Chapter 367: Chapter 367

Aliya’s voice choked. It was like she was struggling to get her words out. Her once energetic voice came out in a bare, hoarse whisper as if her throat had been scratched or she had not spoken for a long time. The couple would soon find out that it was the latter.

Ian took in the scene, and lightly placed one leg before the other, moving forward steadily as if he was tranced, but he never let go of Shelby’s hand.

He examined the young woman on the bed with each step. She resembled a ghost of her former self, her delicate silhouette merging with the stark white sheets of the hospital. Aliya’s brown eyes were glassy and distant.

They seemed to stare past them into some unseen void, showing her more vulnerable than she was. This vulnerability was as palpable as the slight smell of the antiseptic scent clinging to the air, like any hospital. Shelby was not fond of hospitals, having experienced more than her share recently.

Aliya’s overall aura didn’t just emit sadness—she looked to be the embodiment of despair, the kind of forlorn figure that could evoke pity from even the coldest of hearts.

With Shelby’s faltering steps came the wavering of her resolve.

The moment her gaze met that of Aliya’s briefly, all the pent-up emotions dissolved. Ingrid was really her mother’s replica, and that played a big role in Shelby at that point in time. A pang shot through Shelby’s chest, sharp and unexpected.

Shelby had come braced for bitterness, armed with resentment for this person whom she knew so much and did not know at the same time. The one person, who had dared to upend her life, even from the dead. But instead, she found herself softened, her heart inexplicably drawn to the pitiful figure before her.

Her mind had unconsciously asked itself if she would harden her heart, had that been Ingrid and Shelby knew without a doubt that she could not.

’This isn’t right,’ Shelby thought, swallowing hard as her emotions warred within her, for she still remembered the peek into Ian’s memories. Whatever the case, this was and would not be Ingrid.

’I should hate her.’ Shelby bit her lips unconsciously as her thoughts warred in her,

’I should feel nothing but anger!’ But as her eyes welled with reluctant tears of frustration, Shelby knew her heart wasn’t listening.

At that moment, her gaze shifted, almost involuntarily, to her husband. He stood just beside her and at the foot of Aliya’s bed, where they had come to a stop. Ian’s face was a mask of turmoil. His eyes were fixed on the girl on the bed, a storm of emotions flickering behind them—guilt, sorrow, and something more profound that Shelby couldn’t quite name but dreaded to acknowledge.

Shelby understood! She thought that she understood too well. If she, a woman, was drawn to Aliya’s pitiful state, then what of the man who had loved her deeply in the past? She did not need to be a genius to figure this out. Bond or not, Shelby’s heart was not at peace, but how could she throw a fit with a patient?

"Pri-nce I-an...." came that weak voice again and Ian stilled. He remembered all too well that. This was how Aliya preferred to call him in the past. It was their own inner joke.

That drew some reaction from him.

Currey observed the three people in the room and stood just inside the doorway, not wanting to interrupt. Like Ian, one could not read anything from him.

Just then, he felt a presence and turned to look at the attending doctor.

"You finally came? Glad you could make it!"

The brusque voice accompanied the light footsteps as the man walked into the room, faltering momentarily.

His rude tone dimmed down at Ian.

"Mr Thornston! I did-"

"How... how is she?" Shelby asked, barely above a whisper, her words directed more to herself than anyone else. This interrupted the doctor’s words.

The doctor turned sharply towards Shelby and his voice got stuck in his throat.

’WTF! Can such a human exist?’ His thoughts were a mess, as he mistakenly looked directly into Shelby’s eyes.

Ian flinched at Shelby’s remark, pulling his eyes from the girl on the bed to meet his wife’s gaze. The intensity of his stare felt nearly overwhelming, leaving Shelby feeling exposed, as if he could peer into the vulnerable depths of her heart. Shelby would have loved it if it were so, but she also knew that this was not the time or place.

"She’s... hanging on," The doctor finally replied, his voice hoarse, betraying an effort to mask the emotion that clung to every syllable.

