Chapter 24

24 24. Samuel’s Secret

William cursed many times in his head. Why did nobody tell him that Paula had collapsed? He asked Dave what hospital Paula was in.

“Thanks, Dave! I think I gotta go now!” he exclaimed.

“Do you need help? Clara works there. She is a doctor,” Dave offered him.

“Dave, baby, I am a resident,” Clara corrected her fiance. Dave looked back at her with an as-if-I-care-about-the-hierarchy look on his face.

“No, thanks. Enjoy the banquet, please!”

William didn’t want to stay at the event any longer. He quickly fled away to the exit and didn’t care about everything. But, he met his mom at the elevator.

“Will, where will you go?” his mom shouted. The middle-aged lady ran on her heels to stop her son from escaping. “You are supposed to be here until we are done.”

“Why didn’t you tell me honestly about Paula, mom?” William snapped at her. His eyes glistened in anger.

“I planned to tell you after we finish the fundraising,” Lisa defended herself. “Look, it turns out Lea was correct. We must keep this until the event is done or else, you will go on a rampage.”

.....

“Lea?”

“Listen to me. Paula was fine. Samuel is taking care of her,” Lisa tried her best on persuading her son to stay.

Before long, Lea came out of the toilet and approached them. She knew that somebody had told William about Paula.

“Mom, William must be worried about Paula. He is still her husband, anyway. Don’t you think that he better plays his role as a good husband till the end, no?” Lea grabbed William’s arm and held it tightly. She gazed at him, giving him a supportive look. However, William found it contradictory to her previous action, preventing him from knowing the truth. He didn’t want to say anything, though, since what he wanted to do now was escape safely.

Lisa frowned, questioning Lea’s attitude. She then examined William’s face, only to find his determination to leave as soon as possible. “Okay, son. I will not keep you here any longer. Let’s go, Lea!”

Lisa expected that Lea would follow suit. But, Lea stayed at William’s side instead. “Lea?”

“I-I will go with William, mom! I want to know Paula’s condition. She looked-ill, no?” Lea stuttered, holding William’s arm with trembling hands.

“Oh, okay,” Lisa nodded. She scanned her son’s facial expression one more time and then left them without asking more questions. Gracefully, the lady in a white pantsuit mingled into the crowds.

When Lisa was gone, William turned to face Lea and asked, “Why did you tell me a lie? You were supposed to let me know that Paula had collapsed.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Lea’s face turned pale. She looked away and said, “Paula said, I should learn to maintain your ... Ehm ... my future husband’s company’s good reputation.”

“She said, that?” William’s green orbs pierced, studying Lea’s face.

“Yes, that’s why I didn’t tell you,” Lea replied in a low tone, her hands shaking. Her palms were cold and sweating.

“You should stay here and go home later with my mom. You look unwell,” Wiliam suggested, hoping Lea wouldn’t follow him to the hospital. He didn’t know what the reason was. He just wanted more privacy to discuss things with Paula.

Trembling, Lea reached William’s arm again, refusing William’s order. “I want to see Paula. I-I want to thank her for everything she did for us.”

William then exhaled lightly. “Let’s go!” He pushed the lift button, not wanting to argue anymore with a pale-looking pregnant woman beside him.

***

In the hospital, Samuel waited patiently while the doctor examined Paula’s condition. Samuel ran to them when he saw the doctor and the nurses out of the patient room.

“How’s her condition? Is she okay?” Samuel looked so worried. His perfectly tanned skin was glistening with sweat.

“They are fine, sir!” the doctor answered with a smile, as well as the nurses.

“Th-they are?” Samuel, of course, got confused.

“Your wife and your baby are fine,” the older nurse explained.

“I-”

“Congratulations!” Both of the nurses blessed him simultaneously.

Of course, with his current expression, Samuel looked like nothing but Paula’s partner-a husband or a boyfriend. Don’t blame the nurses for the misunderstanding. He looked so worried as if he was about to lose something important in his life.

The middle-aged doctor tapped Samuel’s shoulder and said, “She will wake up in no time! you can get inside.”

Samuel didn’t bother to fix their misunderstanding. He immediately entered Paula’s room, hoping she would wake up sooner. However, thirty minutes had passed and nothing good happened. He decided to walk around to look for some foods to feed his belly and Paula’s later-also the babies.

He bought some fruits and bread. A little bit too much because he didn’t know her favorite food. He wanted to buy sweet flavors, but he was afraid she preferred savory tastes. He wanted to buy some apples, but he was afraid she was one of those I-love-strawberries girls. He ended up buying everything. Luckily, the fruit shop also provided expensive non-seasonal fruits, so his choice was not so limited.

After shopping, he went back to the room and how sad he was when he found out that Paula was still unconscious. Samuel sat beside her, scanning her beautiful figure. He tenderly stroked her long blonde hair while looking at her gorgeous face in awe.

“Do you know, Paula? I didn’t believe in love at first sight until I met you,” He whispered. A sad look crossed his face. His green eyes stared at Paula’s luscious lips intensely. He was trying his best to fight the urge to kiss her.

However, the silence in the room tempted him to give up. There was no one. A bed and things in the room can not talk. Nobody saw him if he did something forbidden. Before he knew it, his lips were on her lips.

At the same time, William and Lea arrived, seeing Samuel kissing his cousin-in-law.