41

CHAPTER FORTY ONE
GABRIELLE
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My eyes fluttered open to the dim lights.
The next thing my body registered was pain.
The throbbing sensation inside of my head was sharp, it caused instant tears to gather in my eyes and spill down my cheeks.
I blinked to clear my eyes, then staggered to a sitting position on the bed.
I searched my eyes around the room to discover I was alone.
The thought of Lucian and the murderous rage which had been the last thing I had seen in his eyes sent a thrill of panic through me.
I gently lifted a hand to my face and a small moan escaped my mouth, the skin there was very tender to touch, I discovered there was a bandage wrapped around my head. It must have been done while I had been unconscious.
I placed my feet on the floor and got off the bed, I headed straight for the door to discover it was locked. It wasn't as though I hadn't expected it but it filled me with a greater feeling of dread and helplessness twisting up my insides.
I was powerless to do anything but feel sorry for myself and the fate that had led me till this point.

I flinched backward when the sound of the door unlocking from the outside reached my ears.
I held my breath, my heart almost falling straight out of my chest.
The door pushed open, but it wasn't Lucian. I found myself staring into Loretta's gaze.
"You're awake, you've been unconscious for a whole day! I was worried."
I had been unconscious for a whole day? My eyes flew past the parted curtains to view outside and then to the wall clock to discover that it was already evening.
" It's a good thing the doctor mentioned that it was just the pain killers working."
She ventured inside the room and shut the door behind her before returning her focus on me.
It was filled with sympathy that suddenly spread embarrassment through me. I shared that she was seeing me in my current state, I didn't have to look into the mirror to know that my face bore an imprint of Lucian's hit. I guessed that by now, she probably knew everything that had transpired.

"You are probably hungry and thirsty, I'll get you something." She broke the silence, I tried to refuse by shaking my head only to wince at the sudden burst of pain.
"There's no need." I murmured. I didn't think I would be able to stomach anything, not even water.
"I'm sure." I quickly added when I saw that she was about to argue.
I thought maybe I should ask her about Lucian's whereabouts, I should at least know when he would come for me. I started to speak but she beat me to it.

"I heard that you tried to run away from my brother, and was taken hostage by that Anya, I didn't want to believe it, why would you do that?"
The question had suddenly come out of nowhere, I had not expected it and didn't know how to respond.
Although she spoke softly, her eyes were upset. She was blaming me as well. I probably shouldn't have cared, Anyone in my position would have done what I did, I attempted to regain my freedom but failed.
Instead of coming up with a response, I started to head back to the bed, when she spoke again.
"You know how much you mean to him, don't you? He loves you so much, Why did you have to hurt him like that? Do you even know that because of what you did, he's currently..." She choked on her sentence, her eyes were suddenly wet with tears.

I almost scoffed, how wrong she was. Love was a word that didn't exist for Lucian, it was almost laughable that she thought he felt that way about me and I could easily bet everything I had that that I was currently in a worse state than he was.
He was the one who inflicted all the hurting, how could she even blame me?
But then again, I couldn't bring myself to fault her, she probably just cared about her brother and it wouldn't matter even if I was the victim in all of this.

I sat on the bed slowly and brought a finger to my temple, to massage the pain all the movement caused when her last incomplete statement hit me.
Could it be that something bad happened to Lucian, was that why she was here instead of him?
"Did s..something happen to him?"
I didn't understand the sudden tightness in my stomach, on one hand, I was relieved that if something happened, then, he wouldn't be able to hurt me, on the other hand, I couldn't explain why I was feeling very anxious.
It couldn't possibly be that I was concerned about him, right?
No, there had to be some other explanation as to why I felt so uneasy.
I met Loretta's stare, waiting for an answer while holding my breath.
Her eyes were hesitant as though she was deliberating on whether she should tell me or not.
She walked closer to where I was toying with her fingers, her visibly nervousness served to heighten my anxiety.

"I don't know much about it and don't think it's in my place to tell you about it, I might just let you know that it would be best to stay far away from where he can see you. He's....very...um upset right now, The door was locked for your own safety, I think you shouldn't s..step out of this place for the time being." Her voice was reduced to a whisper. Her panicked features screamed that something was off. There was something that she wasn't telling me.
I also knew that hiding from Lucian was impossible, and hiding in his own room wasn't definitely the best choice.

"Where is he right now?"

"He's currently admitted in the...hospital."

I stared at her in surprise, she meant that Lucian wasn't in the mansion? Then why had she sounded so severe in her warnings?
Questions plagued my mind, and she was the only one who could give me the answers.
"Why is he in the hospital, did he fall sick?" Or injured himself? Or perhaps he was attacked and shot? I added internally.
She shook her head negatively. "I already told you that he's very upset."

She meant to say that Lucian visited the hospital because he was upset with me? I didn't quite get it and she wasn't willing to say more.
"Please try not to upset him like today. I will go get you something to eat, along with the medicines the doctor had given to you. " She started to leave but paused midway to stare at me meaningfully.
"I mean it... You h..have to stay in here, it will be very bad if he ever sees you."


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