Chapter 2

Clara’s POV 

The first thing that came to me was the beeping. 

It was steady and relentless. A sound I didn’t recognise fully until my eyes opened to the harsh light from the fluorescent bulb. 

I blinked my eyes, trying to accommodate the light and at the same time trying to move my body. 

A groan escaped my lips as a sharp pain shot through my back. For some reason I felt numb, unable to feel my lower abdomen. 

The place wasn’t strange, as it was very obvious I was in a hospital.

Closing my eyes again, I could see flashes of images from the accident flickering in my mind, which stopped when the door opened. 

I opened my eyes to find a nurse walking into the room, her lips curved into a warm smile when she noticed I was awake. 

 “You’re awake,” she whispered softly. 

My lips parted in an attempt to speak, but my mouth felt heavy. “What happened?” I managed to say faintly, feeling the dryness in my throat. 

She stepped forward and brushed my hair backwards. “You don’t have to worry about anything. Let me get the doctor,” she said before turning back for the door. 

When the door closed behind me, I exhaled softly, still trying to cope with the pain around my back. 

After some minutes, it opens again, this time she is accompanied by the door alongside Ethan, who was Damon’s twin. 

The two looked so alike it was nearly impossible to differentiate between them. The only thing that helped was the mole at the side of Ethan’s jaw.  

Ethan came to my side, taking my hands into his while the doctor went ahead to check my pulse and heart rate. 

“Is everything alright?” I asked, looking up at Ethan, his expression unreadable. “Where is Damon?”

He frowned, but it didn’t last. “Worry more about yourself, Aria. Not over someone who hasn't stepped into this hospital since you got admitted.”

I felt disappointed, but I wasn’t surprised that Damon would hate me that much.

“You need to calm down, Mrs Adams. You have been in a coma for a month, and you need to get some rest,” the doctor said firmly, his concern palpable. 

My pulse quickened as I exhaled a shaky breath. I had been in a coma for a whole month, yet Damone didn’t even care to come visit me. 

The doctor cleared his throat as he finished with his assessment. “Hope you’re feeling fine, Aria?” he asked, placing his stethoscope around his neck. 

I nodded. “I just feel a bit numb. Besides that, I’m alright.”

He shoved hands into his pocket, taking a deep breath. “The accident was actually a major one,” he started softly. “But, you’re lucky you were able to survive, unlike the other victim that lost his life instantly.” 

My chest tightened at his words, my hand pressing over my mouth in shock. 

The doctor stepped closer, his tone low. “I have both good and bad news for you, Clara.” 

I stared at him, my throat dry, unsure of which I wanted to hear first. 

“The good news,” he said with a faint smile that didn’t meet his eyes. “You’re expecting a baby, and you’re in the sixth week already.” 

For a moment, my lips curled into a smile, my hand moving instinctively to my tummy. “So finally after five years, I was going to be a mother,” I said softly, but more to myself. 

“The bad news,” the doctor's voice cut through the excitement. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to walk again. The accident damaged the nerve controlling movement in your lower body.” 

My heart almost ripped out of my chest as his words echoed in my mind. “What are you saying, doctor?” I questioned, my voice trembling. 

He ran a hand across his face; Ethan, on the other hand, held onto my hand, asking me to stay calm. 

“I’m sorry, Aria,” he voiced again. “But there’s a small chance it might improve with time and therapy, though it’s very rare. Only about one in a hundred recover fully.”

“No! That can’t be true,” I snapped, gripping the bed tightly and trying to move my legs, but they didn’t respond. 

Tears slowly ran down my cheeks as I sobbed quietly. Ethan, on the other hand, kept telling me everything would be fine, but I knew too well it wouldn’t.

He did try his best to console me after the doctor left, but no matter what he said, nothing could fill the emptiness I felt. 

***

I got discharged the next day, even after the doctor insisted I needed more rest before going home.

I refused to stay any longer, and Ethan supported me. He went down to get the car ready while I finished my final checkups.

The drive back home was silent and tense, but even with the pain I felt, I was grateful to Ethan for staying by my side throughout my stay in the hospital. 

He might have looked like Damon, but they were two different people. 

For Damon, I only wondered when his love for me had turned into so much hatred that he would choose not to visit me at the hospital.

He had shown me where I stood in his life, and it was now up to me to decide if I wanted to continue with this marriage or not.

After a long ride, Ethan finally pulled over in the driveway and quickly went to the trunk to get my wheelchair.

He helped me sit and then pushed me towards the door. The moment we entered the living room, my eyes narrowed in shock as I met Damon and my sister, Camilla, curled up with each other, watching TV. 

I felt like screaming when Camilla kissed him on the cheek, the mere sight of them making my blood boil. Was she the one he was with the previous night?

Unable to hold it in any longer, I spoke up. “What’s happening here?” I demanded, my voice laced with anger.