1

Bella

By now I should have been tying the knot with the love of my life, but life has other plans. Plans that led me farther away from my wishes. 

 

Just a few months ago, Robin was diagnosed with cancer, which worsened afterwards. It seemed like the pronouncement gave the cancer the right to manifest aggressively. Each time I thought about my boyfriend, my chest ached even more because, as a medical practitioner, I was powerless in the situation.

 

During my break, I decided to check in on Robin in the next ward. Having finished his first lap of the chemotherapy session, he was still under monitoring. Although he didn't have enough strength to talk for now, I enjoyed talking to him. I pushed through the door, and my lips started to spread into a smile.

 

"Hey, baby—" I started to say as I closed the door behind me, but my lips shut halfway. My brows furrowed, and then my eyes started to scan around the empty room. Slowly at first, then desperately in search of my boyfriend. Maybe he had been moved to another ward, I thought to myself, attempting to calm my nerves.

 

Just when I was about to leave, the door opened, revealing Doctor Lucy and another nurse holding a case file. 

 

"I think we should bring him here." She said to the nurse, who nodded almost too fast.

"Oh Bella, I know you must be missing him by now." She observed, "Don't worry, I'm sure he's in better hands. I hear India has the best cancer specialists."

 

My lips quivered, eyes blinked rapidly. "What do you mean?" I was unable to make sense of what she was talking about.

 

"No one informed you?" Her eyes widened; we were both sharing different measures of shock for different reasons.

 

I shook my head.

 

"As his case deteriorated, we thought it best to recommend him to a better facility with a trained specialist for his case."

"Please excuse us." I forced a smile on the other nurse who exited the room.

I moved closer to Doctor Lucy and held her shoulders, my eyes misting with tears. Although she was about five years older, age never came between our blooming friendship. "Who signed his transfer papers?"

"Bella," she sighed. "His parents did."

I clutched my chest, my voice dropping to a whisper. "You should have told me about it."

"Sorry, I thought his parents would have the decency to tell you at least, and I have to go." She squeezed my hands a little. "I'm sorry about this."

I have never met Robin's parents because he was quite hesitant about introducing me to them. He said he was scared that they wouldn't approve of me and when he was ready, we would get married without their consent. But now I couldn't understand how everything had changed within the blink of an eye. Throughout my duty hours, the shock made me numb to my surroundings as I kept up with the pretence of being fine.

-

After signing out from the hospital, I trudged through the empty streets as the breeze thrashed my hair about. My legs were weak with exhaustion, my heart was burdened with an inexplicable grief that was close to physical pain. I wanted to stop walking just to catch my breath, but for some reason, I kept on moving. I was approaching a bar; I needed to drink this hurt away.

 

Tired of holding in the tears, I let them fall as I hastened my footsteps. I wondered why Robin left without saying a word. I tried dialling his number but it was switched off, and my chest tightened.

 

In a swift motion, I halted on my track and waited for a taxi. I needed to get to the bar as soon as possible.

 

I looked at my sides and wiped my eyes before trying to hail a cab. From the corner of my eyes, I saw a black car trailing behind me. Goosebumps sprouted on my skin but I didn't know whether it was an effect of Robin's betrayal or the car behind me but I kept walking.

 

Suddenly, the screech of a car made me jerk my head towards the direction. I saw a Rolls-Royce pulled to a stop a few inches away from me. I wiped my tears a bit more, held my breath and walked faster. The car started to follow me slowly. At first, I thought about running, but I mustered the courage to turn around. 

 

The window rolled down to reveal a man in the passenger's seat with dark shades. "Get in the car." His voice, with an Italian accent, held a sense of urgency.

 

I tilted my head. "And who the hell are you?"

 

"I'll pay you whatever you want; this is a matter of life and death."

 

Money. I had to act quickly. I immediately entered the car. With my father's hospital bills and debts piling up, there was no way I would reject a way to make extra money. 

 

"Who am I treating?" I asked the moment I entered the car. After I discussed my financial issue with Lucy, she introduced me to another aspect of the job, which involves treating criminals who were afraid to go to the hospital because of extra questioning. She usually referred her clients to me.

 

The man took off his glasses; his eyes were red as he shook his legs impatiently. "You'll see him at the hotel."

 

"At the hotel?" I questioned. "That's risky."

 

"Not when he owns it."

 

After a minute passed, the man yelled at the driver. "I'm sure you can move faster than this or do you want to die?" I shuddered at the intensity of the threat; the patient must mean a lot to this man.

 

The driver, who seemed to be used to the vile language, didn't flinch but replied calmly. "I'm sorry. I'm trying my best."

 

"Your best should be better than this." he rasped, spitting the words without control as his fingers trembled. I knew it was the effect of seeing a loved one in danger.

 

"You should calm down; if he drives faster than this, we could get in an accident." I intervened. "And if that happens, neither of us would be able to save him."

He acknowledged me for a second and nodded his head. "You're right."

 

-

As we approached the hotel, I didn't have the time to gawk at the grandeur before the man grabbed my hands and whisked me into the elevator. The driver didn't come along with us. A few minutes later we were at the top floor. He inserted his card, and the door gave way to the most beautiful room I have ever seen. 

 

As I glanced down, my lips parted. "What the—" I immediately crouched down; the man appeared to be half-unconscious and half-breathing as he lay on one of his sides. I noticed dark blood splattered on his crisp suit, but the crimson-soaked fabric appeared to be concentrated on his upper arm which he held. My eyes fell on his steel ring which felt too familiar but I shoved the thought away.

 

"He was shot?"

 

"By those bloody motherfuckers."

 

I started by kneeling beside him and taking off his suit and his sleeves, which I ended up cutting off because of his frequent groaning to get a clearer view of the wound. 

 

Thankfully, the bullet was visible to the eyes, which means there may be little or no damage to his internal organs. I took a deep breath before grabbing my equipment.

 

I nudged the man slightly. "Hey."

I sat waiting for his response while admiring him. His caramel skin glittered under the glow of the light, but he looked drained as he let out slow, tired breaths. His eyes slowly flickered open; they were blue. My heart skipped, and my hands became shaky. It was him.

 

Stefano.

Realization flickered in his eyes; the world stilled, and in those few seconds, only we existed. I had walked away when he needed me the most so I wasn't surprised when he looked away like I did years back.

I paused for a second, my heart beating faster as guilt twisted my chest like a knife.

 

"Are you okay?" The other man asked.

I cleared my throat. "Uhm, yes, just a bit scared. He has lost so much blood."

 

"Oh shit."

 

I stared at Stefano lying on the floor. "Hey, this may hurt a little," I spoke, trying my best to adopt a professional tone.

 

Stefano groaned softly, his lips curving into a faint, almost bitter smirk as he muttered, "Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve hurt me, Bella."