctor chuckled.
Just then, the door swung open.
“Ta-da!”
Jade marched into the room carrying a large picnic basket above her head, swaying her hips in an exaggerated little victory dance.
“I thought you deserved some homemade favourites before you escaped this nightmare,” she announced, gesturing dramatically at the hospital around them.
“I assure you, Miss Carter, it's worse than a nightmare,” the doctor said as he turned toward the door.
Elysia raised a brow.
Why did Doctor Kenzo sound so casual with Jade?
That was suspicious.
The doctor walked past Jade with an easy smile before leaving the room.
Elysia's gaze slowly shifted back to her friend.
“Oh?” she teased. “What's going on? You're blushing.”
Jade scoffed.
“Says the girl who needed to hold a hunk's hand just to survive one tiny injection.”
Jade pulled a spare chair over to the other side of Elysia's bed.
She sat down and began unpacking the basket she'd brought with her.
“I brought honey cakes,” she announced proudly.
She placed the small box on the overbed table.
Elysia's eyes lit up.
“I love honey cakes!”
Kai made a quiet mental note of that.
There were still so many little things about Elysia he didn't know. He knew some of her favourite foods, a few of the brands she liked, but there was still so much left to learn.
Jade continued taking out one container after another, filling the overbed table until the aroma of homemade food drifted through the room.
Cooking had always been her thing.
Elysia had happily volunteered herself as the official taste tester years ago, and somehow the arrangement had never changed.
They were the perfect duo.
Jade cooked.
Elysia ate.
Elysia knew Jade had always dreamed of attending culinary school and becoming a renowned chef.
Life had simply taken her down a different path.
For now.
“Here... I remember you used to love my vodka seafood pasta,” Jade said, handing Kai a plate.
He accepted it and glanced down at the pasta, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Childhood memories surfaced almost immediately.
He still remembered the day Jade had cornered him outside school and warned him to stay away from her best friend.
She had threatened to beat him up if he ever made Elysia cry or tried to steal her away.
Back then, Jade's family had lived a few houses down from the St. Laurent residence.
Her father owned a small Italian café that doubled as a family restaurant, and whenever school ended, the three of them somehow always found themselves there.
Jade's mother always served him the vodka seafood pasta.
It had been one of the most expensive dishes on the menu, yet she never let him pay for it.
The restaurant itself wasn't big, but it was warm and inviting.
The three of them had spent one entire summer decorating a section of the walls with crafts they made during art class.
Over the years, it became the café's little signature corner.
Couples loved taking pictures there before posting them on social media.
Then everything changed.
After Jade's father died in a tragic hit-and-run while walking home one evening, the family simply couldn't keep the restaurant running.
A few months later, they were forced to close its doors.
“Thank you,” Kai said quietly.
“Ugh,” Jade grumbled, waving off Kai's thanks.
It wasn't that she disliked him.
It just felt... strange.
This was the same boy she had once cornered and threatened because she'd been convinced he was going to steal Elysia away from her.
Life had changed so much since then.
Each of them had endured their own share of tragedy.
But Kai...
He had lost the most.
He had practically grown up in the St. Laurent household.
His mother had died when he was still young, and years later, his father disappeared without a trace.
Weeks after the search began, the police concluded that he had most likely taken his own life by drowning.
“Hospitals are so boring,” Jade muttered.
Right on cue, Doctor Kenzo returned with the discharge papers.
Kai took them from him without hesitation and quickly signed where he was instructed.
Meanwhile, Jade picked up the TV remote and switched the television on more for background noise than anything else.
She barely spared it a glance as she began packing Elysia's belongings.
There wasn't much.
A few toiletries. The clothes she'd been wearing when Kai brought her to the hospital..
The television droned on in the background, cycling through the morning program.
Then the screen abruptly changed.
A sharp jingle cut through the room.
"We interrupt this program for a breaking news update."
None of them paid much attention.
Kai was helping Elysia into her cardigan while Jade folded the last of her clothes.
Then the reporter spoke again.
"Authorities have confirmed that the fire at the Windsor residence is now being treated as a case of suspected arson..."
Jade stopped folding the clothes.
Kai slowly turned toward the television.
Elysia frowned.
The reporter continued.
"Meanwhile, police are still searching for the missing daughter-in-law of the Windsor family, Mrs. Elysia Windsor."
Elysia's heartbeat skipped.
The screen changed to her photograph.
The room fell silent.
"...The Windsor family has announced a substantial reward for anyone with information leading to Elysia Windsor's whereabouts."
Kai and Jade exchanged a look while Elysia stared at her own face on the television. Kai's jaw tightened.
A reward meant greed. Greed made people talk.
And secrets... rarely stayed buried for long.
- Writer
