LOGINNicole’s POV“I’m surprised to see you,” Mrs Jasper said, and I was surprised that she managed to keep her words slightly polite. “You weren’t on the list, you know right?”For a second, I thought my knees would give way and my body already knew it. My shoulders tightened on their own, like my bones were bracing for impact.Nicole, don’t shake. Don’t give her that.“I… I’m not here to cause trouble, ma'am.” I answered quickly, words tumbling out before fear swallowed them. “I just— I heard of what happened. So, I just felt it was right to come see him. I wanted to see if he was—” My voice broke a little, and I swallowed. “If he’s okay.”I folded my hands, and I felt my fingers knotting together so I wouldn’t reach for anything stupid—like her approval.“It’s fine,” she said, and the way she said it didn’t sound fine at all. “His condition is actually critical and given the publicity, I felt that I should be careful with whom I permit in here and that was why I instructed that only Bia
Mrs. Jasper’s POVI had wanted to step out only for a moment after I got a quick call from my lawyer with regards to a check on a transfer since I already left the nurse with one instruction: ‘no visitors except Bianca and me, should be allowed to be here to see Brad.’ You know, I meant it with regards to Brad's present condition. When you’ve built a plan this particular, you don’t leave wiggle room for surprises.So when the nurse came in, breathless and apologetic, saying someone was at the hospital requesting to come see Brad, I paused. My first thought was Bianca, of course.“Is it Bianca?” I asked, already steering my voice to neutral.“No, ma’am,” the nurse said. She’d been leaning in, looking at me as if she was waiting for me to ask who the person was; I didn’t like the way she looked at me — like she expected me to be cross. I was, but composed. Anger has to be economical when you’re protecting something fragile.“Then tell them the instructions,” I said, sharp. “Only Bianca
Nicole’s POVWhile we still sat at the family lounge where the nurse had offered us to sit.The place felt too open and too closed at the same time. I kept shifting on the chair like maybe comfort was hiding somewhere beneath it. My knees bounced without permission, my fingers twisting into each other until they almost hurt. Mellisa noticed but said nothing. She always knew when words could be helpful and when they weren't really.People came and went — doctors with clipped gaits, relatives that came to see their wards with faces set like stone. Each time the automatic doors opened, something in me flinched, as if one of them might be the nurses finally telling us to go see Brad but each passing second I stayed there, it seemed like my thoughts and imaginations weren't helping matters.A man walked past crying quietly into his palms. Then, a woman argued in low tones on the phone. Afterwards, somewhere down the hallway, a monitor beeped in a steady rhythm that settled directly into my
Nicole's POVAfter a long search at the hospitals around the spot where Brad had the accident according to the news, we finally found a place that felt like the obvious choice. Of course, we weren't expecting it to be easy as the address wasn't public, but judging from the footage and how badly he'd been hurt and his personality, this looked like the kind of hospital they'd take him to; everywhere from the outside spelt luxury and professional without having to do much, like a five star hospital if there was anything like that. From the cab we saw uniformed security at the entrance. The driver stopped Mellisa and I stepped and just then, a guard walked up and asked the usual questions which were our names, who we were visiting, whether we had ID and the likes. He checked the visitor log, then his radio. The next guard asked one more thing, in that polite-but-firm way you get at places used to crises.“Do you have a contact number for the patient’s next of kin?” the second guard asked
Bianca’s POVMy phone buzzed, and there I was cursing whoever was trying to reach me because the last thing I ever imagined interrupting the movie I was watching was a call.Honestly, I’d just gotten to the good part… the part where the main character was finally about to expose her useless ex — and then my phone just started vibrating like it had a personal vendetta against me.I tried to ignore it at first, sinking deeper into the couch with my blanket pulled over my legs. I even stretched my foot out a little, trying to nudge the phone off the center table without actually touching it. But the stupid thing just kept ringing, loud and persistent, like it wanted to drag me into someone else’s drama.It rang the second time. Then the third time which I was already imagining it sounded all longer and even louder, as if the caller had personal ‘beef’ with my peace.I groaned, snatched it up, and answered without hiding my irritation.“Hello.” I said through gritted teeth, even though I
Nicole's POV“I think I will have to go to the hospital to see him. What do you think?” I said quietly through panicked lips.“You say what?! What did you just say right now or didn't I just hear well?” Mellisa’s voice jumped like someone had pulled a cord.“Yeah, I think it's the right thing to do. Or don't you think I should go to see him?” I tried to keep my voice level, but it came out thinner than I meant.“Nicole, this is the same guy that hurt your feelings in a way that nearly messed with your mental health which I could bet that you have been finding so hard to recover from or let's say barely recovering. And you are saying that you want to go back to him, are you sure you are in the right state of mind?” Her words were blunt and protective but then all I could sense was the old friend in her refusing to let me make a reckless move.“Mellisa, you are actually getting me wrong. I never said that I am going back to him. Of course, I can't even imagine that, but I am only saying







