"Co on, don’t let him catch us like this. Otherwise, it’ll be another problem convincing him that you’re fine," Zamiel said gently, breaking the hug.
Carla smiled faintly and wiped away her tears. She knew Zamiel ant well, but deep down, she also knew she didn’t have much ti left.
"Doctor Zamiel," a nurse called, walking into the room with a tal tray in hand. Zamiel gave her a quick nod, signaling her to proceed with whatever she had co for.
"I’ll leave you to her," he said, turning back to Carla. "Once she’s done administering your dication, you can get discharged, okay?"
"Okay."
And just like that, he left the room, his footsteps fading into the hallway.
Carla exhaled softly, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the locket that hung around her neck, the one Nix had given her. Her chest tightened, and she bit her lower lip, trying to suppress the tears that threatened to spill again.
"His life is finally becoming stable" she thought bitterly. "How could I ruin that by telling him I’ve been hanging by a thread?"
"Ma’am," the nurse’s voice broke her thoughts. "Soone said to pass this on to you."
She pulled a phone from her pocket and handed it over before setting the tray down.
With a raised brow, Carla accepted the phone. It wasn’t locked, strangely. Curiosity flickered through her as she swiped through the screen. The phone was completely empty, except for one file in the gallery, a single video.
Hesitant, she tapped it.
The footage was grainy, like an old recording. Nix’s mother appeared on the screen, her movents gentle, almost as if she were trying to calm soone down. But there was no sound just the silent flicker of images, making the scene feel eerily distant.
Then, without warning, Nix’s mother clutched her chest and collapsed to the floor, as if struck by an unseen force.
Carla’s breath caught in her throat.
A small girl appeared on-screen cautious, hesitant and walked closer to the fallen woman. She bent slightly, as though to check for signs of life. Then, the girl straightened up and quickly hid a gun behind her jacket.
Carla froze.
Her pulse pounded in her ears as she paused the video, her trembling fingers pinching the screen to zoom in on the girl’s face.
And then her world tilted.
Her blood ran cold. The reflection staring back at her from the frozen fra the little girl in the video.. was her.
"et with in the next thirty minutes at this location."
Carla read the ssage silently, her pulse quickening as her eyes darted toward the nurse. The woman was busy arranging the items on the tray, completely unaware.
Quickly, Carla locked the phone and slipped it under her pillow, her movents subtle but tense. Her fingers trembled slightly as she did so.
Her heart began to race not from fear alone, but from the swirl of emotions crashing inside her.
After everything that had just happened the video, the revelation she didn’t know what to believe anymore. Her mind was a blur, her chest tight with unease. The room suddenly felt smaller, the air heavier, as though every breath was laced with uncertainty.
Who sent the ssage?
Why now?
And what if... what if it’s another trap?
Her palms felt clammy against the sheets. Part of her wanted to ignore it, to stay put and let the world outside burn. But another part, the part that still needed answers urged her to go. She swallowed hard, forcing her breathing to steady, silently counting the seconds until the nurse would leave.
anwhile, outside the room, Nix stood near the corridor, his mind occupied with thoughts of Carla’s recovery until a sudden commotion near the ICU caught his attention.
He turned, eyebrows knitting together as he took in the scene unfolding before him. Two won were arguing, their voices sharp, echoing off the sterile hospital walls. One was Mrs. Rena, Ken’s mother, her face flushed with fury. The other stood stiffly beside her was Carla’s cousin, Amina.
"You promised to take proper care of her, didn’t you?" Mrs. Rena snapped, glaring daggers at the man standing a few feet away. Her voice trembled with rage, the kind that ca from long-held resentnt.
The man didn’t respond. He rely stepped aside, his expression grim, refusing to et her eyes.
"Being quiet won’t solve this!" she barked again, her tone cutting through the hallway. "You know, I was happy when we found your second daughter, but are you planning to let your first die before she even learns her sister exists?"
"Aunt, please," Amina said softly, stepping forward. Her tone was pleading, her eyes darting between the two of them. "Calm down. I was the one who insisted they should co."
"Aunt?" Nix frowned slightly, confusion etching across his face. Aunt? Since when was Mrs. Rena in Paris and since when did Amina start calling her that?
He studied them more closely, his instincts tightening like a coiled spring. There was sothing about the tension in the air, sothing unspoken that told him this wasn’t just any quarrel.
And then he noticed the third figure standing a few paces away, half-hidden by the corner wall. Silent. Watching.
Nix’s eyes narrowed. Who was she?
"I can finally understand why Tamila refused to marry you and chose instead to marry the very man who ruined her life. If you have even an ounce of sha left or any respect for my right over you as your sister, Camillo then you’ll bring Carla back to where she rightfully belongs... by her sister’s side," she spat, her voice trembling with fury before she turned sharply and stord away.
