Chapter 13 - Hope.

Alex and Emilia lay naked and bare on the bed, the same bed that Emily and Alexander shared every day before the accident. Emilia was propped up on her elbow, playing with Alex's hair and chest, her fingers tracing the contours of his muscles. But Alex seemed distracted, and she noticed the far-off look in his eyes and pouted, her lips curling downward. "Oh please, don't tell me you're thinking of her," Emilia said, her voice laced with venom. "Emily's been in a coma for three days now. She might never wake up." Alex's eyes snapped back to Emilia, and he forced a smile onto his face. "Of course not, Emilia. I was just...thinking about work." Emilia raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing. "Work? At this hour? Don't lie to me, Alex. I'm not Emily. I know you're thinking about Emily." Alex's face twisted in a mixture of guilt and frustration. "Emilia, it's not like that. Emily's my wife, and my grandma's wish so it's only natural that I care about her deeply." Emilia's laughter was cold and mirthless. "Care about her? You're in bed with me, Alex. You're having an affair with me. Don't pretend like you're still in love with Emily. Whatever you guys had in high school ended years ago." Alex's eyes dropped, and he looked away, his face burning with shame. "I know, Emilia. I'm sorry. It's just...complicated." Emilia's expression softened, and she leaned in close to Alex. "It's not complicated, Alex. Emily's gone, and we're here together. We can have everything we want, just the two of us. You're breaking my heart, Alex." Alex's eyes met Emilia's, and for a moment, they just stared at each other. Then Alex's face hardened, and he said, "You're right, Emilia. I'm sorry for hurting you. Emily's not going to come between us. Not anymore." Alex suddenly threw off the covers and got out of bed, leaving Emilia feeling confused and abandoned. "Where are you going?" Emilia asked, her voice laced with irritation. "I'm going to the hospital baby," Alex replied, his voice firm. Emilia sat up in bed, her eyes narrowing. "But you were just there yesterday. What's the point of going again today?" Alex sighed and rubbed his temples. "I'm her husband, Emilia. In everyone's eyes, I'm still her husband. I must be there for her, to support her and her family during this difficult time even when I don't want to." Emilia snorted in disgust. "Duty? You're not even in love with her. It's bound to break sooner or later. You're just going through the motions." Alex's face hardened, and he looked away, his jaw clenched. "That may be true, Emilia. But I still have a responsibility to Emily and her family. I have to be there for them, even if it's just for show." Emilia shrugged and lay back down, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Suit yourself, Alex. But don't expect me to wait around for you." Alex didn't respond. Instead, he quickly got dressed and grabbed his keys. "I'll be back later," he said, his voice curt. Emilia didn't even bother to respond. She just lay there, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, a scowl on her face. Alex left the room, closing the door behind him. He took a deep breath and made his way to the hospital. As soon as Alex left the room, Emilia's face contorted with anger and frustration. She grabbed her phone and dialed her mother's number, her hands shaking with rage. "Mother, it's me," Emilia spat, her voice venomous. "I'm so angry right now. That stupid truck driver didn't even finish the job. Emily's still alive, and Alex is still running around after her. He left me on the bed to visit her." Her mother's calm voice came through the phone. "Emilia, darling, I thought we agreed that Emily's condition is...unlikely to improve." Emilia's anger boiled over. "Unlikely to improve? Mother, she's been in a coma for three days! She's probably brain dead or something." Her mother's voice was soothing. "I know, dear. But even if she does wake up, she'll probably be...different. And even if she's not, well...we'll just have to make sure she doesn't wake up, won't we?" Emilia's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" Her mother's voice was casual, but Emilia detected a hint of steel beneath the surface. "I mean, dear, that we'll just have to take care of Emily once and for all. Make sure she doesn't interfere with our plans anymore." Emilia's face twisted into a cruel smile. "I like the way you think, Mother. Let's just make sure Emily never wakes up again. Hearing her name makes me angry; very soon, I'll be Alexander's wife." "That's my daughter. Soon everything will be yours." *** Alex entered the hospital room Emily was kept in with a bouquet of sunflowers, her favorite. he had hoped to brighten up the space but shockingly, someone got there before him. It was Justin, Emily's driver. He was sitting in a chair beside Emily's bed, his eyes fixed intently on Emily's pale face. As soon as Justin noticed Alex's presence, he quickly stood up and greeted him. "Sir Alex. you’re here. I didn't expect to see you here today." Alex was taken aback by Justin's presence, but he tried to compose himself. "Well, I didn't know you were...visiting Emily." Justin nodded, his eyes clouding over with a mixture of guilt and concern. "Yeah, I've been coming here every day since the accident. I feel...responsible, I guess." The nurses had mentioned to Alex that Justin had been a daily visitor, and they had guessed it was guilt that motivated him. After all, Justin had been the one driving the car when the accident occurred. As Alex walked towards Emily's bed, he noticed a vase on the bedside table, filled with Emily's favorite flowers, sunflowers. He felt a pang of surprise and curiosity. How the hell did Justin know Emily's favorite flowers? And just like that, a floodgate of memories came rushing back to his mind. Justin and Emily had been inseparable in high school, more like they were best of friends. Sadly, things had gotten rough for Justin and he had dropped out of school. Alex had never really understood what had happened between them, but he knew it had been a painful and difficult time for both of them especially Emily. But as Alex stood there, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that had settled in his chest. For some unknown reason, he felt a pang of jealousy. Seeing Justin sitting beside Emily's bed, with her favorite flowers didn’t sit well with him but he quickly pushed the feeling away, telling himself he was being ridiculous. Just then, Mr. Johnson, Emily's father, walked into the room with a look of exhaustion etched on his face. "Alex, Justin, good to see you both," he said, his voice weak but grateful. But just as they were talking, Emily suddenly stirred in her bed. She murmured something incoherent, and then, to everyone's surprise, she whispered a faint. "help." Justin's eyes widened in shock as he quickly jumped out of his chair "I'll go get the doctor!" he shouted rushing out of the room. Alex and Mr. Johnson exchanged a hopeful glance. Mr Johnson’s heart racing with excitement. Could this be it? Was Emily finally waking up?