OTHER OPTIONS

MILENA'S POV

The room felt too small. The ceiling fan kept making low whirring sounds as I sat at the edge of my bed, my fingers gripping the sheets tightly, my eyes wide open but my gaze distant.

It was 2:47 am but I couldn't sleep. Couldn't bring myself to close my eyes when I had a more serious situation on ground.

What was I going to do now?

I ran a hand through my hair, dragging it through the strands as though trying to use it to anchor myself. The hospital had no other match and i wasn't sure how long Theo had left exactly.

I sniffled silently as I stood up from the bed, my feet dragging against the floor as I walked over to the window of the hotel room, looking over the city's skyline as I wrapped a hand around myself.

Maybe I should cancel the deal in the morning and leave again. I don't think I wanted to stay here anymore because it would only tempt me to make the worst decision of my life ㅡGetting married to Damien Hale again.

The telephone rang and I frowned, wondering who was calling and a part of me felt paranoid that it was going to be Damien but instead, it was just Dora.

"Can I come over to your room? It's important" She said as soon as I picked up the call.

She had been my assistant from the very beginning but this was the first time she had called to see me in the dead of the night. "Yeah, okay" I muttered before hanging up.

A few minutes later, there was a sharp knock on the hotel room door and I shuffled over to the door and opened it, my eyes struggling to adjust to the bright lights of the hotel's hallway.

Dora was standing there, her hands wrapped around her frame. She was in a simple sweatpants and her hair was packed up in a messy bun. "Hey, you're awake" She smiled slightly at me.

She was staying in the room across me and I rubbed at my face, stepping aside and letting her come in. "It's quite late, why did you call and come knock?" My voice was quiet as I led her to sit.

She looked around the room before focusing on me again. "I knew you would be awake. I was right. I wanted to talk to you"

"Oh, I also wanted to talk to you" I leaned forward and grabbed the papers I had left on the table before I handed them to her. "That's the business proposal that we had with Mr Damien"

Dora collected it from me, her brows furrowed and her voice low in the large space. "Why are you giving me this? You haven't signed it" she looked at me in confusion.

"I dont plan on. We should just cancel this proposal because there's no use" I was saying when she cut me off.

"Isn't Mr Damien the solution to this?" She asked, looking up at me. "You told me that he could help. It worked, didn't it? You went to the hospital today and your mood has been soured since then. It was a match, was it not?"

I forced myself to remain calm but I could feel my heart clench at her words. "So what?" I looked away, forcing myself to continue looking at her. "You know I can't… I wanted his help but in this case, getting that help would mean getting married to him on paper and I don't… I can't… I can't, it's too much for me and I don't think…" My words were beginning to be jumbled and I could my chest getting heavier with each word that tumbled out of my lips.

She watched me with understanding in her soft brown eyes. "Why didn't you tell me that when you came back?" She asked, her voice was soft and her words held no bite.

"Because I'm trying to even comprehend all of this. My son is still dying, I have what I want so close but out of reach and I don't think I can pay the price needed to get it. I expected that this would be a rough ride meeting him again but actually seeing him pales in comparison to what I thought because a part of me can't help but cling on to the pain of the past and I find myself regretting ever coming here…" I trailed off and pinched my nose bridge. "I can't do this anymore. He shouldn't even know anything about me and now, I just revealed myself to him again. He could still come after me if I went back to Switzerland"

Dora was silent but her presence was certainly calming. I wouldn't say we were friendsㅡ I don't think I had ever wanted to depend on someone that badly but she had always been there for me and I found myself confiding in her sometimes.

"I understand your point…" She finally said her voice soft as she turned to me. "But I also think you need to face reality"

Those words sent me sitting upright with a confused expression. "What?"

Dora looked away, her next words reluctant. "I have no say in your next decision whatsoever but I always like to put in my 2 cents, yeah? This time, I'd ask you if your hatred for Damien is greater than your love for Theo" Her words weren't an attack but it felt like one and it cut deep.

"You know it's not" I admitted.

She nodded and smiled slightly at me. "It's a hard decision but I think legally and…" She shrugged. "As a mother, you should choose your son. It's all up to you, Milena. I'm not the one who went through your grizzly past, I have no say but I do hope you'll pick the right one"

I couldn't help but look over in the direction of Theo's room as I thought over those words.

There has to be another way.