Blame
"I'm not feeling well, Alice," Daisy breathed heavily as she spoke.
"What happened?" Alice snapped back from his thoughts and looked at his mom, who was breathing heavily and not looking good at all.
"My heart is aching," Daisy lied because this is the only way she can keep Alice with her.
Of course, he already has his people searching for Alisha, but the more he's busy with her, the longer it will take him to find Alisha.
‘I know it's not a big help, but this is the last thing I can do to lessen my guilt a bit. If it still doesn't work, then it's your destiny, Alisha,’ she thought.
The idea might be lame, and she knows she's taking advantage of Alice's care for her, but it's better than anything else.
“Your heart?” Alice got stressed. “Drive to the hospital now,” he ordered the driver.
He held his mother's hand, trying to make her relax.
"It's just a fainting spell, Mom. If you're feeling unwell, you shouldn't be here. Why did you even go out to find Alisha? I would have handled that part; you just had to call me," he exclaimed.
Feeling no better because of his issues with Alisha, Daisy's health is now in question, which only makes him angrier with Alisha, and he knows this anger will burst out as soon as he gets his hands on Alisha.
"It's not Alisha's fault, not even mine. You already know about my health, so it's nothing unusual," Daisy clarified, not wanting Alice to blame Alisha.
"Of course, it's Alisha's fault. She dared to run away, and it caused you stress, which led to this," Alice reasoned, rejecting Daisy's words entirely.
Daisy sighed, feeling guilty for lying to her son. "Alice, listen to me, it's not her mistake. Blaming her won't solve anything."
Alice's jaw tensed as he tried to control his frustration. "I don't want to hear any excuses for her behavior, Mom.”
Daisy's heart sank. She knew Alice's anger was justified, but she couldn't bear to see him hurt. "I understand your anger, Alice, but please try to see things from her perspective."
Alice shook his head in disbelief. "I don't need to see things from her perspective, Mom. She betrayed me."
Daisy's eyes welled up with tears. "It's not like this.”
Alice's expression softened slightly, but his anger remained evident as he didn't want to see his mom's teary eyes.
Daisy reached out and gently touched his arm. "Everything will be fine.”
Alice sighed heavily. "I just don't know, Mom, but for sure I am going to get my hands on her.”
Daisy nodded, understanding her son's feelings, even though she disagreed. "I know you're upset, Alice, but please, don't do something you regret later.”
"I just can't believe, she thinks she can run away, without any consequences”
Daisy hugged him tightly, trying to offer comfort.
Alice doesn't know how he's even holding himself up. More than anger, he's in pain knowing that Alisha ran away from this marriage without a second thought.
He was here, thinking and planning the future, while she was planning her escape.
And what's worse, he didn't suspect a thing, even after watching her on camera while he was working; she just seemed sad and lost in thought.
He thought it was normal because the marriage was forced, and she couldn't be happy about it. But he never imagined that in her mind, she was concocting such a plan; she completely blindsided him.
Now he wants to consider whether she's really innocent or if she's the same person she sometimes becomes—bold and different—only to forget it all afterwards.
It's as if she's not the one who behaves that way; he feels like it's all a facade she's pulling.
“Here, sir,” the driver stopped the car in front of the hospital. Alice carried his mom in his arms and walked inside.
“Can someone get a heart doctor (cardiologist) here?” he shouted as soon as he entered the hospital's big hall.
Immediately, nurses and doctors came out to attend to the patient. When their eyes fell on Alice, they all were dumbstruck because most people had seen him in various news and media coverage, making it hard not to recognize him in business or working places.
The nurses quickly rushed to assist Alice and his mother.
“Doctor is on the way sir,” One of them spoke.
Alice paced anxiously in the waiting area, his mind swirling with worry for his mother and frustration towards Alisha.
After what felt like an eternity, the cardiologist arrived and began examining Daisy. Alice stood by, watching every move, his heart pounding with fear.
Finally, the doctor turned to him with a reassuring smile. "Your mother's condition isn't serious. She just needs some rest and medication."
“But then why did she suddenly feel a pain in her heart? "Did you check it properly?" Alice asked, his tone dominating.
He didn't want to take any chances. In the name of family, he only had his mother, and he wouldn't take it easy when it came to her health.
"She might be too stressed or maybe she did too much walking. It's not good for her health, especially as a heart patient. That's why she might have felt uncomfortable, even though all her tests came back normal," the doctor explained politely, fully aware of who he was dealing with.
"Other than rest and medication, does she need anything else? Like therapy or a specific diet?" Alice questioned, clenching his fists, not because of the doctor's words.
He knew this whole situation was because of him, and then she tried to find Alisha too, which meant she walked more than necessary.
All because of him. Anything he could bear, but not a single scratch on his mother. And here she was in the hospital because of him.
The doctor nodded understandingly. "For now, rest and medication should suffice. However, I recommend she avoids strenuous activities and follows a balanced diet. And it might be helpful for her to engage in some stress-relief techniques, like deep breathing or meditation."
Alice listened attentively, nodding in agreement. "We'll make sure she follows your advice."
After the doctor left, Alice walked into the room and stood close to his mother, looking sad.
Daisy reached out and gently touched his hand. "It's not your fault, Alice. I am totally fine."
She could read his face, knowing he was blaming himself for everything.