Chapter 85: Chapter 85

The next day, Carol woke up feeling slightly better but looking like a hot mess. Her eyes were swollen with shed and unshed tears, and her appetite was non-existent. To her utter surprise, Sebastian was still at home, even though it was almost eight when she woke up.

"I wanted to make sure that you were fine before leaving." He informed her when she asked him why he was still around, watching her force down the breakfast that he had brought for her despite her steadfast proclamations that she was not hungry. Carol tried to take one more bit of the food, but it just wouldn't go down.

"I can't eat anymore, Sebastian." She informed him, her eyes pleading with him to let her be.

"You know that you're just recuperating from an illness. You should eat so that you can get your strength back. It's okay, though. I did not know that you would even be able to eat this much. What do you want to do today?" He asked, taking away the tray of food and keeping it aside.

"I don't even know. I guess I should call my dad and get the details of everything. He should be calmer now."

"Okay. Do you need me to be there?"

"No, it's fine. You go to work."

"Okay, then. I'll go to work to sort out something they need me to do, then make a quick stop to see Jessica, after which I'll come straight back here. I should be back before evening. Is that okay?" He asked.

"Yes, it's fine. I'm really grateful for the way you've been taking care of me for the past few days, Sebastian. I don't take it for granted." Carol told him quietly, thinking to herself how nice it must be to be so rich that you flew almost everywhere.

"That's what husbands are for...even fake ones." He said jokingly, smiling at her. Carol managed to smile in return, the warm feeling inside her evaporating instantly as she reminded herself not to take his actions to heart. He thought of himself as a fake husband and her as a fake wife whom he would discard in a few months' time, especially now that his beloved Jessica was here. Why else would he be taking the pains to visit her every day since they got back from vacation, even though she was unconscious and would remember nothing of his visits? She supposed it was horrible for her to even think such a thing, considering that the woman was in a coma and she did not have anyone else, but she just couldn't help herself.

As soon as he left, she called her father, who seemed to be expecting her call. He sounded as down as she felt, with the only difference between his call of the previous day and this one being that he was not crying any longer.

"I don't know what the poor girl did to them." He was saying.

"Where did they find her?"

"They found her in Toledo. Apparently, the neighbor heard her crying and begging for her life, after which there was silence, and then he saw a man leave the apartment. He said he went over to check on her, but no one was answering the door, at which point he called the police. They broke down the door and found her dead with a bullet wound to the head. Oh, God. This is such a nightmare. It's so unbelievable, and I hope that whoever has done this would not go unpunished."

"So what is the theory? A scorned lover?"

"I don't know yet. The only reason why they were even able to identify her was that she had bragged to the said neighbor about her sister being married to billionaire Sebastian Felix." He said in a broken voice. Tears filled Carol's eyes at this. She could still remember Victoria asking to visit her, but she had refused and now she was dead. Time was indeed unreal. It was why she had to urge Sebastian to let go of whatever beef he had with his uncle, especially as the man was so close to death.

"I'm so sorry dad. How is mum holding up?" Carol asked. Ever since that time when her parents had come to her place and she had found out that Belinda was not her birth mother, their relationship had been non-existent. Carol even felt weird calling her mother and if she objected to it, Carol would gladly stop doing that.

"She's not doing well at all. She had to be admitted to the hospital because was inconsolable. We're not on good terms. In fact, I was thinking of moving out before we got this horrible news. We want to get divorced, or at least, separated for the meantime."

"That's sad. I hope you're okay, though."

"I'm fine, my dear. How about you?" Her father asked in turn.

"I'm okay. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Yeah, about that..." her father trailed off, sounding very embarrassed.

"Don't worry. I'll send you some money, dad. What happened to the thirty thousand I sent to you guys just last week, though?"

"Belinda is in charge of our money, as you know. She said the money is finished."

"Hmmm," Carol said, thinking to herself how annoying her stepmother actually was. Money never lasted in her hands. You could give Belinda a million dollars today and in a month's time, she would be asking you for more money.

"Do you have a personal account, dad?"

"Yes, I do."

"Alright. I'll send you enough money to cover the funeral expenses and also take care of yourself. I strongly suggest that you do not let Belinda know about this, or at least, you don't share it with her. I'm going to send her some money too. Okay?"

"Okay, Carol. Thanks a lot for all that you do. I'm really grateful. Meanwhile, we're going to have the burial as soon as her body gets here, which should be in less than a week. I don't see the purpose of keeping her body. I hope you're coming. It would be really nice to see you."

"Of course, I'm coming, dad. Just let me know when, and I'd be there in a jiffy. There are many perks to being a billionaire's wife, you know. It's just a matter of hopping on a private plane and I'd be there before you know it."

"I'm glad your marriage is treating you so well. It's all I've ever prayed for."

"Thank you, dad. Sebastian is the nicest husband anyone could ever hope for. I even find myself wishing that the marriage would not end." She laughed a little nervously before going on. "Do you know that I'm now a millionaire? He spends so much on me and still gives me so much money that I do not know what to do with it. Sometimes, I even wonder what I can do for him in return, but I can't think of anything. He already has it all. It's not because of the money that I want the marriage not to end, though. I just like his personality and kindness and the way he takes care of me."

There was silence on the other end for a while before her father's voice came over it again. "Carol, are you in love with your husband?"

Carol thought about denying it but decided otherwise. Besides, she needed advice or at least someone to speak to about it. "What's not to love, dad. Have you seen him? The man is incredibly handsome and hot, caring, attentive, and generous. What more does a woman want from a man?"

"And how does he feel about you?"

"I'm not sure... I mean, I don't know. Sometimes, I feel that he likes me too, or at least, I feel like he wants what I want, but then, of recent, since Jessica came back into his life, I'm not so sure anymore. I mean, he's still caring and attentive, but he now spends more time with her. I wouldn't have minded that considering what happened and the fact that she has no one else, but then, she's not even conscious, yet he spends so much time with her every blessed day." Carol said, unable to hide her growing resentment.

"Wait, there's another woman in your lives?"

"Oh, sorry. I forgot that you do not know about her. Yes, his ex-fiancée, the one he married me because he wanted to find, has been found." Carol told him, going into detail about everything that had happened.

"Hmm, Carol. I just want you to be careful. The last thing you need to do is to get hurt. Remember that the marriage contract comes to an end in just a few months from now. You might want to try to subdue our feelings, even if it is hard, at least until the girl wakes up and you know where you stand. You can't force anyone to love you, you know...or you can maybe just ask him."

"I can't do that, dad. What if his answer is no? I'll just curl up into a ball and die."

Her dad laughed a little at this. "Just be careful, my dear. I'm rooting for you though."

"I know, dad. Okay, I have to go now. I love you."

"I love you too." He replied and they ended the call.