CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Lorelei
This is all my fault.
Suppose I had never tried to escape. If I had never met Alexander, if I had never gotten involved with Desmond, he wouldn’t be in this situation.
The escape route from the island had been planned, and even though Captain and his men tried to apply first aid treatment, Desmond had lost a lot of blood.
When we finally arrived at the airport, a medical team was waiting, and I watched as they rushed him into the makeshift hospital room in the hangar.
The surgery was successful as they managed to extract the bullet, but Desmond had lost a lot of blood, and they were worried that he might not make it.
They had placed him in a medically induced coma, and for the past ten days, he hasn’t opened his eyes, and with each moment, I fear that I might never get to hear his voice again.
Damian and Dean have been my biggest support since everything happened. They had around-the-clock security for both of us, and Damian would often ask that I take a break since I insisted on staying by Desmond’s side always.
“Don’t worry, he’ll wake up. The past few weeks have been tough on him, especially when he discovered that my son had kidnapped him,” Damian says as we look at Desmond’s sleeping figure.
“When he found out that you’re pregnant, he almost lost it all.
If Dean had not found you, I am sure he would have attacked Alexander. ”
I feel a little bit guilty about never getting to tell Desmond about our child myself. I asked Damian if he was angry when he found out.
“Elated. He had concerns, and he worried if he would be a bad father,” Damian says, stroking his beard.
“He mentioned talking to you about how we Sinclair men aren’t exactly good father figures.
” “Desmond would be a good father. I know he would give the best to our child,” I say confidently as I place my hand on his.
Damian soon leaves, and I remain in the room, sitting next to Desmond. How many days had I prayed, begging to be able to return to his side? Of course, I never thought that I would be beside him while he is in a coma like this.
He’ll wake up soon. I’m sure he’ll wake up soon.
The door opens, and a tall figure steps in, and I recognize him almost immediately. Anger, hatred, and disgust spurn deep within me, and I get onto my feet, charging towards him.
“Out. Get out of here!” I yell at the top of my voice.
Alexander Sinclair looks at me, his lips tightly drawn, a deep frown on his face.
“Looks like the vacation on the island hasn’t improved you.”
Something about the way he said those words makes my skin crawl. I understand where Desmond’s fear came from, and it is from having a horrible creature like this as a father.
“Get out of here unless you want the whole world to know exactly what you did.”
He pauses, his eyes fixed on me, and I can tell that he doesn’t like what I have just said. Alexander Sinclair is clearly a man who isn’t used to being threatened or not having his way, but I intend to stop him from getting anywhere near Desmond, not after what he has done.
“I’ll retreat for now because I don’t want a scene, but remember, he is my blood. You might be his wife for now, but I will always be his father.”
“That’s not true. He loves and cares for me,” I correct him.
Alexander lifts his eyebrows as he stalks out of the room. I doubt he has ever understood what it means to truly love a person. For all I know, the man probably views human relationships as tools for his own use. I return to Desmond’s side, my anger slowly dissipating.
“I’m sorry for shouting and disturbing your rest, but I just couldn’t take it.
Watching him walk in here like he has every right pisses me off,” I mutter as I hold Desmond’s hand in mine.
“I know you needed the rest, but I think you need to wake up now, Desmond. I promise, I’ll do anything you want, stay right next to you, dress up for you, anything you ask of me, I’ll do it.
Just please, please don’t leave me alone. ”
Tears begin to well up in my eyes, and my throat thickens with emotion. “I love you, Desmond. A part of me has been afraid to admit it, thinking that a man like you wouldn’t want anything to do with a woman like me, but I realized how much of a fool I am. I love you so much, Desmond.”
“I love...you...too,” A raspy voice says, and I look up, wondering if I had imagined it.
Desmond’s eyes are still shut tight, and I guess I am now starting to imagine his voice.
“I have always loved you, Lorelei,” Desmond says hoarsely as his eyes flutter open.
“Desmond,” I call as I lean close, putting my hands against his face.
“Hey, babe.” He smiles weakly.
I call the nurses who storm into his room as they try to examine him. Ten minutes later, the doctors explain that he is finally out of the coma, but he still needs a lot of rest. I nod slowly, my eyes never leaving his. I send a text to Damian and Dean instantly, telling them Desmond is awake.
