002

Elvira’s POV

The cab driver stopped in front of the place Karisa drove into and it was my Father-in-law’s hotel. That was weird. If she wanted to meet her boyfriend at the hotel, then she would have used our Father’s hotel.

I paid the driver and came down from the car under the pouring rainfall and followed behind Karisa. The receptionist refused to let me through, they said it was orders from above but after so much pleading, the manager of the hotel gave me a spare key card.

“Whatever you are looking for is in that room,” She said gently and walked away.

I took the elevator, placed the keycard in the elevator and it took me straight to the VIP room. This place was only meant for the Jordan family. I was following Karisa, so why was I given this key card?

I was scared to open the door, I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t know what I would see or what I would hear.

I wanted to turn away but I wanted to save my marriage. I wanted to clear my doubts, so I placed the key card on the door, and it opened.

“Finally free from that nightmare you call a wife and I call a sister,” I heard Karisa’s voice from the inner room.

“How did you escape the madwoman?” My heart shattered when I heard Casper’s voice.

“Your wife?” Karisa laughed, “Magic of course.”

My heart shattered, the man I have given my all to just called me a madwoman. Maybe I was wrong. I managed to drag my shaking legs to the slightly open door.

Casper was sitting on the bed, his legs spread apart, while Karisa was standing in between his legs, “This dress looks better on you than on her.”

“Shall I take it off,” A drop of tears rolled down my face.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, never did I imagine I would see something like this in my lifetime.

“How is our baby doing,” Casper said as he lightly rubbed her tummy.

My breath seized and the word, “I can’t have wine,” suddenly made sense to me.

A wave of nausea hit me again, my chest was heavy, I couldn’t bear what I was seeing, and I turned and silently tiptoed out of the room when my big toe hit the chair.

“I think someone is in the room,” I heard Karisa’s voice.

“That’s impossible,” Casper said, “But I will go check.”

I wanted to scream in pain, but I couldn’t. I hurriedly ran and hid behind the chair. Praying and hoping he doesn’t come closer.

“Just let it be and come join me in bed.” Luckily, Karisa’s voice stopped him from taking any closer steps. “Our baby needs you.”

I used my dress to wipe the blood off the floor and silently leaped out of the living room in pain. I found the nearest bathroom and emptied my tummy.

I didn’t want to throw up but for some reason, I couldn’t stop, so I picked up some toilet paper and used it to wrap my injured toe.

In a situation like this, I would have called Karisa but what do I do now that Karisa was the one who put me in this situation?

I was about to call my mother. I knew she would be mean to me, but I just needed someone to listen to me cry. My phone rang before I could dial her number.

It was Akira’s nanny calling with a sense of urgency. I picked up the call, and all I could hear on the other end was the lady crying. Couldn’t this day be better?

The pain in my heart and my leg flew out the window as my daughter was the only person that came to mind, “What…. What… Why…. Where …. Is… where is my daughter?”

“The ambulance is taking her to the hospital,” The nanny sobbed louder.

Hospital? She was fine moments ago so what happened? I didn’t ask for the details, I asked for the name of the hospital and dashed out of the bathroom.

I handed the key to the manager and thanked her. I didn’t even care about the rain, I ran outside the building, got into a cab, and went straight to the hospital.

“Where…. Where is my baby?” I asked the nanny when I saw her standing in front of the ICU, “What happened to her?”

The nanny looked scared, her eyes were swollen, “Akira…. She… she had nuts.”

Everything came crashing down, I lost my balance but immediately rested my body on the wall so I wouldn’t fall, “How…. How is that possible?”

That was impossible. Akira was allergic to nuts, and everyone knew about it, even though she knew she couldn’t have them, so how did it get into her hand?

“I don’t know… when I found her she was barely breathing and there was a cupcake next to her,” The nanny cried, “I called out to everyone but they didn’t listen, I tried calling sir but he kept declining my calls, I gave her the injection and called the ambulance.”

Anger surged through my body. Casper didn’t pick up because he was with Karisa, and no one in that house could help. I knew they hated me but did they hate my daughter that much?

“How is my baby girl,” I asked the doctor I saw coming out of the ICU.

The doctor’s eyes softened, yet his tone remained professional, “She had a severe allergic reaction to nuts, and she was not attended to immediately. By the time help got to her, her airway had already started closing.”

My fingers curled into the fabric of my dress, hoping to hear some good news.

“There was a delay in oxygen reaching her brain,” he continued gently. “We were able to stabilize her, but the lack of oxygen has caused significant damage.”

My lips trembled. “W-what does that mean for my baby girl?”

He hesitated for a second before answering,

“She’s in a coma.”

I couldn’t even try to be strong, “Is… is my baby going to be okay?”

“We hope for the best,” The doctor tapped my shoulder politely, “Excuse me.”

The pain in my heart was too much, it was too much for me to bear, my husband and my sister are having an affair and my daughter, even the doctors aren’t certain about when she will open her eyes.

My heart was bleeding and all I could do was cry till I became weak. I moved Akira to a private room where I could be next to her, my heart broke with each machine

“Your Mother-in-law sent a dress for you,” One of the secretaries from the house said as he stood next to me with a dress in his hand and all I could do was look at them in disbelief.

“Inform her that I can’t attend father’s birthday party,” I said numbly.

The secretary dialed the house line, he spoke to my mother-in-law then put the phone on speaker, “You aren’t a doctor so even if you stay by your child’s side it wouldn’t change the outcome, so get ready and come welcome the guest and pick up a blue tie for your husband.”

Those words triggered me; my daughter was fighting for her life, and I was asked to come to a party. My so-called husband, who was supposed to be here with his daughter, is at his father’s party.

“I… can’t…. I want to stay….”

“Do you want me to freeze the account?” Again, I was reminded of my place. I was reminded that I was penniless, and I needed to be of good behavior for my child to get treated. “If you really love your daughter, then get yourself here in the next twenty minutes.”

“Akira is your grandchild,” Those were the words that came out of my mouth before she ended the call.

I felt nothing but anger in my body. I was tired, and I angrily snatched the dress and car key from the secretary.