Chapter 54

Priscilla's POV

"Thanks for coming, Nicolas. I just used you as an excuse to leave the dining area. Max was insistent on taking me to the hospital, but I wasn't feeling that bad," I said. I sneezed loudly and covered my face with my elbow, hoping to convince him that I was not sick. I pulled a blanket over myself and tried to relax. However, my headache was getting worse, and my temperature was rising. I didn't want to go to the hospital, as I disliked injections and didn't want to get an unnecessary one just because of a cold. I knew I was going to be fine.

"Priscilla, stop being stubborn unnecessarily. Anyone in their right senses would see how sick you are right now," Nicolas said, and he was starting to annoy me.

"Nicolas, leave my room right now," I said. I didn't want anyone to become nauseous of me. I said I didn't want to go to the hospital, and that was it.

"Priscilla, come on now. Do you have to be so difficult? Won't you even listen to your friend now? You are not well, you should see a doctor," Nicolas said. That was the limit.

"Nicolas, do you want me to break all your bones right now?" I asked weakly. Nicolas nonchalantly walked to my bed and sat on the chair near my bed.

"You can break all my bones if you want, I don't care. But I will not let you sleep here when you are not well. What if something happens to you or the babies?" Nicolas asked. I let out a sigh. He was becoming like his friend now.

"Nicolas, do you ever wish to get married to Liz in this lifetime?" I asked. My head was throbbing even more, and I couldn't help but threaten him.

"Y–Yes, I mean of course I want to. Why would you ask the obvious? Anyways, that's not important right now. Please allow me to take you to the hospital," Nicolas said.

"If you want to be with your beloved Liz, you will get out of my room and leave me alone!" I hissed quietly.

"Fine, I'm leaving," Nicolas said, rising off the chair and making his way out. I tried to keep my eyes open, but the headache and the heat in my body kept on increasing so I couldn't stay awake anymore. Everything turned dark before I even knew it.

***

I woke up to the rumbling of my stomach. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't. As I looked around, I realized that I was in a hospital room and not my bedroom.

My eyes fell on Max, who was sitting on a chair beside me, looking at me with a cold expression.

"Why did you bring me to the hospital when I asked you not to?" I asked, ignoring his cold demeanor.

Max's expression grew even colder as he replied, "Oh, so you finally remember my name now that your so-called boyfriend isn't here anymore?"

I was confused and asked, "What boyfriend are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about!" Max snapped.

I didn't have the energy to deal with his mood swings, especially when my head was throbbing. "If you're not going to tell me what's going on, then please leave me alone," I said, my voice growing louder. "I can't deal with your yelling right now. My head is about to burst."

I started coughing hard and couldn't shake off the feeling that Max was angry at me for something I didn't do.

"Of course, you don't need me anymore because you want your boyfriend to be here with you. I should have known soon that you are just like all the other women out there. All women are the same," Max said. He got off the chair and left the ward.

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, burning with frustration. What's his problem? Accusing me of something I don't even know about. And seriously, I don't even have a boyfriend! But even if I did, what's the big deal? I'm not married. I hate it when people question my character like this.

Suddenly, Mark appeared, wearing his white coat and a smile. I didn't even hear him come in. "Are you crying?" he asked.

I quickly wiped my tears away with my hands and replied, "No, I'm not crying. Can you please remove all these drips? I want to go home." I was pretty sure he had already injected me with something.

But Mark shook his head. "I can't discharge you yet. You're not well enough to go home. I'll keep you under observation until tomorrow," he said, his eyes focused on the book he was holding.

"I just want to go home. I don't want to stay here. It's just a cold. I won't die because of it. Please, let me go," I said, feeling trapped within the hospital walls.

"If that's what you want, then I can't keep you here by force. But you need to rest and can't go to the office for at least a week. Make sure you take your medicine on time. I'll send the nurse to discharge you," Mark said.

"Thank you," I replied quietly.

"I'm always here for you, Priscilla. If you ever need me, just give me a call. And if Max troubles you, let me know. I'll deal with him for you," Mark said jokingly.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

Mark smiled politely at me before leaving the ward. I couldn't understand why he was so nice to me. Maybe it was because he knew my real identity. Nicolas was nice to me because we had spent a lot of time together. Max and I were close but not that close. Sometimes he was nice, but other times I hated the way he behaved. But Mark and I weren't that close, nor were we friends. I couldn't understand why he was so kind to me, but I quickly pushed the thought away. If I kept thinking about it, my head might burst at any moment.

Max's POV

I had an intense burning sensation in my chest, like a tight knot that I couldn't shake. It's weird, I've never felt like this before. The whole idea of Priscilla and Nicolas together just didn't sit right with me, and it was eating away at me from the inside. But why? Priscilla is single, so why did I insult her like that, as if dating Nicolas was some kind of crime? Why am I feeling this way? And then, to make matters worse, I heard her sobbing from the ward she was in. I made her cry, but why? It's driving me crazy.

I ran my hands through my hair, feeling the frustration building up in my throat. I swear, if I spend one more minute in this hospital, I might lose it. And just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, there he was, Nicolas, walking towards me. He's my friend, more like a brother, but I can't stand seeing him so close to her.

"Max, how is Priscilla doing? Is she fine? Have they discharged her yet?" Nicolas asked. I felt a surge of anger and frustration rise within me, but I held back. After all, he was my friend.

"When did you become so close to Priscilla? I thought you were in love with Liz. Why are you suddenly interested in Priscilla?" I asked, my bitterness seeping through my words.

"Is it a problem if I'm interested in Priscilla? You said it yourself that you could never fall in love with her or have any romantic feelings towards her. Why do you suddenly care if I like her or not? I mean, of course, I like Priscilla. She's fun, intelligent, talented, and spending time with her is something anyone would enjoy." Nicolas said, looking at me with a questioning expression. I clenched my jaws, trying to contain my brewing anger.

"Stay away from her!" I said through gritted teeth.

"Why? I mean, you can't just tell me to stay away from a woman I like. You will have to tell me the reason first!" Nicolas said with a shrug.

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling my stomach hardening. How could I give him a reason when I didn't have one? What was happening to me?

Suddenly, Nicolas exclaimed, "Here comes Priscilla!" I quickly followed his gaze and saw her walking out of the hospital entrance. She looked pale, probably because she had asked Mark to discharge her after I made her cry. Remembering how much she was sobbing, I swallowed hard. I hadn't even realized when Priscilla had reached where Nicolas and I were standing.

"Hey Priscilla, how are you feeling?" Nicolas asked with a smile.

"I'm fine, thank you," Priscilla replied, completely ignoring me.

"I'm heading home. See you later," she said, about to walk away. Nicolas held her hand, and my body tensed up even more.

"Wait, I will drop you off," Nicolas said sweetly.

"No, thanks. I need some time alone, so I will just walk home. Please let go of my hand," she said weakly.

"As you wish. I will see you tomorrow," Nicolas said, letting go of her hand. Priscilla walked away without sparing me a glance.

"Isn't she beautiful? I can't wait to make her my girlfriend. We look good together, don't we?" Nicolas asked, his eyes following Priscilla. I shook my head without saying anything. I got inside my car, started the engine, and drove off without saying anything to Nicolas. I didn't want to ruin our relationship because of a woman who meant nothing to me.