Aliya stirred, her lips parting as though to speak. Her voice was barely audible, a weak, trembling thread of sound. "I didn’t mean... for this to happen..."

’For what?’ Shelby wondered, puzzled.

"She might be a bit incoherent for a few hours because of the medications that we put her on," The doctor interjected.

Suddenly, tears started running down Aliya’s face. Shelby found herself rooted to the spot, unable to summon anything. She turned to Ian yet again and could faintly make out an overwhelming ache that he was trying to mask.

Ian let Shelby’s hand go, then took a step forward, his hand stretched out to Aliya’s frail one with a tenderness that cut Shelby deep and quick. The change was too abrupt. His expression was raw, unguarded, and the sight of it sent a cold shiver down Shelby’s spine. She averted her gaze, blinking back her own tears, and gripped the edge of the nearest chair beside her for support.

"I’ll leave you to have a chat," Shelby said, turning to leave. She blinked rapidly, forcing back the sting of tears as the sound of her heels made a light noise against the sterile hospital floor. Shelby’s chest ached with the effort of holding it together, and she told herself this was for the best—to give him a moment with her. Privacy. That’s what they needed, right?

’I have to be the bigger person here.’

No sooner had these thoughts settled, and she turned when something caught her attention at the corner of her eye. Shelby’s head snapped back instinctively, and her breath hitched. Was it the tears in my eyes? She wondered, but there it was - a fleeting look—cold, calculating, almost cruel—settled on Aliya’s pale face like a shadow.

It was a sharp contrast to the sickly face. It vanished just as swiftly as it appeared, giving way to the same pitiful, doe-eyed look that had melted her heart moments before.

Shelby froze, and her heart thundered in her chest.

’Did I imagine that? Do I want her to be a bad person so bad to imagine something as ridiculous as this?’

Shelby asked herself as she squinted, searching Aliya’s frail features for any trace of malice, but all she saw was a weak, vulnerable figure propped up on the hospital bed, her head tilted slightly as though asking, Are you okay?

Ian’s voice pierced her head. It seemed like her action had been that obvious.

A hollow laugh nearly escaped her throat, but she held it back. Shelby’s lips parted as if to say something, anything, but no words came. Instead, she forced her face into a tight smile and murmured,

"I’ll be just outside," her voice unsteady.

"You don’t have to go," Ian said softly, but Shelby smiled through the light sheen of tears that struggled to overflow. She walked out of the room, a knot tightened in her stomach, growing heavier with each step.

Shelby had never been a paranoid person, but she couldn’t shake the feeling—that uncomfortable sensation clawing at the edge of her mind, almost whispering that something was not right. What had she just seen? Was it real? Or was it her own insecurity playing tricks on her?

She shook her head and convinced herself to settle for the latter.

The doctor took in the scene and decided that it was time to leave. She left silently, not talking to any of the two in the room as Currey had followed Shelby out.

Shelby’s hand trembled slightly as she reached the hallway wall for support, pressing her fingers against the cold white walls to steady herself. From behind the closed door, she could hear faint murmurs of conversation.

Was it the tender, reassuring voice of her husband? The weak, pitiable responses of the girl on the bed? She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

Shelby firmly shook her head, willing those images out of her mind.

’No!’ Shelby told herself firmly, though the unease lingered.

"I’m imagining things... aren’t I?" She murmured to herself, and even though Currey heard her, he said nothing.

But no matter how much she tried to convince herself, that image of the calculated glint in Aliya’s eyes lingered, gnawing at her thoughts.

’I need air! I need some distance! I need some distraction!’

Shelby turned and then her eyes landed on the doctor.

Suppressing the suffocating storm of emotions swirling inside her, she asked,

"How is the patient, doctor? How did -"

"Can we talk in my office?"

The doctor suggested, and Shelby nodded. Currey did not interrupt but followed dutifully as Murray was not there. He noted everything though, and had decided only to offer help when asked.

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