Chapter 6

Nella's point of view

The soft linen rubbed my skin with the scent of antiseptic filling the air.

My eyelashes fluttered as the rays of the bulb hit my eyelids.

The beeping of a heart monitor echoed from a distance which made me stretch my ears.

I took a deep breath, the sterile air making my chest become tight, my eyelids becoming loose, then my vision cleared a dull ache hitting my head as my heart raced, hitting hard on my chest.

I tried lifting myself but a sharp force pushed me back from my wrist, sending cold shivers down my spine.

I looked to my right, there was a thick metal which chained me to the bedside rail.

My eyes wandered around in the room trying to read the room as the hair at the nape of my neck stood, my breathing cutting through the room with my thoughts jolting me out from the world.

My eyes trailing my body noting it was dusty from damp concrete, the irritating odour of sweat and urine oozing from my clothes.

The cuff and the way it didn't allow me to escape got me flared, I yanked my arms hard again, but the cuff wasn't getting loose, frown lines drawn on my forehead while I slumped on the bed letting out a deep exhale.

Looking up to the ceiling, a shadow lurked near the doorway, I could hear the rustle of a coat, then a man in a white lab coat stretched his legs into the room, his rectangular glasses making his face hidden.

He seemed invested while reading the chart, then he raised his face,

“You're awake,” he said in a controlled and calm voice, the lights reflected on the silver name tag, my heart jumped out from its position, my lips parted trying to let out a sound but my throat felt dry.

He moved closer as his hands touched my skin, his touch was cold, his eyes running around my face, I could tell he wanted to know if I was in distress.

“Your vitals are stable,” he continued, flipping a page on the clipboard.

“But you need rest, your body is still recovering from an accident,” his clinical voice hit my ears but his words went to my eardrums and didn't crack in my brain.

Immediately a fresh wave of nausea coiled in my stomach, the accident, I had forgotten I was pregnant for just a few minutes.

I thought as panic came, my left hand on my abdomen, shaking against the slight curve in my stomach against the thin hospital gown.

“ My baby.” I said, my voice sounded hoarse, my face up looking at the doctor who gave a nod.

A smile crept through my face as I let a breath I didn't realize I was holding, then I was in a hospital which meant everyone could see me,

“I need to get out from here,” I thought my eyes racing around the room,

I tried standing then the cuff around my wrist was a bitter reminder.

“I couldn't and I wasn't free at the moment, I needed to escape.”

“ Nella Quinn,” a voice smooth and firm, slicing through the air jolting away my thoughts with a racing heart.

I searched with my eyes, my heart racing hard, who was it? I felt a burden on my shoulders sending chills down my spine, the doctor stood tall you could tell his muscles tightened.

He moved aside while the tall figure came into sight, his shoulders broad and commanding, the click of his shoe hitting against the tile floor making heads tilt to his direction and making the silence deafening.

I looked up, locking into a pair of hazel blue eyes, his eyes were cold and domineering, his chiselled face, his dark hair styled to perfection, his black coat hanging up on his shoulders.

The way he carried himself gave an aura of dominance and control, his faint cologne filled my nose and it trailed control too. I could tell he was a man with authority and could bend people to his will at all times.

He stopped at the foot of my bed, his face straight with no expression written on it. As he studied me, I felt like he was a scientist examining his specimen collection to taste his dominance.

The silence stretched, it was thick with emotions hanging in the air, before his lips curved into a smirk, the smirk filled with something dark that made his eyes narrow, his lips parted.

“How are you, the former wife of…” Those words filled with quiet mockery, sending a fresh jolt of awareness through my veins, my fingers curled into the hospital sheets, my heart hammering against my ribs.

My throat tightened, the way he called the name,

“ Former wife” wasn't just an observation, he was reminding me of everything I had lost and he already knows who I am.

I forced myself to sit upright, although my body protested with the dull ache, I wasn't going to relax, I needed to know who he was and how he knew much about me.

The hospital air felt suffocating instantly, thick with unspoken words and eye contact held strong.

“Erhm…” the doctor cleared his throat, moving uncomfortably before adjusting the clipboard in my grip.

“Mr.Hills, I was just informing her of her condition, she needs to rest at the moment.” His voice steadily filled with respect as he talked to the man.

Wait, he called Michael Hills? His name was familiar as it settled in my mind, putting pieces together…

“ You look better than I had expected earlier.” Micheal said, ignoring the doctor’s presence entirely as his eyes still locked on mine like I was his prey, I arched my brows as my eyes narrowed.

“ Considering the circumstances.” He concluded, while my fingers held the sheets tighter as though my life depended on it.

The restraint on my wrist pressed cold against my skin, as I parted my lips.

“What circumstances?!” I asked, keeping my voice low even though my stomach twisted and my intestines felt like eating themselves.

His lips twitched not with a smile but his chin rose, he was amused as his left brows raised,

“The ones where you nearly died running from the law,” he replied in a smooth voice.

He tilted his head, his eyes flicking to the cuff around my wrist before returning his eyes to mine, his eyes were piercing and calculating.

“A desperate little escape plan away from the fire and yet, here you are.”

Sweat beads formed on my head as heat crawled up in my spine, a mix of anger and fear making my chest tighten.

He knew who I was, I need to know why he is that much invested in me, I need to know him too, but how?

“Who are you?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice low.

Michael's eyes didn't shift from mine, however I could read his expression better now, he still lifted his brows as though he found my questions surprising.

“I’m the man who saved your life,” he said, like I owed him for doing it. “And the only one who can keep you from going back to prison.”

My heart hit my ribs immediately, the hospital bed felt small to contain my thoughts running in my mind and the room felt too bright to expose them too.

I felt trapped but this time, I wasn't held by iron bars, I felt trapped by him.

Micheal Hills held me in place, and his eyes never wandered away from my eyes.

How am I going to repay him?! I thought looking deeper into his piercing gaze to see if I could beg or see if he was joking, I could tell he had every intention of paying him back what I owned, my life.

Was it really mine? I asked rhetorically looking up.

His gaze was still wandering around me, when his voice cut through the silence.

“I’m the one who hit you with my car.” his words landed like a stone in my chest.

My fingers tightened against sheets hard again, the scent of antiseptic thick in my throat.

Why isn't he looking away, his face carried no remorse, and between us it seemed to be cold with something final.

My breath slowly took the antiseptic slowly and controlled, though everything inside coiled tight.

He hit me with his car and now he takes me to the hospital, why?

The question burned my heart, my words slipping past my lips before I could stop it.

“Why would you help me?” My voice is barely audible.