Lucas had rushed to a distant hospital, his mind racing after receiving alarming messages.
The food on his plate had gone cold, untouched, as he skimmed through the text that had soured his appetite.
"From Julia's assistant:
Hello, Mr. Lucas. Mrs. Julia is currently in the ICU undergoing surgery after a severe accident. The accident caused severe bleeding, and she had to be rushed to the hospital."
His heart pounded as he stared at the message. "What?! When?! How?!" He typed frantically, the words feeling like a punch to the gut.
The last time he had spoken to Julia, she was perfectly fine. The abrupt turn of events left him reeling, unable to comprehend the sudden shift.
"It's a long story," came the reply, "but I had to use her phone to message you. She kept asking for you after the accident."
Lucas barely heard the rest. He left Nana's house in a blur, racing to the hospital.
When he arrived, the sterile, antiseptic smell of the hospital hit him like a wall.
Guided through the maze of corridors, he reached Julia's ward.
The sight that met him was almost too much to bear. Julia lay in the bed, her forehead and hands wrapped in bandages, her frail form connected to a monitor with a steady beep.
His legs felt heavy, like they were stuck in thick syrup.
The room seemed to spin as he walked to her bed, reaching out to hold her hand.
He gripped it as though his touch could make her better, his eyes welling up with tears that threatened to spill.
Just then, a doctor in a crisp lab coat entered the room, his face a mask of professional concern. He nodded at Lucas.
"How is she?" Lucas asked urgently, his voice barely above a whisper as he gripped the edge of Julia's hospital bed.
The doctor looked up from his clipboard, his gaze reassuring. "She's making progress. It's been three hours since the surgery, and she's starting to recover."
Lucas let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The weight of the last few hours seemed to lift slightly.
Over the next three days, Lucas visited the hospital frequently, his eyes always searching for signs of improvement.
He watched as Julia gradually regained her strength, her voice growing stronger with each passing day.
One morning, as Lucas settled into a chair beside her bed, Julia reached out and took his hand in her own.
Her eyes were still weary, but her voice was gentle.
"Thank you for staying by me," she murmured, her gratitude evident in the gentle squeeze of her hand.
Lucas settled into the chair beside Julia's bed, his fingers gently tracing the edge of her hand.
"Don't thank me," he said softly, his voice almost lost in the hum of the hospital room. "We've known each other since we were kids, and you have no family. Who else would stay if not me?"
Julia's eyes widened slightly as she absorbed his words. "Childhood friends?" she echoed, her voice tinged with surprise.
To her, the term seemed almost dismissive, a label that failed to capture the depth of their past and her own feelings.
Memories flickered through her mind. She remembered her return to Sumturm City, the effort she'd put into her appearance that day, hoping to catch Lucas's eye with a carefully chosen outfit and suggestive demeanour.
She had anticipated his attention, but his focus remained fixed on business, his gaze never straying to her deliberately exposed cleavage.
His disinterest felt like a personal slight, and she began to wonder if he was under some spell or had simply changed beyond recognition.
In frustration, she turned to manipulation. She crafted false evidence and spun elaborate lies, hoping to drive a wedge between him and Aurora.
She had hoped Lucas would react with anger and spend the night with her, but instead, he had stormed out, determined to confront Aurora.
Julia shook her head slightly, the effort to speak, making her voice come out faint and unsteady.
"Thank you," she managed to murmur, trying to sound as if she were still groggy from the effects of the medication.
She reached out, her fingers gently closing around his hand, hoping to convey more than just gratitude. But Lucas, still focused on the day ahead, gently pulled his hand away.
He glanced at the clock on the wall, realizing he had a business meeting in just a few hours.
With a sigh, he stood up, preparing to leave. "If there's anything you need to say, you can talk to me. I'll be leaving now."
Desperate not to let him go, Julia's hand shot out, gripping his wrist tightly.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up at him, her voice trembling with raw emotion. "Lucas, please don't leave."
Her plea, laced with genuine fear, was met with a look of frustration.
Lucas had always held business as his top priority, and he loathed what he saw as emotional manipulation.
He glanced down at her hand with a mixture of annoyance and pity.
Julia's grip tightened, her body visibly trembling.
"I'm scared, Lucas. I'm so scared. I can't stay here alone," Julia's voice cracked, her eyes pleading.
Lucas's expression softened, but he tried to offer practical reassurance. "Julia, you have your assistant."
"No," she insisted, her grip tightening around his wrist. "It's you I want here. I'm too terrified with anyone else."
Lucas's mind drifted back to their shared past.
He remembered the nights when Julia had clung to him, trembling, after the traumatic death of her parents.
The memories of her sobbing into his shoulder while rain pounded against the windows seemed almost tangible now.
His heart ached at the recollection. "Alright, Julia," he said gently, patting her shoulder. "I'm here."
Julia's sobs gradually subsided, her tears ebbing away as if they had been used up. She sniffled softly, her earlier distress giving way to a fragile calm.
Lucas adjusted the pillow behind her back, making her more comfortable. As he settled her, he couldn't help but ask quietly, "Haven't you gotten over that memory?"
Julia's head shook slowly, her voice carrying a bitter edge. "No…" Her voice faltered.
"Especially when I was nearly killed in that deliberate accident," she added, her tone a plea for sympathy that tugged at Lucas's heart.
Lucas's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Deliberately? How did you know it was deliberate?"
Julia's tears began to fall again, her gaze turning distant.
She bit her lip, struggling to find the right words. "I wanted to keep this from you, but I can't anymore. The accident… it still haunts me."
Lucas reached out, his voice gentle. "It's okay. You can tell me."
Her lips quivered as she struggled to form the words.
Drawing a shuddering breath, her shoulders tightened.
"It was Aurora's doing," she whispered, her voice trembling as tears began to flow freely.