3. His Mistress

Kiara paced back and forth outside the ICU, her fingers trembling as she dialed a number. 

Her daughter had stopped responding to treatment. 

The hole inside her heart was growing bigger. 

Dr. Crawford told her that the Specialist Doctor was out of town and his schedule was packed. It would take a miracle to have him come back as soon as possible, or maybe a strong connection.

She placed the phone to her ear. 

“Dad–”

“It is me, Dear.” Her stepmother answered the call instead. “Is everything alright? Why’re you calling your Dad at this time of the night?”

Kiara sniffled, her voice shaking as she explained, “Lily’s condition has worsened. We need Dad’s help to get the Specialist.”

“Oh, Dear. Unfortunately, your Dad is attending an important video meeting. But I’ll let him know as soon as he finishes.”

Her stepmother’s reply wasn’t so encouraging. 

Kiara didn’t drop her phone and she dialed her grandfather’s number next. 

“Grandpa, please help us. We’re losing Lily. We need a Specialist to perform surgery on her, but he’s out of town.”

Her grandfather yawned loudly. Her phone call must have woken him up from sleep. 

“You know I’m a weak old man, Kiara. Do you want me to die of a heart attack by calling me in the middle of the night because of this?” Her grandfather chidded softly. “What’s your husband doing? Isn’t he the most powerful man in town? He can get that done in a minute.”

Who knew what Killian was up to?

If he cared, he would have followed her. 

“Please, Grandpa. Just help…”

“Alright, alright. Give me a few minutes.” Her grandfather sighed, and Kiara waited hopefully. 

A few minutes later, he called her back and broke the news to her. “I just confirmed that someone has already invited the Specialist to the same hospital. Calm down, Child. Stop making random calls, especially at night. My great-granddaughter always survives.”

“Oh… thank you, Grandpa.” Kiara dropped her phone.

Was it Dr. Crawford who invited him over? Maybe the hospital found a way… and a fleeting thought also crossed her mind.

Was it Killian?

Kiara returned to the ICU where she found the nurses prepping her daughter for surgery. 

Lily’s eyes were half-closed, her lips moving as she tried to speak. 

Kiara had to go closer to hear her daughter whisper, “Mommy, it hurts… Where’s Daddy?”

Kiara’s thoughts went to Killian, her emotions threatening to take over. 

She pulled herself together and forced a smile. “Your Daddy’s on the way, Sweetie. Mommy’s confident that you can fight this. Please hang in there.”

Lily smiled faintly and waved at her as the nurses wheeled her out to the Operating Room. 

Kiara followed them. 

It hadn’t been a minute yet since they went inside when one nurse came out and told her,

“We can’t find the doctor, Mrs. Reid. But they notified us that he’s here already.”

Then another nurse came. 

“He has been temporarily assigned to treat another patient with a minor illness. Mrs. Reid, please follow me so we can convince the patient’s relative. We can’t delay Lily’s surgery.”

Kiara was stunned. Her dying child neglected for a minor illness. Wasn’t that heartless?

The nurse took her to a ward in the same VIP area where her daughter had been admitted. As they approached, Kiara’s apprehension grew. 

And when she saw the patient’s supposed relatives, a complex emotion hit her heart. 

Killian’s expression changed immediately when she appeared. He’d been sitting near the lady, but the moment he saw her, he stood up. 

Kiara’s heart trembled. She clenched her fists, fighting back her emotions. 

“What are you doing here?” He stood in front of her, blocking her as if to shield the lady. 

Kiara ignored him. She couldn’t waste time. 

Turning to the lady, she kept her voice low and polite. “Can you please borrow us Dr. Nelson? My daughter’s health is in a critical condition, and she needs immediate surgery.”

“Dr. Nelson is currently attending to my son.” The lady smiled. “Once he’s done, I’ll personally ask him to come over.”

It was as if she didn’t hear Kiara’s last words, so she repeated herself. “My daughter is dying, and only Dr. Nelson can save her.”

“Mrs. Reid, I understand, but my son also needs the best care.”

Kiara couldn’t believe her ears. She felt like screaming and crying at the same time. The fact that Killian was silent was what upset her the most.

“Ma’am, please…” She reached out, to hold the lady’s hand, to beg,

But Killian suddenly caught her wrist. “What do you think you’re doing? Lily has always pulled through the same condition. Don’t start it now, Kiara.”

Was begging to save her daughter’s life also making a scene?

How dare he interrupt her when all he did was stand like a statue?

“She’s your mistress, isn’t she?” Kiara demanded, unable to control herself anymore. “If not, who is she to you? Who is her son to you!?”

“You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgement.” Killian brushed her off. 

Was she jumping to conclusions now? Was he ever going to answer her questions?

Come to think of it, the lady looked a bit familiar although Kiara couldn't tell if they'd ever met before. 

Was Killian even the same man she fell in love with!?

“How can you be so heartless?”

Killian didn’t answer her. Instead, he sat back on the waiting chair beside the woman. 

Ten minutes passed by. 

Kiara had decided to wait for Dr. Nelson. For her daughter, she was willing to endure the pain of witnessing Killian dote on another woman.

When the lady sniffled and expressed her worries, Killian held her shoulders and comforted her. He even used his hankie to wipe her tears. 

Kiara’s anxiety reached its limit. 

The nurses stood nearby, but just like her, they could do nothing. 

“Young Lady, can you imagine if it were your son in the same condition?”

“You!” The lady’s eyes reddened. “Are you wishing bad luck for my son?”

“That’s insane.” Killian threw her a glare.

Kiara hadn’t meant that. She only wanted the lady to put herself in her shoes, but Killian was quick to take sides. 

He seemed so protective of her as if she mattered to him the most. Unable to bear it, she wanted to retort but the frantic voice of a nurse interrupted her. 

“Mrs. Reid, please follow me quickly!”

Kiara’s heart raced faster than her feet. This time, her fear was so raw that she could almost taste it. She came to a screeching halt outside the Operating Room.

Her heart dropped at the sight in front of her, her chest constricting with all kinds of negative emotions!

Kiara’s body hit the floor, trembling violently as the world spun around her. Her chest felt as if it had been crushed, and a hollow, screaming emptiness spread through her heart.

Soft voices surrounded her, hands trying to steady her, but she barely registered them. Her eyes flicked to the stretcher behind the nurse—and froze.

Lily lay there, pale and still, her tiny chest no longer rising or falling.

The nurse’s voice trembled. “Mrs. Reid… I’m so sorry. Despite everything, the surgery—she didn’t make it.”

The words struck Kiara like a thunderclap. No. It couldn’t be true.

She sank to her knees, clutching the cold hospital floor as if it could hold her together. Her tears blurred everything, but she could still see her daughter’s face. Her little girl, gone.

Gone.

A raw, heart-wrenching scream tore from her throat. “Lily! No! My baby!”

Her body shook uncontrollably as the reality hit her in waves. Her daughter was gone.

And Killian… her husband, he had not been there when it mattered most!