6:31 PM Sat 4 Oct
79
42% O
+35 BONUS
79
CHAPTER 79
ANNA’S POV
I opened my eyes slowly, blinking against the bright hospital lights as I tried to figure out where I was. My head
felt heavy, my body sore all over, and when my vision cleared, I saw Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa all
gathered around me. And then…
“Big bro… you came back!” I breathed out, my voice shaky but full of happiness, because I hadn’t seen him in so
many years, not since the day he left for school.
The last memory I could piece together was Mom trying to call him with the big news that I’d been admitted
into his school, her voice full of excitement while I could barely stay still from how happy I was. But his calls
hadn’t gone through, and I had thought maybe he was just too busy with the company in Nivelle that Mom said
he was running now. And yet, here he was, right here, holding my hand so tenderly, almost too intimately.
“Huh?” Ryan’s eyes widened at my words, shock flashing across his face as if he hadn’t expected me to call
him that. His hand was still wrapped around mine, warm and steady, but my heart skipped uncomfortably and I quickly pulled away, glancing around to be sure Mom and Dad hadn’t noticed. When I looked back at him, his eyes were still on me, strange, intense, far too heavy for the way a brother should be looking at his sister.
I tried to sit up, but the sharp pain that shot through my body made me cry out, “Ouch!” My hand instinctively
reached up to my head, and that’s when I felt the bandage wrapped tightly around it. I froze, realizing not only
was my head bandaged but my whole body ached terribly, like I had been hit by something hard.
“What happened to me?” I asked weakly, still trying to process why I was in a hospital bed.
“Baby…” Ryan’s voice was soft but strange, sending shivers down my spine. Baby? Since when did he start calling me that? The last time I remembered, before he left for school, he always called me Anna. Just Anna. Nothing more. And wasn’t he supposed to have just returned? When had we gotten so close that he suddenly
used endearments like baby?
I frowned, feeling conscious under his gaze, but before I could say anything, he leaned forward and kissed the back of my hand. My eyes widened in shock as I pulled my hand away immediately.
“Ryan, what are you doing?” I whispered, panicked, though I was more confused than angry. Was he… confused? Had he misunderstood something?
1/4
6:31 PM Sat 4 Oct
79
42%
+35 BONUS
Then it hit me, the confession! The kiss! That one mistake I made before he left for school five years ago. I had confessed to him about my feelings, and in my excitement, I had kissed him. It had been
wrong, forbidden, something I thought he’d never take seriously, but what if he had taken it as a go–ahead all this time? What if he thought that was what I wanted? But… We hadn’t even spoken about it, hadn’t even addressed what happened, and here he was, acting like we were something more.
“My princess, how are you feeling?” Mom asked, her tone filled with concern.
“Mom…” I whispered, turning to her for some sort of explanation.
“Are you in pain?” Dad added, his voice gentle but worried.
Grandma and Grandpa leaned closer, their faces etched with deep concern. “Do you feel weak, Anna? Do you want water? Tell us what you need,” Grandma said quickly.
I blinked at them, my chest tightening. They all looked so worried, but I didn’t understand why. I tried to push myself up again, but the pain was too much, and I let out another sharp cry, clutching at my side.
“What happened to me? Why is there bandages all over my body?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“You fell,” Mom said softly, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Fell?” I repeated, confused.
Mom nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Yes, my princess. I’m so sorry.” Her voice cracked as she reached for me, but I shook my head, still trying to process everything.
The only fall I remembered was when I had jumped in excitement after hearing I had gotten admission into
Ryan’s school. Could that little harmless jump have caused this much damage? Bandages on my head and body, this much pain? That didn’t make sense.
“I don’t remember falling like that,” I muttered, my voice low.
Ryan’s hand brushed against mine again, holding it firmly even though I tried to pull away. His gaze burned
into me, so intense it made me feel naked under his stare. “Baby, you don’t remember what happened?” he asked quietly.
Again with that word.
Baby.
My heart was racing, my body heating in a way I didn’t want to admit.
2/4
6:31 PM Sat 4 Oct
79
+35 BONUS
“I remember,” I said quickly, trying to cover my confusion. “I got admission into your school, Ryan. Do you know? I got admission! Isn’t that amazing?” I forced a smile, expecting him to be proud of me.
He only smiled sadly, like my words pained him more than they made him happy. The room fell silent for a moment, all of them staring at me as if I had just said something wrong, as if I was missing something important. Their worried looks made my stomach twist. Why were they looking at me like that?
Dad suddenly stood, pulling his phone from his pocket. He stepped aside, speaking quietly into the phone while everyone else stayed around me.
Within minutes, the door opened, and Dr. Kellan entered, his face serious as he walked over. He examined me quickly, his hands checking my pulse, his eyes sharp as he studied my bandages, my expressions, the way I was responding. When he finally sighed, my heart skipped a beat.
“I’d like to speak to you,” he said, but his eyes weren’t on me. They were on Ryan.
Ryan looked at me, then at Mom and Dad, then back at Dr. Kellan. Slowly, he stood, his jaw tight, his hand reluctantly letting go of mine as he followed the doctor out. Mom and Dad followed too, leaving me with Grandma and Grandpa. The room suddenly felt colder, emptier, and I was left staring at the closed door, wondering what was going on.
Why did they all look at me like that? Why was Ryan acting so strange, calling me baby and kissing my hand like that? Why did Mom cry when she said I fell? And why did it feel like there was a huge part of the story I
wasn’t being told?
E
