I arrive at the hospital, my heart pounding with fear for Layla. I sprint towards the receptionist's desk, but then I see Kate. She's sitting in the waiting area, tears streaming down her face. "Kate," I whisper, my voice trembling.
She stands up and rushes towards me, wrapping her arms around me. I can feel her sobs shaking her body as she clings to me. "Bella," She whispers. I can feel my tears welling up as I realize that something terrible has happened. I just hope it’s not what I think it is."What happened? Is it Layla?" I ask, my voice shaking with fear.Kate pulls away from me, her eyes red and puffy. "Yes," She chokes out. "The doctor says we have to make the payment soon because she needs to be operated on urgently." She saysMy heart drops to my stomach as I realize how serious the situation is. "Or?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper."We might lose her."I feel a lump form in my throat as I try to process the information. "Did the doctor give any time limit?" I ask, my voice trembling.Kate shakes her head, her eyes filled with worry. "There’s not much time." She says"How much is it?" I ask trying to hold back the tears."A million." She responds, wiping her tearsI feel my heart pounding like a storm. I don’t have money for the operation, I barely even have enough money for her painkillers."I will arrange the money, she’s gonna be fine," I assure wrapping my arms around her.I have no idea where to start looking from but I can’t let anything happen to Layla. She’s all I have. She has to be fine, I will make sure it is that.I pull away from Kate, feeling a sense of desperation. I need to make a call. I quickly dial Matt's number, but he doesn't answer. I'm not surprised, he's always busy at work. I decide to send him a message to let him know what was going on before I call my boss's number.I take a deep breath before dialing my boss's number. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest as I wait for her to answer. When she finally picks up, I can hear the sound of her keyboard typing in the background."Hello," I say, trying to keep my voice steady"What do you want, Bella?" She grunts at me. My boss and I are not on good terms. I think she dislikes me because I take taking breaks and make mistakes but don’t blame me, I have a lot going on in my life and sometimes I lose focus and it only gets harder because I have I need to check on Layla especially when Kate isn’t there."I need your help, it’s really urgent," I tell her."Anna told me you left work without informing anyone." She says."Yes I know but it-""The counter was open, no one was there to attend to customers. All you had to do was just sign out so someone else would take the place." She says"I know. I know I should have said something before leaving but I have no choice. It’s about-""Layla?" She continues the sentence"Yes," I respond"How expected. You see Bella, I know your sister is struggling but you don’t have to keep using her as an excuse. I’m not falling for that anymore.""Please you have to understand, it’s really-""I don't want you to call me again," She interrupts, "And yes, you're fired." With that, she hangs up the phone.Tears well up in my eyes as I try to process what just happened. How am I going to pay for Layla's medical bills now? I need to think of something, anything to save her."Were you able to arrange it?" Kate asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.I shake my head. "No," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "But I will think of something." I say to her. My hopes are now on Matt, I hope he sees the message and calls me back immediately."Kate, thank you so much for being there for Layla." I say, my voice cracking as I wrap my arms around her."I will always be there," She replies, her voice full of warmth and affection. "Layla is my sister too."I pull out of the hug, feeling a slight wave of warmth. I don't know what I would do without Kate.Heading into Layla's hospital room, I take a deep breath before opening the door. The smell of antiseptic hit me as I see Layla laying on the bed, hooked up to machines that keep beeping and whirring. It reminds me of Dad, he was also in such a position before he passed away. It breaks my heart to see her like this. Tears begin to stream down my face but I wipe them off, I can't let myself fall apart now. I need to be strong for her.Sighing, I sit beside the chair next to her bed and hold her hand tightly as I use my thumb to caress her hand. "I'm here, Layla," I whisper, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not going anywhere."I sit there for quite a while not knowing what to say. I promised to protect them, I promised that things won’t be the same as Dad’s, and I promised her that she will be with me forever. I can’t things take her away from me. I can not do that. I hate to see her like this, I have to help her."You’re gonna be fine Layla. I promise you that." I kiss her forehead before stepping out of the room.I sit on the waiting chair as tears stream down my face. I’d die before I let anything happen to Layla. I look at my phone to see Matt hasn’t replied to my message. I think of another way to arrange the money but since I found none, I decide to ruin my life and save hers. I dial Jacob's number and as he picks up, I say "I’m ready to sign the contract.""Once you sign this, there is no going back." Jacob warns. Jacob came to the hospital quickly, arriving just five minutes after I called him. It was almost as if he was already on his way here."My sister is dying. I have no other choice." I say. Jacob lets out a deep sigh and hands me the pen. "You should sign here and there." He says, pointing to the areas on the document that need my signature.I take the pen, looking at the contract, my heart is pounding in my chest. Just two signatures and my life will flip. I don't know if I can do this. I only know that once I sign on this, I'm done. The Lycan will ruin my life, I just know it. And with all I've heard about him, I can feel my life crumbling down already. He's a monster, and I don't know how I'm going to survive living with him for 182 days. It’s gonna be a nightmare but at the same time, I can't let Layla suffer. She's been through enough, and I promised her that I’m not gonna let anything happen to her; I have to keep my pr
