Brielle stayed by Vivian’s side for what felt like hours, barely moving, her hand resting gently over the older woman’s frail fingers. The slow rise and fall of Vivian’s chest gave her a bit of peace, even if everything else in her life right now felt like it was spinning out of control.Eventually, she drifted off…giving in to the dizziness. Her head dropped a little, her body slumped into the chair, and her eyes gave in to the exhaustion she’d been ignoring all day. In a few minutes, she was fully asleep.James sat quietly on a chair behind her, his eyes watching her carefully despite the piercing eyes from the side of the room…Ethan. As soon as he saw her head fall on the bed, his senses kicked in. He stood quickly but carefully with the intention to help her get into a better position as he knew that if she stayed in the weird position for long, she would wake up with an ache all over her body.But, just as he stepped forward, the other person in the room who had been watching him
Brielle sat for a while, the silence making her stomach turn and finally decided that it was time to leave. She turned to leave the room when Ethan’s voice stopped her in her tracks.“Are you leaving the room now?” he asked quietly, not looking up from the side of the bed where he sat.She paused by the door, her hand resting on the knob. “I have work to do,” she replied, her tone calm but firm.For a second, Ethan looked like he wanted to protest, to ask her to stay, but the way she stood…..composed, unwilling to speak or even share the same breathing space with him … made him stop himself. He nodded without another word and looked back at Vivian, deciding not to push her any further.Brielle walked out without a glance.Two hours passed, and Brielle found herself finally done with the day’s work. In truth, there had been no night shift scheduled for her. She had simply said that earlier because she wanted an excuse to remain at the hospital and be close to Vivian. Maybe it was the g
Brielle furrowed her brows at Professor James, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. “What do you mean by that?” she asked cautiously, straightening her back and folding her arms.Professor James shifted where he stood, his fingers tucked loosely into his lab coat pockets. “I mean… I could pretend to be your boyfriend for a while,” he said, watching her reaction carefully to be sure he wasn’t saying anything that would upset her.“Just until Ethan gets the message and stops showing up, acting like he still has some kind of claim over you.” He added.Brielle blinked slowly, as if trying to process his words. “You want to fake-date me?”“I mean, not in a weird way,” James clarified quickly, raising both hands. “You wouldn’t owe me anything. I just figured it could help push him away if he sees you’re with someone else. Especially if that someone is me. We both know he doesn’t like me.” He said jokingly.Brielle let out a half-laugh, both surprised and amused by his idea. “James, I appreciate
“Good. Let’s keep it that way for now.” Ethan said.Brielle turned to him sharply, her eyes widening in disapproval. “Absolutely not, Ethan. We are not having that conversation again. I already made up my mind. I’m seeing this through this time around.” She asserted with a serious look.“She was in an accident, Brielle. Do you not want her to recover at all? Hearing this news in her current state could make things worse.” He explained further, hoping to change her mind.“For the love of God, Ethan.” She sighed, shutting her eyes in frustration. “We have been divorced for almost two months now and your parents have been in the dark. I have kept quiet about it because of Vivian but I can’t do that forever. She will find out eventually and the more it drags on, the more hurtful it’ll be for her when she hears it.” She said calmly, maintaining eye contact with him to show how serious she was.“I’m sorry, Ethan but I’m going to be putting myself first from now on, not Vivian, not your fami
“Mrs Rayne got into an accident.”Brielle felt air being sucked out of her lungs as soon as the words left Dr Lorey’s mouth. Her eyes widened as fear crept in immediately.“W-what? An accident?” She whispered, her heart still racing. “That’s not possible. I was with her a few hours ago.” She shook her head, hoping Dr Lorey would tell her that it was just a joke.“Oh dear. She’s in here right now. Come see for yourself.” Dr Lorey answered hurriedly and turned to enter the room.Brielle stayed rooted in her position for a few seconds, thinking about what could have happened and why it had to happen to Vivian. Then, with a deep breath, she took a step forward and entered the room.Nothing could have prepared her for the sight before her.“Oh my God!” Brielle almost screamed, her hands rising to cover her mouth.Vivian lay motionless on the bed, various tubes connected to her, and her head wrapped in a bandage but the blood stains were still visible. Beside her was her husband, Raymond, A
“We’re divorced…Ethan and I,” Brielle whispered. “What was that, dear? I don’t think I heard you.” Vivian leaned forward with a curious face but just as Brielle opened her mouth to speak clearly, a call came through. Startled by the vibration from her legs, Vivian jerked. “Oh!” She laughed when she realized it was just her phone. “Give me a moment, my dear. I must take this.” She told Brielle once she saw that it was Raymond on the call. Brielle nodded, telling herself that she would continue after Vivian’s call. “What? Is it bad?” Vivian suddenly said, panicking. “Oh dear. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She said hurriedly and ended the call quickly. She stood with an apologetic look, grabbing her purse. “I’m so sorry, Brielle but, Raymond needs me at the house. I’ll give you a call once I finish with him and we can reschedule, okay?” She pleaded. Brielle’s shoulder slouched, her expression saddening. “Mother—” She stood, hoping to speak before she left. “I’m really