Nix stood frozen where he was, every word echoing in his mind. It took him several long seconds to process what he’d just heard not because he was slow to understand, but because the entire confrontation felt staged, as if he had just witnessed a carefully orchestrated act rather than a genuine outburst.
He slipped a hand into his pocket, feeling the faint buzz of his phone. Without checking the caller ID, he answered.
"Nix, you won’t believe what I just found out," ca Justin’s voice, cold, rushed, and serious.
"What did you find?" Nix asked, his tone flat but his pulse quickening.
"Carla isn’t a Delton."
Nix’s brows furrowed. "aning?"
"The scientist, he’s not Carla’s father. And he’s known all along. I was going through his files and found a DNA test result of his and Carla’s."
For a mont, Nix said nothing. The hallway around him blurred as the words sank in. Not his daughter... he knew all along.
No wonder the man had always acted so comfortably around her, with that unnerving sense of entitlent.
Nix’s gaze shifted back toward the man standing near the ergency room with a f blank, unreadable expression and his jaw tightened. Without waiting for Justin to say anything more, he ended the call and imdiately dialed Ken’s number.
His mind raced, piecing together fragnts of truth that refused to form a full picture.
If Mrs. Rena knew who Carla really was, why stay silent?
And when did she have a brother?
The line clicked.
"Hello?" Ken’s voice ca through, slightly breathless.
"Does your mother have a brother?" Nix asked straightaway.
There was silence heavy and stretching before Ken finally exhaled, his tone uncertain.
"She does... but they’re not really close. I think it’s because of sothing that happened years ago, sothing about him mistreating her friend, the woman he was in love with. I heard he tried to make up for it later by opening a company or... sothing like a child care organization. But Mom was completely against it. I never spent much ti with her side of the family, so I don’t know all the details."
Nix’s thoughts darkened. They weren’t even done dealing with one problem, and now another is surfacing.
If Carla’s real father knew about her existence...
Then why had he stayed away all this ti?
"Is his na Camillo by any chance?" Nix asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Yes... how did you know?" Ken’s voice ca back, puzzled.
"Never mind," Nix muttered, ending the call just as he noticed Amina approaching from the far end of the corridor.
"You seem to have your hands full," he scoffed, his tone cold and edged with irritation.
Amina didn’t react. Her expression was guarded the kind that carried both guilt and resolve. She stopped a few feet away, lowering her gaze briefly before speaking.
"You must have found out the truth," she said quietly.
Nix crossed his arms and leaned lazily against the wall, his eyes narrowing as he studied her and the man standing behind her, Camillo. The calm in his posture was deceptive; underneath, anger simred like a storm barely contained.
"Yes, I have," he said evenly, his voice low but cutting. "But I want to hear it from you."
Amina’s lips parted, but no words ca out at first. Her throat tightened. She glanced back at Camillo as if silently begging for help, but he offered none only a distant, unreadable stare.
"I..." she started, her voice trembling before she steadied it. "He’s... Carla’s father. And I know you have a lot of questions, but.." she paused, choosing her words carefully, ".. right now, Carla’s sister needs her help."
"Help?" Nix repeated, his tone dark with suspicion.
Amina nodded hesitantly. "She has bone marrow cancer and.. "
"What makes you think I’ll let my wife go through any dical procedure to help a sister who suddenly appears after all these years?" he snapped, pushing off the wall and stepping closer, his voice sharp as glass. "Do you take for a fool?"
Amina flinched slightly under his glare but stood her ground. "Must you always believe everyone has a hidden motive for approaching her? He’s her.."
"Amina, let’s go!" Camillo’s voice cut through the tension. He had already started walking ahead, his expression stern.
"But, Uncle.."
"I said, let’s go!" he barked, this ti louder, his tone commanding.
Nix gave a cold smirk, his eyes hardening. "Yes, you should go," he said, his words laced with venom. "After all, running seems to be what you’re best at. Just make sure you don’t lose another daughter while you’re at it."
Amina froze for a second, her lips tightening as if she were holding back tears or fury maybe both. Then she scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. Without another word, she turned sharply and stord off, her footsteps echoing down the corridor as Camillo followed behind her.
Nix’s gaze followed them until they disappeared around the corner. His jaw clenched. Slowly, he exhaled, trying to steady himself, but the anger bubbling inside refused to fade.
He pulled out his phone and dialed. The call connected almost imdiately.
"Tom," he said, his tone cold and clipped. "Get everything you can on one Camillo his relationship with Mrs. Rena and Amina. Now."
He ended the call and turned toward Carla’s room. The door creaked as he pushed it open only to find the bed empty.
The sheets were slightly rumpled, the pillow misplaced. No sign of her. No sign of the nurse either.
A pulse of dread and fury collided in his chest. His hand tightened around the phone until his knuckles turned white, the device creaking under the pressure. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
"Zamiel!" he roared, his voice echoing down the corridor, raw with barely contained panic.
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