~BELLA’S POVI wake up to the ray of sunlight creeping through my window, groaning I turn around and cover my face with a pillow. I am beyond exhausted and I don’t even want to get started with how angry I am; mostly at myself. I still can not believe I went ahead with what Matt said and left Layla to spend the night alone at the hospital. I mean, she’s just thirteen years old, god knows how scared she will be when she wakes up and realizes I’m not there with her. She’s gonna freak out about it and she already has enough to deal with - her illness, the treatments, and now this. Oh my God, I’m such a bad sister, I shouldn’t have left her alone like that. I swear to god, if Layla freaks out about this, I won’t care what the doctors will say, I will stay with her all night whether it means sleeping on the waiting chairs or sleeping while standing, I’m just not gonna leave her alone. I sit up from bed with a sinking feeling in my chest. The guilt gnaws at me, amplifying the anger coursin
"How long is she gonna be unconscious?" I ask the nurse in charge of Layla."I don’t know but the main surgery will take place in two weeks so between does time she will be conscious."I release a heavy breath "She’s gonna be fine after the surgery, right?""Yes, she’s gonna." She responds I smile and turn my gaze back to Layla. Tugging a strand of hair behind her ear, I take her hand in mine. I can not wait for her to be fine, to finally be there with me. I miss her voice, her smile, her mischief; I miss everything."I love you, Layla, get well soon," I murmur as I use my thumb to caress her hand before I leave a peck on it. My attention is drawn to the nurse behind me when she speaks "Miss Bella." In response, I turn around and reply to the nurse "Please call me Bella." I insist"Umm…. Okay, could you please come with me for a minute, I need to speak with you privately. " She says, her tone is slightly somber, causing a flicker of unease to wash over me."Is everything okay?" I as
I stare at my reflection in the mirror, tilting my head to the side as I check myself out. I bit my bottom lip, wondering if the dress is okay or not. Austin picked out the dress for me and I kinda find it a little revealing. I am wearing a sleeveless black tulle gown with white flowers, sequins, appliqué, and a deep V-neck. The back is also open in the same style as the front, with a slit exposing my leg. I have never worn a dress like this before, normally it’s always cozy and baggy outfits for me but tonight’s outfit is just way different. I’m not really comfortable in it and not to mention I am wearing a heel with it. I have never worn heels before. Releasing a heavy breath, I look away from the mirror, considering if I should change into something else. I look through the rack checking each outfit trying to find something that I like. I notice a cute two-piece outfit that hung on a hanger together. It’s a long-sleeved top and a high-waisted, knee-length skirt. I grab the hanger
I arrive at the spot, the place where Matt and I are going to meet. We call it our spot because it’s a very special place, It’s where we had our very first date, shared our first kiss and we've spent countless hours here together.Climbing up the stairs to the rooftop of the tallest tower in town, I quickly glance behind me to make sure no one's following. Even though it's not allowed to come up here, Matt and I always manage to find a way up there to just take in the incredible view. I open the door to the rooftop and closed it immediately. Scanning my environment, I take off my hat and sunglasses. I had to wear those so no one recognizes me, now that I’m sort of married to the Lycan king, eyes are going to be on me and I can not afford anyone to see me here with Matt or worse let Austin know about it. It’s bad enough we just argued about my dress, I don’t want to have another argument with him. As I hear the familiar voice call my name from behind, a rush of relief washes over me.
Using the towel to gently rub my hair, I walk out of the bathroom feeling refreshed. I approach the mirror and as I reach for my hair dryer, my heart skips, and I flinch backward noticing a figure sitting on my couch. I turn around to have a clear view of the person; it’s Austin."What the hell are you doing here?" My voice comes out as more of a squeak than I intend. My hands clench around the soft fabric of my towel, my eyes keep darting down to make sure the towel is securely covering my naked body.Austin is sitting on the couch across the room with a coffee mug in his hand. He looks at me, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly but he didn’t say a word."Hello?" I wave my hand at him "Didn’t you hear me? I asked you why you are here?" I repeat, holding onto the towel tightly.Austin still, doesn’t say a word and he just sits there looking at me with his eyes raking every inch of my body making me even more uncomfortable than I already am. "Are you gonna talk or what?" I inqui
~ BELLA’S POV"Matt, I’m telling you it’s really hard," I say through the phone. Matt and I have been on call for over ten minutes and he has been insisting that I meet him but he has no idea how difficult it is to leave the house. "I can’t just be sneaking out all the time. I have to make sure the coaster is clear and no one is watching me." I tell him as I walk and stand by the window. I look through the window to take in the view. The road is shimmering in the heat of the midday sun. The sunlit skyscrapers piercing the hot, blue sky. I look at the guards standing by the gate, there are over five of them, all shirtless, with toned, sun-kissed skin. "It’s really hard to get out of here." I say "Ohh come on, I’m sure no one is watching you right now." Matt says "The sun is shining, and everyone’s eyes are wide open Matt and the guards…" I look at them as I continue to speak "They are everywhere. I can’t sneak right now.""Okay, but what about tonight?" He asks"I don't know," I s
I roll over the bed with a sleepy moan. I am having a wonderful dream that involves two undressed men, one of them looks like Matt and the other may or may not look like Austin, I don’t want to go deep into details. The men were all over me and I just couldn’t control myself, their bodies were heatedly against mine. I could feel every part of their body on mine. I let out a sleepy groan as I rolled over and lay on my stomach. My face is directly against the bed and a pillow is on top of my head. I have been out all night with Matt and honestly, it’s quite exhausting to sneak out past midnight and come back only a few hours before sunrise. Matt won’t understand how exhausting it is so basically I can not tell him that otherwise, he’s gonna think I’m coming up with a bunch of stupid excuses which clearly I am not. After my conversation on the phone with Matt yesterday, I knew I had to fulfill my promise and meet him today otherwise my relationship with him is gonna be over and I do no