Chapter 3

Sobbing because she was in so much pain, Hailey managed to reach for her phone in her dress pocket with the remaining strength she had in her. Her vision was blurry but she was able to manage to locate Cole’s number.

“Please pick up.” She sobbed in pain.

No one answered the call on the other end so Hailey decided to dial the number again. It was ringing when she suddenly lost consciousness, her phone slipping off her hand.

……..

Hailey Summers had no idea how long she was out for but the moment she was conscious again, She felt pains all over her body, including a banging headache.

She could hear voices around her but her hazy brain was too weak to interpret what was being said.

Hailey slowly opened her eyes and was greeted with the beeping sound of the monitor. It took a while for her vision to get clear. She took in her environment and realized she was in the hospital room, putting on the pale blue patient gown. She saw the Doctor, standing at the edge of her bedside discussing with two female nurses.

He took a glance at the bed and saw that the patient had gained consciousness, then he rushed to her side, feeling her pulse. “How are you doing, ma’am?”

It was as though the voice of the middle-aged doctor brought her back to reality. Her right hand instantly went to her belly. “My baby?!” Hailey’s voice came out hoarse and her eyes were filled with tears once more. “How is my baby?”

The doctor sighed.

“Talk to me, Doc! How’s my baby?” Hailey had no idea when a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Please calm down, Ma’am. Your baby is fine but we still need to keep you here for observations.”

Hailey shut her eyes for a while, crying even harder. She had no idea if she could term it tears of joy. She knew her life was a mess right now but she was grateful that her baby was still with her.

“I really don’t know what this is but I think it’s a miracle because you were badly hurt. If the person that brought you in came a second late, I’m very sure that the baby wouldn’t have survived.”

“Your body has gone through more than enough stress in the last few hours. I’m glad your memory is still intact. But since you are still very weak, we need to keep you here for a couple more days. To monitor you and the health of the baby.”

Hailey nodded, grateful that things weren’t worse.

“Where’s Cole?” She asked after her husband, knowing she would need some warmth right now.

“Sorry, who are you talking about?”

“You said someone brought me in here. That must be my husband. His name is Cole. Please let him in, I would like to see him.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about, Ma’am but the person who brought you in was quite elderly and he had taken his leave.”

“What do you mean?” Hailey asked with confusion etched all over her face.

“You were brought in by an elderly man. He said his name was Manuel and the brother to your Security, Enoch.”

“He said Enoch called him to rush you to the hospital. He waited for you to wake up but he had to leave for his shift. He promised to come check back on you when he’s done with his shift.”

Hailey tried to hide her hurt and disappointment as the doctor spoke.

“I don’t know what exactly you are going through personally but please ma’am, I would like for you to be strong and stop crying. If you are not going to be strong for yourself, then please do it for the sake of your baby.”

“I know I said the baby is fine but again I want you to know that the general wellness of your body plays a huge role in the health of your child. I’m sorry to say this but there’s a probability that you can still lose the baby if great care isn’t taken. That’s why we will be keeping you here until we are sure that you both are completely out of danger.”

“Whatever it is, I’m hopeful that it will get sorted for you but in the meantime, I would like you to put your health first.”

Hailey nodded, sniffling.

“Thank you for your concern. I’m just eager to see my husband. He must be so worried about me. Did Manuel by any chance come with my phone?”

“Yes!” The Doctor answered and went to a nearby table where Hailey’s stuff was. He reached for her phone and handed it to her. The screen was cracked but not terrible enough to do a few things on the device.

Hailey’s heart fell when she saw that she had no missed calls or messages from anyone. Not even her husband. She was right here in the hospital, fighting for her life as well as her baby’s life but it was almost as if she was nonexistent. She had been in the hospital for more than half of the day and no one even felt her absence. It reminded her of how lonely life was for her.

Hailey felt deeply hurt and very alone but again she remembered the Doctor’s words.

She was about to toss her phone aside when her eyes met with the TV that was hung on the wall, opposite her bedside.

Hailey’s heart fell

It was a picture of Cole and her stepsister, Vanessa. They were gorgeously dressed, standing side by side like a couple, with smiles on their faces, holding hands. And there was a very disturbing headline. “Hottest Billionaire is finally off the market”

“Please, can you give it some volume?” Hailey said to the Doctor, trying so hard not to break down.

