CHAP 4: She buried love in her heart.

After they returned to the hospital room, Fidelia looked at the clock on the wall; she knew she was late for work, so she decided to take the morning off. The atmosphere in the hospital room is now quiet. Fidelia felt Declan's gaze on her. She took a deep breath, raised her head, and their eyes met. Fidelia blushed and quickly turned away. His laughter made her blush even more.

Fidelia cleared her throat; she said in confusion: "Just now, thank you very much!"

Minutes had passed, and Declan remained silent, his gaze still fixed on hers. Fidelia wondered if he was judging her for who she was. Or did he regret standing up for someone like her?

Fidelia swallowed hard; she wanted to ask what he thought of her. She didn't understand why she cared about this. She ignored the others, but she cared about how he felt about her to Declan.

"You…"

"I…"

Fidelia and Declan simultaneously spoke with a surprised look on their faces. Declan cleared his throat, saying, "I think I should let you speak first."

Fidelia nodded, smiling gently. She mustered up the courage to ask him: "What do you think of me - someone who has been in prison? I'm sorry, I know that disgusted you out."

Declan clearly saw the sadness in Fidelia's eyes as she asked him these questions. She once told him that her life had fallen into a dark abyss, perhaps because of this. He did not know the reason why she went to prison, but he did not sense the danger on Fidelia's part.

He approached Fidelia, half-sitting, half-kneeling in front of her, and said from the bottom of his heart: "I don't care about your past. I know you're a good, honest, and strong young lady. That's all."

Fidelia looked at him and smiled bitterly; tears had fallen, rolling down her pink cheeks, finally settling on Declan's hand. Tears carried the anger in her heart. Maybe it has been around for too long that it can't be shared with anyone. And today, when Fidelia met someone who understood her, it spontaneously exploded.

"Don't cry, Fidelia!" Declan comforted her and carefully wiped her tears. He was annoyed to see Fidelia cry. He knew she cried not because she was weak but because she had suffered and tried to be strong for too long. He felt his heartache. He doesn't even know why. Declan wondered if it was because he was pitying her or because he was already in love with her.

Fidelia looked at him, her eyes sparkling like the night stars, her voice trembling: "Don't you find me disgusted?"

Declan shook his head, answering firmly: "Not at all!"

With a bitter smile, Fidelia asked hesitantly, "Even if…even if…I am a murderer?"

Declan frowned; he looked at her with questioning eyes. But he didn't know where to start. No matter how he thought about it, he didn't believe Fidelia was a murderer unless she was cornered. After all, who had pressed her to make that choice of action? Could it be because of the two people he just met in the hospital lobby? Seeing Fidelia cry, he felt heartache.

Fidelia did not see him respond, thinking that he was in shock and perhaps disgusted with the person she was. Fidelia bit her lip to keep from crying; she looked out the window to avoid Declan's gaze.

Suddenly, Declan's warm hands pressed tightly to Fidelia's face, easing the pain in her heart. His delicate appearance made Fidelia let go of her guard and, at the same time, gave rise to a feeling of vibration. Right now, she wanted to tell him all she had suffered. Fidelia's simplest wish is to find a man who can understand her and give her firm trust, who will accompany her through all the storms of life, and who will never abandon her by temptations.

He stroked Fidelia's beautiful face and said to her with tenderness and pain:

"Fidelia, listen. I believe you. I believe you are not that kind of person."

Fidelia was stunned, eyes widening at him. She was surprised and moved when he was the first to trust her. Declan seemed to see through her mind, her thoughts. Five years ago, despite her screams in court, no one believed her. Even the incident that year almost took her life. Fidelia thinking of this, her heart was highly uncomfortable. It's frustrating and painful.

"What makes you believe in me?"

Declan looked straight into Fidelia's eyes with determination, answering honestly: "Based on you saving my life. And my intuition tells me that you are an honest girl."

Hearing his words, Fidelia couldn't contain her emotions at this moment; she hugged Declan. The scent of roses on his body made her mood light and pleasant.

Declan saw her reaction; he knew that his guess was correct. He felt her heartbeat, and he found it familiar. It seemed to be healing the wounds hidden deep in his heart.

After Fidelia calmed down, she let go of his large arms. The atmosphere between the two became awkward. She didn't think she could easily cry and be intimate with a man she had just met. But there was one thing she was sure of that, by his side, she felt so peaceful and comfortable. He was like a light of dawn, coming and illuminating her dark life. She asked herself, could she be loved like everyone else?

A loud noise startled Fidelia, interrupting her train of thought. A beautiful girl with iridescent, flowing light blonde hair and sharp black eyes, followed by a young man, entered the room. As soon as she saw Fidelia, the girl gave Fidelia an unfriendly look. Her appearance made Fidelia feel uneasy. She approached Declan, crossed her arms over her chest, and said arrogantly:

"I couldn't contact you; I was so worried."

