Chapter 451: Chapter 451
Clara frowned, ’Why is this bitch calling me her sister?’
Clara tried to shake Aliya off, for she found her weird. Clara had never met this Aliya woman in person prior. Not in passing, not in a gathering, apart from those whispered rumors. And yet, the moment she laid eyes on Aliya, something inside her recoiled.
This was why Clara could not help but refer to her as a bitch. Clara shuddered internally. She knew without a doubt.
This was the one. The one slithering in the shadows, weaving her way into places she had no right to be. The one who coveted what was never hers to take ... her daughter’s husband.
Clara had known the very second their eyes met. She didn’t need confirmation. It was in Aliya’s poised stance, the sickeningly sweet smile that dripped with false charm, and the way she clung just a little too familiarly.
Clara despised her instantly, which was strange, as the two seemed to be unintentionally united in their actions. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she cast a sidelong glance at the woman clinging to her shoulders. Clara instantly despised the younger-looking woman.
It wasn’t just jealousy or wounded pride that someone looked harmonious, unlike her mismatched body and face. It was something deeper, something primal. Clara had a peculiar sentiment where she thought that she alone had the right to demand things from her daughter, no matter how unreasonable those demands might be.
Her thoughts were simple and this had never changed: ’I gave Shelby life, poured every ounce of myself into her and even supported her marriage, when James had brought it up!’
In Clara’s mind, no one else had earned that right to do anything to her daughter but herself.
And yet, this Aliya woman... dared to interfere. This was where her sentiments stemmed from.
How could Clara not know? She knew the games that Aliya played behind Shelby’s back, by using the media. How could she not? Clara had played them herself, far longer and far better than this newcomer ever could. But Clara had to admit ... begrudgingly .... that this woman was no amateur. Aliya belonged in the major leagues, moving pieces so subtly that even seasoned players barely noticed.
Nonetheless, she refused to be defeated.
With a sharp breath, Clara attempted to shrug off the hands draped over her shoulders again. But just as she moved, something stopped her.
A single, chilling thought.
Aliya’s last words echoed in her mind, freezing her in place.
"So, sister, what did you ask for from the witch?"
Clara bit her lips, ’I never told anyone of my visit to that witch. In fact, who would have believed me, if I had said so? But how-?’
The disgust and all other sentiments turned into wariness, and shock. Clara’s mind wound up stories a million miles per minute. She was looking for anything to refute this ridiculous thought.
"It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. I’m just curious as to what you asked for and why your daughter ended up with a favour from that witch when she seemed not to have paid anything.... Isn’t that unfair?"
Aliya sighed, as if the weight of the world was on her.
"W- hat?!" Clara managed to bring out and finally shrugged herself from Aliya,
"I can help you rid of those wrinkles on the face that do not match that body...."
"You know how to reach me!"
Aliya added and then turned back to the car.
"Are you coming or not?" Aliya calmly asked Suzie, after a few minutes, as Suzie was rooted on the spot. Though Suzie and Angela had heard nothing of the talk apart from the last statement, Suzie, especially, could not get off that eerie feeling that something bad was off.
Suzie’s mouth hung open as she continued to look over at Clara and her maid. In the end, Suzie said nothing and got into the car with Aliya, moving and almost plastering herself by the car door, so that she had the most space between her and Aliya as possible.
It didn’t take long for the two to pull over at the hospital. Suzie’s pressing problem was still there. She had racked her brains as much as she could to try and deter Aliya but nothing had worked. In the end, Suzie just thought that it was best, if Aliya went with her than going behind her back.
Suzie hurried into the spacious hospital room, her footsteps light but deliberate, trying to limit any disturbances. She paid no heed to Aliya and at this moment, Suzie wished that Aliya would lose interest and not follow her, but that was all wishful thinking.
The air was thick with antiseptic and the quiet hum of medical equipment. In the center of it all, Ava lay motionless, her delicate features serene in unconsciousness. They provided Ava with as many nutrients as possible, but she remained very pale. It was if Ava was locked in an eternal sleep that was chipping her away.
Beside her, Rocky sat slumped in a chair, exhaustion etched into every line of his face. His eyes, red-rimmed and heavy with sleepless nights, never strayed far from Ava’s face, as if willing her to wake with his presence alone.
