BETROTHED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

Ryan’s POV

My fists are shaking with rage, my whole body trembling with fear and my heart is pounding hard inside of me.

My rage is because of Valerie. She was right about the poison. Not all she told me was unreal. The poison is real.

I am scared because my Mother is on the brink of death. She was already lying lifelessly and pale white on the floor of the third room when I got home to meet the empty mansion.

I didn’t bother to think much about the similarity of tonight’s incident with that of Valerie’s description of the morning she was involved in an accident.

I just carried my mom and rushed her here to the hospital. That fear and rage led me to call Valerie.

She is the only one I can call. Now I don’t know who to trust and who not to trust. I couldn’t bring myself to call my Dad even though I still don’t want to believe that he has a thing to do with this.

We can sort that out later. I just want mom to be fine first.

Guilt fills me at the thought of seeing Valerie again. This was the reason why we fought an hour ago and now I feel like the most stupid person ever.

The whole truth was right in front of me but I didn’t see it because I thought she wanted to get back at me for what reason?

I don’t even know. I just didn’t want to believe her, probably because it involved my Father and my sister.

How could I believe such a thing when it involves a whole lot of things about my family’s supposed secret and my doubts about my real paternity?

Why is this happening? Who is behind this? Is Valerie saying the whole truth? Should I trust her?

Before I can give it much thought, someone calls my name.

I look up to see her running in, still in the same dress as before. Her face is creased in worry and her eyes too, just like mine.

Unconsciously, I open my arms to embrace her. I open my arms so she could run into them and comfort me. To make me feel everything will be fine and good and everything will go back to normal.

This is what I need desperately. That normalcy. The one that existed before her accident.

She does not run into my arms. She stands in front of me, reluctant, acting as though something is holding her back from hugging me.

I want this so fucking much.

Her hug.

In just one hour, I miss her so much.

The thought of losing her makes it feel like my heart is being sliced with a knife and I am bleeding a lot from the cut.

I won’t let her go anywhere. She is going nowhere. We agreed to stay together till eternity. That was the vow we took and this issue shouldn’t cause a rift between us.

“What happened?” she demands with curiosity skating her expression, even though I already told her what happened over the phone.

I do not answer her.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

My need is still very much in existence. I want her.

I step forward towards her, then embrace her tightly as if my life depends on it.

Well, it does.

I am not just hugging her because I want to. I am doing this because I also feel sorry for what I did and said to her earlier.

Do I need to always speak up to express how I feel? I have always been so good at showing them, not by speaking up. And I hope she gets the message.

“Ryan, what happened? How did you find…”

“She called me”, I break up her conversation without disengaging from the hug.

As though knowing about my intention not to let her go, she pushes me backward to move away from the hug.

“She called you?” curiosity fills her expression as she asks me and I nod. “Then what happened?”

I want to brace myself up and tell her the similarities between today’s incident and that of hers which she experienced and I didn’t believe. But I can’t summon up the courage to tell her what I saw.

I can’t summon up the courage to tell her how my heart jumped into my chest when I saw the darkish stain on the glass cup and how I needed no soothsayer to tell me it was indeed the poison she spoke to me about.

I can’t tell her how I saw my mother sprawled lifeless on the floor with blood oozing out of her mouth and her face pale white.

I can’t tell her how scared I was as I scooped her up and ran all the way to the car. I can’t even tell her how little my hope is about her survival.

“Ryan…”, she taps me, jolting me back to reality.

“Mr. Lorenzo”, a familiar voice calls from behind and I whirl around to meet the doctor’s gaze.

I rush towards him, grabbing his two hands, my eyes not leaving his so I can read his expression and know if my Mother has survived this or not.

“My mom…”

“She is conscious now”, he points out with a smile and relief washes through me at the instance, my hands finally leaving him.

“Can I see her now?” I ask him when he isn’t saying anything else.

He nods. “But I need to see you afterward. Alone”, he mutters with another assuring smile before averting his smiling face to stare at Valerie who is right behind me.

“Ok” I only say with an intermittent nod, waiting for his direction to the room.

He asks one of the nurses who appears to take us to the room and we follow her in silence.

Now, I will know the truth.

I want to believe that Father isn’t responsible. He is capable of every other thing but definitely not this. Even if he does, Anita would never assist him in such an act.

She is our Mother.

My heart keeps hammering in my heart as we get to the room. I am desperate and anxious to hear from the horse’s mouth.

Whatever comes out of her will be nothing but the truth, I am sure of this. She can’t possibly deny it because he was her husband when she almost lost her life.

A nurse is hovering over her when we enter. Her head moves on the bed and I hurry over to hold her hands. “Mom.”

She turns to me and a weak smile spreads to her face. “Son.”

“How are you? How do you feel? Do you feel any pain?” I rush the questions at her in one breath, not bothered about giving her room to answer one at a time.

I need all the answers. And I have more questions too.

Before she can reply, I add. “Who did this?”

Shock runs through her. I can see it from her expression. Then it is suddenly replaced with confusion.

Valerie clears her throat, making mom shift her attention to her.

She opens her mouth to talk and I lean forward in anticipation. But then she closes her mouth again, the confusion still very much present as she gulps and opens her mouth again.

“Why am I here? What happened?” she demands from me and I gaze up at Valerie in amazement.

Does this mean she can’t remember what happened? She called me, how can she not know what happened in just a few minutes? It’s not up to two hours yet.

Is this why the doctor wants to see me?

Without hesitation, I rise and begin to make for the door so I can go and get answers from the doctor.

Mother is the victim here. She can’t possibly miss out on her assault. Her answers will supplement Valerie’s story and we can start our investigations immediately.

I am thinking Valerie will follow me but I realize I am alone when I am outside the room. I find myself strolling to the doctor’s office. Fortunately, there are no waiting patients, probably because it is already late so I knock on his door just in time for the door to be pulled open from behind.

“Hey.”

“She can’t remember a thing?” I say more like a question. This is why I am here anyway. I want to know why she isn’t remembering how she got here.

Is she doing this purpose to save someone from getting punished for their crimes?

The doctor isn’t saying anything but the smile on his face has vanished completely.

“Is this because of her ailment or is it the poison’s doing?” I ask again, pointing toward the direction I took on my way here.

With each passing second and the heavy silence, my interest grows as well as my rage.

“Say something, doctor…”

“I’m sorry to tell you this but your mother has no ailment as the records claimed. She is fine except for the damage of the poison which is why she can barely remember how she got here”, he explains but it takes a while for me to swallow and assimilate his words.

When it dawns on me that we have been living in deceit all along, I strain my ears so he can repeat what he said to be sure I did not hear wrong.

He repeats the same word as before and I can’t help but exclaim in total disbelief. “What?!”