Without much hassle, a few days passed with ease. While Arwen stayed in the hospital under observation, she waited every day for the stranger to show up. But he never did.
Jason came for her regular check-ups, but since she knew he wouldn't tell her anything, she never mentioned it to him again. Instead, she would simply have general conversations with him, asking about her recovery process or something related.
Ryan never called her, and it amused her how foolish she still was to expect his calls. He hadn't minded leaving her to die, so what made her think he would care enough to give her a call to check if she was alive or dead.
"Wennie!" Gianna called out when she noticed her friend had not sensed her presence in the room.
Arwen was lost in her thoughts, but the moment she heard her name, she turned to look with a "Hmm?"
Gianna pouted a little, then asked, "What were you so busy thinking about that you didn't even notice me here?"
Arwen didn't reply; she just smiled. his wasn't the first time, and Gianna understood her silence very well. Whenever Arwen didn't want to talk about something, she would simply avoid the topic with a smile.
"Were you thinking about Ryan?" Gianna asked, and Arwen simply smiled, not denying. Her quiet acceptance only made Gianna berate, "You shouldn't be thinking about him. He doesn't deserve you. I don't understand how you can even think of him while sitting in this hospital bed when he is the one responsible for your condition."
"It wasn't him, Anna. I crashed into some car. He came later," Arwen tried to defend Ryan out of habit but she realized how weak her voice sounded while doing so. It was as if a bigger part of her found it hard to defend him anymore.
"Yes, he did come later. And what did he do then?" Gianna was angrier than anyone else. She had seen Arwen cater to that b*stard's worst tantrums, yet he hadn't cared for her when she needed him the most. "He left you to die there and saved his precious belle. Embracing that b*tch in his arms, he left in front of your eyes. Do you think you deserved that, Arwen?"
"..." Arwen didn't know what to say. Of course, no woman deserved that.
Gianna sighed and then holding Arwen's hands, she said, "Wennie, Ryan-the-jerk doesn't deserve you. He will never love you. He only has Delyth-the-bi*ch in his eyes. No matter what you do or sacrifice for him, he will never care. Don't waste your time on him."
Arwen was her best friend, and Gianna wanted only the best for her. Unfortunately, Ryan never fit that mould. She had always deterred Arwen from staying with him, but she knew it was not something that Arwen could easily choose for herself.
Even though Arwen Quinn was an independent woman, the rich heiress of the Quinn family, she wasn't allowed to make her decision —especially one as important as marriage.
Ryan Foster was the choice of Arwen's mother. And with her mother's say in it, Arwen couldn't refuse. So, over time, she had accepted her fate, moulding herself into the perfect fiancée for him.
"You are lecturing me so much today. Did you forget get me breakfast?" Arwen suddenly asked, once again avoiding the topic. Gianna sighed inwardly but didn't push Arwen any further. She knew it wasn't easy for her, either.
"I got you your favourites. How could I let you starve? My lectures can't fill your stomach, after all," she said, before setting out the breakfast she had brought for her friend. "And yeah, I almost forgot to ask you —when are you going to be discharged? You can't stay in the hospital forever."
Arwen paused for a second, but then taking the spoon in her hand, said, "I know, and I won't stay here for long. It's just that I am waiting for someone to show up. Once he does, we will leave."
Gianna stared at her, squinting her eyes. When Arwen's gaze met with her, she narrowed them further before inquiring, "Don't tell me, you are getting obsessed with that stranger now?"
Arwen scratched her brows and didn't reply.
Gianna knew that she got it right. So, she quickly deterred her, saying, "Wennie, I can't tell you how happy I am to see you getting obsessed over a man who is not Ryan Foster. But can you not be insane for once? I mean, fine, that guy saved you when your own fiancé didn't, but he hasn't shown up since you woke up. Don't you think that that's a little weird?"
Arwen nodded. "Yes, he didn't. But what if he shows up later? I might miss the chance of meeting and thanking him for saving me."
"So, you are going to stay here until he shows up?"
Gianna asked, not believing it was real. But Arwen nodded without any hesitation. "Theoretically, yes, I should stay here and wait for him to appear."
"And practically you shouldn't. Are you crazy Arwen? Out of all the ways, you chose this one. If the prince had simply stood on the staircase with the glass heels, waiting for Cinderella to show up, Cinderella would still be getting tormented by her stepmother and stepsisters —just like you will suffer in this boring decor of the hospital. So, don't be crazy." Gianna said, making Arwen consider her words.
To some extent, her words made a point. She couldn't stay in the hospital forever. But then … "But what if he comes to see me and finds out I have already left? Wouldn't he feel I am ungrateful for not waiting for him?"
Gianna opened her mouth to suggest something, but then closed it, realizing something important that she had missed at first instance. "Wait, why do I feel I missed something to notice amidst everything? You are scared of him misjudging you. Why? Don't tell me, you have fallen for him."