Chapter 45
1216 Words
Mara's POV
Her eyes moved around the room, taking in the IV stand, the doctor’s bag still on the side table, the half-covered food tray. Everything. Only after she had seen it all did her gaze finally settle on me.
“Well,” she said lightly, tilting her head. “You gave everyone quite a scare.”
Her tone wasn’t warm. It wasn’t cold either. It was measured, like someone commenting on the weather.
I said nothing.
She walked closer then, stopping a few steps from the bed. Not close enough to touch, not far enough to seem distant. Her eyes flicked briefly to my bandaged wrist before she looked away.
“I’m glad you’re back. The family can’t afford any more instability.”
The words landed heavier than they should have.
“I’m recovering,” I managed to say.
“Yeah. I’m glad you’re alive,” she replied. Her lips curved slightly, as if she realized how that sounded. “Rest,” she added, almost as an afterthought. “You look like you need it.”
She didn’t wait for a response.
Andrea turned and walked out as calmly as she had entered, leaving the door clicking softly shut behind her.
The room felt colder after she left.
I thought Elias would come back after he left with the doctor, but he didn’t. Hours passed with me drifting in and out of sleep. I hated how boring everything felt, how still the world seemed. If I were stronger, if I were stable enough, I would have gone out just to escape the suffocating quiet
.
A soft, uncertain knock sounded at the door.
I opened my eyes just as Margaret entered slowly, searching the room with her gaze. She looked startled when she saw me, like she hadn’t expected me to be there at all.
I sat up, resting my back against the bed frame.
“Mr. Lawson said I should make sure you eat lunch,” she said, trying to place the tray on the table. It nearly slipped, and I rushed to steady it.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She bent immediately, apologizing. “I’m so sorry, Miss. I didn’t mean to. I was just surprised you’re back. Everyone thinks you’re still kidnapped.”
I let out a short laugh. “It’s fine, Margaret. I’m safe.”
She brought soup that I barely touched, tucked the blanket tighter around my shoulders, and told me to ring the bell if I needed anything.
I nodded. Smiled. Promised.
By evening, the house had grown quieter. I couldn’t stay in bed anymore. I slipped out from beneath the covers and padded toward the door, moving carefully. The staircase greeted me with soft light and polished stillness. I descended slowly, one step at a time.
That was when I saw Camille.
She stood near the terrace, her back partially turned to me, dressed impeccably as always. She turned at the sound of my steps and paused.
Her eyes widened just a fraction.
Then she smiled.
“Oh,” she said gently, as if surprised but pleased. “I didn’t know you were back. Everyone was very worried about your kidnapping.”
The warmth in her voice was almost convincing.
“I’m sorry for putting everyone in that situation,” I replied.
“You gave everyone quite a scare,” Camille said lightly, walking closer. Her eyes met mine. “I’m glad to see you on your feet.”
I nodded and shifted back instinctively. “I’m recovering,” I said.
There was a possibility she was involved in my kidnap. I needed to stay away for now.
“Yes,” she said smoothly. “That’s good. The family can’t afford any more instability.”
The same words Andrea had said.
“You should still be resting.”
“I just needed to move,” I replied. “I should go back upstairs.”
“Yes,” she agreed immediately. “That would be good.”
She turned toward the terrace.
I went back upstairs without lingering.
Inside my room, the quiet returned, thicker now. I closed the door and leaned against it for a moment before turning toward the bed.
That was when I noticed it.
My phone sat neatly on the bedside table.
I frowned and stepped closer. I hadn’t remembered having it with me. Elias must have kept it there. Slowly, I picked it up. The screen lit instantly.
Missed calls from Clara.
So many.
She must have been worried, calling for days.
I didn’t hesitate. I called her back.
She picked up immediately.
“Mara?” Her voice broke. “Oh my God, Mara. Is that you?”
“It’s me,” I whispered. “I’m okay.”
There was a sharp inhale, followed by a sob she didn’t try to hide. “I saw it on the news,” Clara said quickly. “I saw your name and I lost it. I almost called David. I didn’t know what to do.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You were kidnapped,” she snapped softly. “You don’t get to apologize.”
A small, shaky smile tugged at my lips. “I’m home now,” I added. “All thanks to Elias. He saved me.”
There was a pause.
“Elias?” she repeated.
“Yes.”
Another pause, longer this time.
“So let me get this straight,” Clara said carefully. “The same man who humiliated you at the company? The same man who pretended you didn’t exist is now playing hero?”
“He saved me,” I said quietly.
“That doesn’t erase everything he did to you.”
“I know,” I replied. “But he’s different now.”
She didn’t answer immediately.
“You’re defending him,” she said slowly.
“I’m just saying what I see.”
“What you feel, you mean.”
I closed my eyes.
I don’t know what I feel, and that scares me more than anything else.
“Mara,” Clara sighed. “Be careful. Men don’t change overnight.”
“I know.”
We talked a little longer. By the time we hung up, exhaustion settled deep into my bones. I stared at the chair he had sat on the previous night.
I was waiting for him.
Every sound in the hallway made my heart jump. Every minute stretched longer than the last. I wondered if Amira was still at the company. If she was the reason he hadn’t returned yet.
The thought shouldn’t have bothered me.
But it did, and I needed to stop thinking this way. These same feelings had almost cost me my life.
Eventually, exhaustion won. Sleep pulled me under gently this time. I didn’t know how long I had been asleep when I felt it.
A touch.
Warm. Slow. Careful.
Fingers brushed through my hair, smoothing it back from my face. A thumb traced my cheek softly, like whoever it was was afraid I might disappear.
I smiled faintly, still half-asleep. “Elias,” I murmured.
My eyes opened slowly.
The smile froze.
It wasn’t Elias.
David stood beside the bed.
His hand dropped immediately when he saw my expression change.
- Writer