“Damian texted that he’d be here soon,” I tell Desmond as he slurps his smoothie.
He nods, not saying a word as he continues to stare at me. The way he stares at me makes me feel self-conscious. What did I do to deserve a man like Desmond?
“We have a lot of catching up to do, you know,” Desmond says as he pats the spot right next to me.
I sit down next to him, placing my head gently on his shoulder as he asks me about my stay on the island. According to Damian’s wishes, I had to see a therapist to talk about my two abductions. First with Logan and then with Blake and his men, who I hoped would get to pay for their crimes.
“Damian did get Daisy and her boyfriend scholarships to the US. I was surprised when he offered it immediately after I mentioned what they did for me.” Daisy is currently planning to study nursing, while her boyfriend is thinking of studying Engineering.
Damian’s offer to sponsor their studies for the duration of their stay in the US had melted my heart.
According to him, a Sinclair always pays their debt, and paying for their scholarship is a little way he can pay them back for what they did.
“I’d like to meet them when I get out of here,” Desmond tells me.
“I’m sure we can arrange that,” I assure him as I look into his eyes.
I try to apologize about the baby, but Desmond cuts me off, telling me that he should be the one apologizing.
“I want to have children with you, Lorelei, and I realized that my comments about not wanting to be a father might have made you hide it from me.” “Still not an excuse for keeping it away from you,” I say, as I place his hands on my belly.
Desmond smiles, and my heart thumps hard in my chest at the sight.
I am enraptured by this man completely. The door opens, and Damian enters as he rushes towards Desmond, who assures his grandfather he is hale and hearty.
Dean arrives a few minutes later, and the whole room becomes lively as Damian and Dean make jokes, talking about how awful Desmond looks.
This is what Alexander has cheated himself out of, and I hope we never have to deal with that man ever again.
Katherine arrives in Velhaven the following day. My friend is in tears when we reunite, and she apologizes for not being there for me.
“Please. I understand how things are. I’m glad to finally have you here.
” She smiles as I offer to take her shopping with me.
Katherine is thinking of moving down here to Velhaven for a job offer.
With qualifications in Child Education and Psychology, I’m sure that Katherine would be able to get good job offers here in Velhaven.
Besides, I’ll love nothing more than to have my best friend close to me.
“And how is Desmond now?” I tell her everything.
How he had risked his life for me, and how we are both looking forward to having kids of our own.
Katherine jumps with joy, telling me that she is so happy for both of us.
I can see her joy, which means a lot to me because I know just how much she wants children of her own, even though she can’t have them.
That news had broken her two years back and had changed her.
“Do you plan to stay here in Velhaven permanently?” Katherine asks as we leave the store, where I had gone to get Desmond a few things.
“Seems like it. With Desmond planning to work here in Velhaven, I don’t think I’ll be moving back to Daston. Grandma should be joining us soon. I haven’t broken the news to her that I am pregnant.”
I can already imagine how she would react to the news, and I want to break it to her in person to avoid her overstressing herself.
Desmond had done a good job managing her while I was locked on that forsaken island.
I shiver at the thought of being cooped up on that island, glad to finally put it behind me.
“I apologize for my tardiness, but hospitals aren’t exactly aesthetic,” Desmond jokes as Katherine and I step into the room.
“Oh, please, I’m just glad to see you again,” Katherine tells him.
Whatever initial reservations Katherine had seem to wash away, and soon, we’re all chatting and talking like old friends. Katherine mentions she must leave for her interview, and my personal driver is taking her to the interview location.
“Thank you so much, Lorelei,” Katherine tells me, and I assure her it’s nothing.
“Just glad to be of help,” I hug her, wishing her the best in her interview as I return to Desmond.
“She’s just like you. She is warm, kind, and I can see how you guys are friends,” he mentions as I sit right next to him.
Katherine is the friend every woman needs, and without her, I’m not sure how I would have pulled through my dark days. Now, I have Desmond, and someday, I hope she finds someone, too. Someone who would be as accepting of her as Desmond is.
“I am grateful for you, Lorelei,” Desmond says as he leans close to me, his face inches away from mine.
“I know, and I am the luckiest woman in the world to have you as my man,” I tell him as I plant a kiss on his lips.
A giggle escapes from him, and I laugh as well. Yes, this is a new beginning for both of us, and hopefully, we’ve placed our dark days far behind us.