The Heiress's Revenge - A Bloody Affair - Chapter 86

Chapter 86: [86 – Amidst the Web of Lies]
After discussing the case files with Seraphina, Asher left to attend to some personal matter while Seraphina busied herself in making the the sketches for Natasha’s wedding outfits. She ordered lunch for Elijah and herself but Elijah did not come.

Seraphina waited for him for a few hours but when he still did not come, she decided to give him a call. She knew that he must be upset after hearing the tale that Marcus spun to provide Elijah with so called valid reasoning for helping Daniel escape the law.

She was amazed at how Marcus very intelligently played on Elijah’s weakness. It was because Elijah was empathetic in nature and gave out love unconditionally that people misused it terribly. If it had been strangers who would have done that, it would not have pained so much.

But here, his own father was trapping him in the web of lies, every now and then. Seraphina worried and terrified about how Elijah would react when he will get to know about not only the truth of his family and family friends but also her.

She would gladly accept if he never forgives her or start hating her for their entire lifetime but she would not be able to watch him crumble, shatter, and loose all the hope that shines bright within him. Sighing, Seraphina picked her cell phone and decided to give Elijah a call.

It had been late and he still had not come.

Seraphina tried multiple times but he did not answer. It was in the fifth time that Elijah finally answered the call and when he did, she could not hide the panic and worry in her voice, “Hello, Elijah?”

She could hear him sniffle softly, it felt as if he had been crying, “Where are you?” You said that you would come in the afternoon but it is late evening now.”

Seraphina felt anxious because Blake was still out there and Elijah was not in the best state of mind so anything could happen, “I am worried for you, sweetie.” she used the endearment before she could even think about it.

Since the moment she had gotten to know that Elijah was not a criminal like the rest of his family, she had felt something change within her. Something that could not be described in words and could only be experienced. These feelings did not have any name.

Her heart skipped a beat when she realized what she had done. Unlike the last few times when she had used an endearment for it, it had always been a part of a plan but this time it was not the case.

She quickly tried to divert the subject by saying, “It’s alright if you cannot come. Just tell me are you alright or is there some problem?” her voice had a touch of kindness to it. She believed that after all that had happened, after getting to know the real Elijah, he deserved this kindness.

Seraphina heard him sigh deeply, a loud noise of air whooshing out of his body but he still did not say any word.

“Elijah? Please tell me what is it? I feel like you are hurting.” her concern for him increased the more he remained silent. She felt a painful feeling tug at the strings of her heart.

She heard him intake a deep breath before finally responding, “I’m at the hospital.”

Seraphina’s body stiffened at the thought, her mind reeling with all the worst possibilities, “What? Why? Did something happen? Are you hurt? Where are you?”

Seraphina could no longer hide the concern in her voice. She did not care about anything, right now she was really worried about him. What if Blake had managed to injure him or hurt him in someway. She should not have let him go alone.

“I am fine.” Elijah told her gently, “It’s not me, Sera, do not worry!”

Seraphina was relieved to know that he was not in any problem and that he wasn’t hurt as well. She wiped the sweat beads that trickled down the side of her face, “Then why are you at the hospital?” she asked, feeling a lot calmer than before.

“Actually, Mia had an accident. When I got to know about it I came to meet her here. She has not gained consciousness yet, so I am worried that -” he could not complete his sentence without breaking down into sobs.

Seraphina understood his plight. She knew of Mia’s accident, in fact, she had watched the life footage of it because she was worried for Mia as well. After all, Mia was the also the innocent one in this whole mess.

“Eli -” she was so lost in her thoughts and her concern for both Elijah and Mia, Elijah especially, that she did not notice that she had called him by a nickname that she used to do when she was a kid, when she was Caroline, “Just tell me where you are.”

“St. Mary’s.” Elijah managed to say through tears. Seraphina’s heart hurt hearing the pain in his voice.

“Just stay where you are right now. I will be there soon, okay. Just wait for a while.” she told him, hoping that he would follow.

After ending the call, Seraphina grabbed her car keys and rushed to the St. Mary’s hospital. She needed to be with Elijah right now, she needed to be with him and be there for him. She drove through the city streets thinking about Elijah and only him.

It took her about an hour to reach the hospital because of the heavy traffic. Hastily parking her car in the first available spot, Seraphina rushed to find Elijah. She did not have to search for him for long as she very quickly spotted him sitting on a bench in the hospital garden, his face pale and drawn. His eyes were red-rimmed, dark circles marring the skin beneath them. He looked up as she approached, his expression a mixture of relief and shame.

“Seraphina, you didn’t have to come.” he murmured, looking down at his feet.

“Of course I did.” she replied, her voice soft but firm as she sat on the bench beside him, “How could I leave you alone when I know that you are in pain and feel troubled?”

Elijah did not say anything, just relaxed against her, letting his head rest on her shoulder. A few minutes passed in silence until Seraphina tugged at his arm and said, “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

Elijah resisted, glancing at her, “I can’t just leave Mia, not until she wakes up.”

“You can’t help her by running yourself into the ground.” Seraphina said gently. “She’s out of danger, isn’t she?” she asked though she knew the answer.

Elijah nodded in positive so Seraphina continued, “If you want to take care of your friend, then you need to take care of yourself, too. So please, come with me.” she tugged at his arm again hoping he would follow.

Reluctantly, Elijah allowed Seraphina to lead him out of the hospital. He was silent on the ride home, staring out the window, lost in his thoughts. Seraphina’s worry deepened; she had never seen him so defeated.

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Back at her home, Seraphina guided Elijah to the dining table. “You need to eat something.” she insisted. She held onto his hand and led him inside while Elijah just walked, dragging his feet.

“I’m not hungry.” he protested weakly. But Seraphina did not pay heed to any of his protests and continued to drag him to the dining table. Once there, she made him sit and began setting a plate of foot in front of him.

“You haven’t eaten anything since last night. Just eat something or else I would have to force feed you.” warned Seraphina.

Elijah picked at the food, managing a few bites before pushing the plate away. “I can’t.” he whispered only to be glared at by Seraphina. She raised her hand n the air in warning making him chuckle and eat a few more bites.

“This time, I swear I am feeling full.” commented Elijah, a genuine, soft smile curving upon his lips.

Seraphina sighed but didn’t press further this time. She took his plate and placed it in the sink and brought from him a glass of warm milk, “Alright, just finish drinking this and then I won’t ask you to eat anything else.”

Sighing, Elijah gave into her demand and drank the glass of warm milk, taking slow but mouthful sips. After he was done, Seraphina wiped the corners of his mouth without thinking what she was doing. Both of them shared a warm smile that seemed to lift off the burden that Marcus had placed upon Elijah’s shoulder by telling him those false tale.

After that, Seraphina gently grabbed Elijah’s hand and took him to the guest room that was now turning out to be his room. He was too exhausted to argue so he just followed her without any protest and did what she wanted him to do.

She made him sit on the bed and while she adjusted the temperature of the air conditioner, he removed his shoes, socks, and belt before lying on the bed. Seraphina pulled a blanket over him. “Try to sleep,” she said softly.