CHAPTER 217
Arianna couldn’t bear the thought that crossed her mind. The possibility was too horrifying to accept.
She winced in pain as she forced herself to sit up, pulling the IV needle from her arm without a second thought. Ignoring the dizziness that followed, she staggered out of the hospital bed and into the hallway.
A nurse passed by, and Arianna clutched her arm desperately. “Where is he? The man who was with me—what happened to him? Is he okay?” she asked, her voice raspy and trembling with urgency.
The nurse hesitated for a moment, then pointed toward a room nearby. “He’s in the ward right next—”
Arianna didn’t wait for the rest of the nurse’s response. She bolted toward the room, her heart hammering in her chest.
As she burst through the door, an eerie silence greeted her. The room was still—too still. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the hospital bed in the centre of the room. A figure lay on it, completely motionless, covered from head to toe by a white sheet.
Arianna’s heart plummeted into her stomach. Her breath hitched, and she covered her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.
*Was the dream real?*
Her legs felt weak, almost unable to support her weight, but she forced herself to move forward. The distance to the bed seemed to stretch infinitely, every step heavier than the last. Her vision blurred as her tears began to fall uncontrollably.
Finally reaching the bedside, Arianna hesitated, her trembling fingers hovering over the edge of the sheet. She could barely grip it as every fibre of her being refused to lift the cover and confirm her worst fear.
Choking on her sobs, she whispered, “You can’t be gone, Xander… You…you hate me, don’t you? So why? Why did you save me?” Her voice cracked with anguish.
“Don’t leave me… Please, don’t die…”
Tears streamed down her face, landing on the white sheet and soaking into it, leaving damp patches where her grief poured out. She held the sheet tighter, her body shaking as the reality of the moment crushed her spirit.
Arianna clutched the edge of the white cloth tightly, her hands trembling as she slowly lifted it while calling out, “Xan—”
Her voice faltered, freezing when she saw who was lying beneath the sheet. The words stuck in her throat, and she stood there, completely dumbfounded.
It wasn’t Xander—it was Ronald lying in the bed.
His face mirrored her shock, and he looked just as awkward as she felt. Ronald, usually smooth and quick to joke, was at a complete loss for words.
The silence between them hung awkwardly in the air, thick with discomfort.
Ronald coughed, clearing his throat to break the tension. “Uh…Mrs. King” he began, clearly struggling to find his usual confidence.
“Why…why are you looking at me like that?”
Arianna blinked, trying to process what was happening. “R-Ronald? What…what are you doing here?” Her voice shook as she tried to make sense of it all.
Ronald sat up slightly, his expression sheepish. “Well, I was at the hospital late last night. After finishing up everything, I decided to rest here for a bit. Someone had to stay, after all… Is that such a bad thing?”
Arianna frowned, still trying to figure it out.
“But…why were you covered with a white sheet? And…why didn’t you say anything when I walked in?”
The reality of the situation hit her hard, and her face flushed red. She had poured her heart out, crying and confessing, thinking she was speaking to Xander, only to realize she’d said it all to Ronald!
Ronald rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.
“I just…I didn’t know what to say when you mistook me for someone else,” he admitted.
“By the time I figured it out, well…it was too late.”
Arianna groaned, covering her face with her hands.
*How could this be happening?*
The humiliation was overwhelming, and all she wanted was for the ground to swallow her whole.
Ronald felt wronged and couldn’t help but defend himself. “I was exhausted, Mrs King. I must’ve wrapped myself in the sheet while I slept. It’s not some ‘white cloth,’ it’s just a regular bedsheet…”
He sighed and continued, “Besides, I didn’t wake up until I heard you crying. By that point, I didn’t know how to stop you without making things worse. If I’d interrupted, wouldn’t that have been even more embarrassing for both of us?”
Arianna rolled her eyes in frustration. “And this is any *less* humiliating?”
“I had no idea you’d pull the sheet off! I was just going to keep pretending to be dead and hope for the best.”
Arianna shut her eyes in exasperation, feeling the sting of embarrassment wash over her. She had made such a fool of herself, and now there was no way to take it back.
But despite the awkwardness, there was something far more important on her mind—Xander.
Taking a steadying breath, she opened her eyes and looked at Ronald, her voice shaky as she asked,
“Where’s Xander? How is he? Is he… Is he okay?”
The moment the question left her lips, Ronald’s expression darkened, and his normally bright demeanour faded. His silence made her heart race with fear.
“Ronald… Xander’s alright, isn’t he?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ronald sighed deeply, stepping closer to her. His tone was calm, but the weight of his words was impossible to ignore. “Arianna… Xander was stabbed in the heart by Piper when he tried to save you. After you fainted, she lost it completely and tried to come after you again. Xander shielded you, not once, but twice. Rochelle, ma'am, and John, Sir, arrived just in time to stop her. They rushed both of you to the hospital.”
His words made her throat tighten as fear gripped her. Ronald continued, “You were treated quickly because your injury wasn’t too severe, but Xander… he was in critical condition. They rushed him straight to the operating room.”