The doctor instructed one of the nurses to do so.

Despite the doctor’s instructions, Hailey burst into loud tears after listening to the gossip news. She sobbed like it was the end of it for her. It was announced that Cole was officially dating her step- sister, Vanessa. Her world crumbled when she saw the duo share a kiss that was initiated by Vanessa.

Beyond disappointed and heartbroken, Hailey picked up her phone and typed out a message to Cole.

………………

“I’m really happy tonight.” Vanessa giggled as she intertwined her hands even more with Cole’s own as they made their way towards the hall for the event. It was a business dinner and she insisted on coming with him.

“My phone can’t stop buzzing with so many Congratulations. My assistant also told me that my followers are increasing per second. This has never happened before.”

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you not happy that the world knows we are dating?”

Cole was about to say something when his phone buzzed. He stopped in his tracks and released his hand from Vanessa after which he took his phone out of his pocket.

“You’re the worst thing that could ever happen to a woman who loves you genuinely. I agree to the divorce and we are going to stay out of your shitty life.”

“What’s wrong baby?” Vanessa asked, noting the change in his countenance.

“It’s Hailey.” He answered absentmindedly, wondering why he felt so bad about what he just read.

“Why is she texting you? I thought she was dead!”

Cole stared at Vanessa curiously. “What do you mean?”

“She has been dead to me since the day she stole you from me and I hope she actually dies soon. Why the hell is she even texting you? You should block her before she becomes really manipulative again.”

Cole didn’t take what Vanessa said to heart. Instead, he stares back at the text, wondering why he felt so uneasy.

“Come on, I’m sure it’s nothing. We’ve got each other now. There’s no doubt I am the perfect one for you. Even the world is happy for us. Let’s go in now. You don’t want us to be late for the event.”

Cole tucked his phone in his pocket. Vanessa clogged onto his arm as though her life depended on him and then they made their way into the event all.

About two hours later, they were on their way home, with Cole driving and Vanessa seated in the front passenger seat, smiling so wide as she had her attention on her phone, enjoying her newly

found fame of officially dating the Country’s richest Billionaire. Fans were already even asking her when the wedding would be.

She took a break from her phone, looked outside the window, and saw that he wasn’t driving in the direction that she expected.

“What’s going on? I thought we were heading to your place?”

“I’m taking you to your apartment.”

“What? I thought we would want to spend the night together since we had a good time?”

“That would be another day.”

“Why? Are you mad at me? You said you loved me. You said you wanted me!”

“Please just lower your voice.” He took a glance at her before turning his attention back to the road.

“It’s been a long day and my head hurts. I really want some time alone tonight.”

The rest of the ride was very quiet and the only sound made was that of Vanessa typing harshly on her phone. The moment he got to her residence, She unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for her purse. She was about to help herself out when she turned to face him. “You were actually going to let me out without a proper goodbye hug or kiss?”

“Goodnight.” He mumbled.

“No endearment? You are such a prick!” Vanessa said after which she stormed out of the car, slamming the door, not giving a f**k in the world if she ruined his car.

Cole drove away immediately and in about Twenty minutes, he got home. It was midnight so none of his domestic staff were in sight. He didn’t see Hailey downstairs so he made his way to the

bedroom upstairs in the hope that she would be there.

Cole couldn’t describe the coldness that ran down his spine when he made his way in and saw an empty room with a well-laid bed.

As far as he knew, Hailey had no friends. She would always come home straight from work, meaning he would always meet her in the room sleeping or getting ready to prepare for bed.

“Hailes?” His voice came out hoarse as he shut the door and made his way toward the walk-in closet.

He exhaled deeply when he saw that the side of her closet was cleared, evidence that She was gone.

With a very blank mind, Cole approached the king-side bed which was situated in the middle of the room, and plopped down on it. He buried his face in his hands, drowning in his miserable thoughts, mostly not understanding why he was feeling lonely and miserable.

He took out his phone from his pocket and read the text again and this time the words “We are going to stay out of your shitty life.” got him even more worried and confused.

Cole started battling with his thoughts if he should reply to Hailey’s text message from hours ago or dial her number.

Not knowing what exactly to type in response to her last message, he dialed her number with his heart beating thrice faster.