His fingers were loosely intertwined with hers, a silent plea lingering in the gesture. Rocky’s bright blue eyes had dulled up. With the loss of his sister, as well as Ava’s status, compounded with Ian, made it too hard for anyone to handle well.
Suzie’s gaze drifted lower, to the small but unmistakable curve of the Ava’s abdomen beneath the hospital blanket. It was very slight, and she only saw it because she had actively sought it out. The tiny life growing inside Ava remained untouched by the stillness that gripped its mother. The sight was both a promise and a heartache .... hope wrapped in uncertainty.
Following Suzie’s eyes, anguish gripped Rocky, but he stood up to greet Suzie.
"Here, I brought you some soup and other snacks. Remember? You have to keep up your strength for them too...."
Suzie advised. The doctors were all baffled as to why Ava was still comatose, when all indicators proved that she should have been awake a long time. However, because of her association with the Thornston estate, they made sure that she lacked for nothing, and doctors monitored her and the fetus around the clock.
Aliya sauntered into the room right then, her high heels clicking against the pristine floor, an unwelcome intrusion in the heavy silence. There was no hesitation in her steps, no regard for Rocky, who stood by the bedside, nor for the fragile Ava, lying motionless. Aliya moved as if she owned the space, her presence sharp and jarring, a stark contrast to the quiet sorrow that hung in the air.
Initially, Rocky barely spared her a glance, his jaw tightening as he fought to suppress his irritation. But Aliya thrived on provocation, on the tension she so effortlessly created. With a slow, deliberate smile, she let her gaze sweep over the sleeping Ava, then down to the small swell beneath the blanket. A flicker of something unreadable passed through her eyes before she turned her attention to Rocky.
"You’re her brother? You do resemble each other! Ha! you look awful!" Aliya remarked in a voice laced with mock concern.
"Why are you wasting your time here?"
Then Aliya turned to Suzie,
"You didn’t tell me that she was pregnant! I love such meals the best!"
At that, Suzie frowned, understanding the implications of the words, more than Rocky did.
All this while, Rocky had kept quiet, but upon closer look, one could see that his muscles, especially in his shoulders, stiffened. He had no patience for this disgusting woman’s games, not here, not now. But she had no intention of leaving quietly, even when he was quiet.
"Why is she here?" Rocky asked Suzie, in a deadly quiet voice,
"I’m sorry, master Rocky... I-"
"What the hell? Why are you two talking as if I am not here? What is wrong with you two?" Aliya interjected and then closed the distance between them, but in essence, she wanted to get to the comatose Ava.
Aliya stretched out her hands, hovering on Ava’s belly. In fact, it happened too quick that it only took a quick second for Rocky to see this. Even though Rocky did not understand what that woman wanted to do, he wanted nothing to do with that witch! That was how Rocky referred to Aliya. To add to it, the heart monitor and fetal monitoring machine on Ava started to pick up the rate and the steady beep, beep sounds, started to blast.
Rocky moved like the speed of light. Within half a second, he was on the other side of the bed, inserting himself between Aliya and the comatose Ava,
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?!!!!"
Aliya looked nonchalant, but her eyes brightened ... too bright, too eager, in a way that sent an unnatural chill through the air. It was almost as if she was savoring something only she could see. The sight of it made Suzie’s skin crawl.
Without hesitation, she moved, dropping the basket on a side table, and dashing forward. Suzie did not think. She had seen this one too many times. She inserted herself between the detested Aliya and Rocky, effectively pushing Aliya back. Her stance was firm, her heart pounding, but her resolve unwavering.
’I won’t let her have her way, this time!’ The thought screamed in Suzie’s mind, fueling the fire in her eyes.
Aliya stabilized herself and tilted her head, amusement flickering across her face. "Oh?" she purred, as if entertained by the sudden defiance. "How very... bold of you."
Rocky was weary and drained. He barely reacted after Suzie had inserted himself. His grip tightened Ava’s hand for assurance. But Aliya? She only smiled, an eerie, knowing curve of her lips, as if she had already won. Aliya turned without a word and swiftly left the room. This puzzled Suzie, because Aliya wasn’t one to give up.
A few moments later, Aliya took the elevator to Ian’s floor.
Her brows were knitted slightly, and this was a first for most people who knew her.
She did not bother with her usual fake pleasantries with the nurses.
The two on duty exchanged surprised glances. Aliya marched to Ian’s room and then stormed out in fury,
"Where is he?! Where is my husband?!"
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