Chapter 5: Explosion

Lucian’s POV

Hanging up the phone, I raked my hand through my hair. I didn’t believe Elena's lies at all.

It's absolutely ridiculous!

I’d made it perfectly clear that I wanted her out of my life.

Annoyed by her pestering, I paced up and down the hallway of the obstetrics department.

For some reason, I had an ominous premonition in my heart, growing stronger and stronger.

I had to admit, for a moment there, I’d almost believed Elena. Her voice on the phone had been trembling;

she was begging for my help. And she was so insistent that the baby was mine.

For a moment, I started worrying about her again.

But thankfully I had Lydia. She’d warned me that Elena could be very manipulative and highly convincing when she wanted to be.

Elena was just crying wolf, making up stories about a forced procedure.

She was trying to reel me back in, to regain my sympathy.

I saw through her lies though.

Lydia had gone for a private check-up. That’s what she told me, so I slumped down into one of the chairs in the hallway to wait for her.

As I did, my mind whirled.

Elena had cheated on me. I still couldn’t believe it. And then she tried to attack Lydia.

I never imagined that Elena, usually so docile and obedient, could be that vicious and cold-hearted.

My grandmother met her first, Elena. Elena was an orphan, but my grandmother took a shine to her.

She took her under her wing, so to speak, and offered to be her benefactor.

My grandmother paid in full for Elena’s post-secondary education. It was through my grandmother that I met Elena.

My grandmother was a brilliant, wise woman. She insisted that I marry Elena.

She assured me that Elena would be a loyal, doting wife.

I wasn’t so sure at first, since I didn’t have feelings for her at the start.

But I trusted my grandmother’s judgement and agreed to marry Elena.

At first, I was distant. Elena was only my wife on paper.

But over the years, she started to grow on me. She was patient and kind.

She was eager to make me happy. My feelings for her began to develop, to grow stronger.

That is…until I found out she’d cheated on me and she wanted me to raise another man’s child.

When Lydia told me about this and showed me the report, I was stunned.

I took a deep breath. I thought Elena might have some difficulty she couldn't speak of.

I was willing to forgive her, to move on. All she had to do was abort the baby.

If she did that, maybe we could still be together.

Elena was obsessed with the baby though. I saw it in her eyes.

She flat out refused to do what I asked. She was too attached to the baby, to another man and his child.

And it was that attachment that made my blood run cold.

I was actually still making excuses for this woman. I actually wanted to forgive her—it's so ridiculous.

Lydia had been great through it all.

She warned me that Elena had a dark side, a manipulative, cunning edge to her.

"She’s very good at getting what she wants," Lydia had warned me.

"And she doesn’t care who she hurts in the process."

I appreciated Lydia’s candor. Lydia was gentle and sweet. Almost soft-hearted.

But without her guidance, I might have fallen right into Elena’s trap.

Which was why, when Lydia asked me for a favor regarding her own pregnancy, I was happy to oblige.

Lydia tearfully confided in me that she really wanted to become a mother, which is why she got pregnant while single. But she's afraid the child will be ridiculed. She begged me to pretend to be the child's father. I agreed, to repay her for telling me the truth about Elena.

Suddenly a nurse ran over, shouting loudly, "There's a fire! Everyone evacuate quickly!"

I was stunned, then a loud bang reverberated down the hallway.

"It’s the abandoned hospital wing," a doctor said, his eyes wide. "There’s been an explosion. Quick. Everyone evacuate."

The hospital broke out into chaos. People screamed, scrambling down the hall, running for their lives.

The thick scent of smoke wafted down the hall.

Horrified, I made my way through the throngs of nurses and doctors, looking for Elena instinctively.

Then I suddenly remembered what Lydia said—Elena betrayed me. At that moment I saw Lydia waving at me. I ran over and held her in my arms.

She emerged from behind a door, a panicked look on her face.

Our eyes locked and we rushed towards each other. Shielding her as best I could, we pushed our way through the crowd, scrambling for the exit.

But as we all piled into the stairwell, the phone conversation I’d had with Elena flashed through my mind.

She’d claimed she was being forced into surgery.I knew she was lying.

Where was she now though? Was Elena still in the hospital?

People shoved, trying to get down the stairs as quickly as possible.

Did Elena make it out safely?

The thought of Elena somewhere in there, trying to get out, surrounded by flames made me pause.

"Come on, Lucian. Hurry!" Lydia said, her face tense. "What are you waiting for?"

"What if Elena’s in there?" I asked. People shoved past us, casting us dirty looks.

"Don’t be ridiculous," Lydia said. "Elena must left the hospital a long time ago."

Glancing back up at the stairs, my heart raced.

Deep down, I was worried about her.

"Come on," Lydia said, her expression more insistent. She took my hand and started leading me away, towards the emergency exit stairwell.

Everyone was escaping the fire.

If she was still there, she’d escape too.

Besides, Elena didn’t deserve my concern and worry. Not after what she’d done to me.

She’d made a fool out of me. That wasn’t something I could tolerate.

And it certainly wasn’t something I could let happen again.