She then sat between Fidelia and Declan to put some space between them. She felt like an eyesore watching Fidelia sit next to her brother. At this point, Declan said: "This is my sister; just call her Alisa. And this is Fidelia; she's the one who saved my life."

Alisa turned to look at Fidelia, her eyebrows raised, her eyes questioning. She spoke in an impolite and slightly rude manner that made him unhappy.

"She saved you just because she wanted your money. You should remember, there is no such thing as a free meal."

"Alisa," Steven growled angrily, anger flashing coldly in his dark eyes. "Don't say such impolite things. If you say more words like that, I don't need you to come here anymore. You can go home now."

"I..." Alisa was so angry that she had to shut up, her face red from Steven's stern voice. She pursed her lips and looked at Fidelia with hateful eyes.

Fidelia felt that she should not stay here any longer; she said politely and gently:

"I…have to go to work! Bye!"

Suddenly Declan took her hand and spoke in a low, warm voice that made her heart skip a beat. She quickly pulled her hand away from his. Declan acting like that in front of Alisa made Fidelia awkward and embarrassed.

Declan tilted his head; seeing the confusion in Fidelia's eyes, he smirked and said, "Let Leonard take you to work."

Fidelia guessed that the Leonard Declan was referring to was probably the angular-faced young man with deep eyes and tanned skin standing next to him.

Declan made an offer, but Fidelia smiled, deftly rejecting his good intentions. "No need; my workplace is close by anyway."

Declan nodded, smiled, and said gently to her: "Be careful, then. See you again!"

After that, Fidelia quickly left the room. As she was waiting for a taxi, suddenly a hand tapped her shoulder. Fidelia turned around and realized it was Alisa. She frowned, wondering when did Alisa follow her.

"I have something to tell you." Alisa crossed her arms in front of her chest, speaking in an arrogant tone.

Fidelia nodded; she politely replied: "It's quite cold outside; let's find a cafe to sit and talk, okay?"

"No need." Alisa said gruffly, "Don't put on a fake face. I will always say here."

People around began to notice them with curious eyes. Fidelia frowned, annoyed by Alisa's impolite behavior as if she was displeased with something.

Fidelia calmly said: "So what do you want to tell me?"

Alisa cocked her head, raised an eyebrow at Fidelia with disdain, and said: "My brother has a fiancée, so you give up the idea of ​​​​following Declan. You want money, don't you? Here, I give you alms."

As soon as she finished speaking, Alisa pulled out a stack of money and threw it at Fidelia in front of many people. Alisa's rude behavior was like cold water poured on Fidelia. Alisa's words seem to indirectly accuse Fidelia that she is a despicable person who wants to rob Declan while he already has a fiancée.

Alisa's smile was sardonic as she saw Fidelia picking up the bills scattered on the ground. Fidelia really is a money-hungry person. Alisa found that, with just a little money, she was able to make Fidelia reveal her true personality. Fidelia is the dodgy fox disguised as an honest bear to win Declan's appreciation. Alisa does not understand why Declan is cold and indifferent to other women who intend to approach him, but why does he let his guard down with this her?

Alisa quickly pulled out her phone and turned around so she would show it to Declan later so that he could see Fidelia's fake face.

When Fidelia picked up all the bills on the street and walked toward Alisa, Fidelia threw the money back to Alisa as she did to herself, her face cold. Although Alisa is Declan's sister, she feels no need to be kind to people like Alisa. How they treated her, Fidelia would respond to them like that.

Alisa widened her eyes and froze, dumbfounded when Fidelia did that to her. She shouted in anger.

"Are you crazy? Or do you think this amount is too little?"

Fidelia said without showing any emotion: "This is a lot of money for me, but I am not a money-hungry person to sell my conscience. Please take this money to fix your personality."

Alisa glared at Fidelia, her eyes filled with anger. However, Fidelia was not afraid; she looked straight at Alisa and said in a voice as sharp as steel: "One more thing I want to tell you, Declan and I do not have any shady relationship. So I hope you use your head to learn and think before speaking."

After that, Fidelia left to Alisa's shock. She would never see Declan again. Fidelia was thinking about this, and for some reason, her heart ached. She told herself she couldn't step into the wrong. Even though Fidelia had a crush on him, she wouldn't make herself a third person. She didn't want to rob anyone else of happiness. This love she can only bury deep in her heart.

Fidelia was so busy thinking about what had just happened that she didn't know that behind her were two people following her; they were preparing a plan to make her disappear from this life.