“Alexander, you shouldn’t have come here. Eva isn’t in the frame of mind to handle you right now,” said Hayley anxiously, getting up from the sofa to stop Alexander from barging into the room.
“You’re wrong, Hayley. She needs me to heal.” This time Alexander was determined to have a word with her and dragged a chair to sit at her bedside, paying no heed to Hayley’s protests.
Hayley sighed, knowing that he was right. If anyone could bring an improvement to Eva’s condition, it was Alexander. In fact, she fell sick because of him! Therefore, it was best to give them a little privacy to sort out their differences.
“I’ll grab a cup of coffee in the meantime.” She opened the door and walked out, much to Alexander’s relief. He had waited patiently for everyone to leave before coming over to talk to her. Eva’s condition had him worried. It was only Skylar who informed him what was going on. She mentioned a pregnancy, and it had him lose his mind. How could Eva be pregnant? Did Maxwell take advantage of her before marrying her? Was that the reason she agreed to marry Maxwell? A thousand questions flashed across his mind, and he needed answers.
He sat watching a frail and haggard Eva lying on the hospital bed and his heart ached for her. All this could have been avoided if he had handled the situation well. If he had used a planned approach to Beatrix’s threats instead of panicking, he could have had the criminals arrested long back. Maxwell would never have been successful in his plans.
He sat thinking of his promises to her, and his heart constricted with pain and guilt. “I have failed you, Eva. I have failed to keep my promise to you.” Tears pooled in his eyes when she didn’t reciprocate at all, the effects of medicines making her unaware of his presence in the room. He sat there, and the tears fell from his eyes. He could fight the world and remain unaffected, but he couldn’t see her in this condition.
His teardrops fell upon her hand, and she stirred a little. She could hear someone silently weeping beside her. Was she dead? Who would cry for her? Even in her state of semi-consciousness, she could feel Alexander’s presence in the room, his scent tingling her nostrils. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at a dazed Alexander sitting at her bedside with tears in his eyes.
Eva blinked her bleary eyes in disbelief, trying to focus on him. Was it all a dream? How could Alexander be here?
“Alexander!” she whispered breathlessly. Alexander immediately looked at her with surprise, not having expected her to wake up. He caught her hand in his and leaned over to stroke her hair gently.
“How did you land up here, Eva? What happened to you?” he whispered, tucking the stray curls off her face.
“Where were you, Alexander? I called you so many times,” she whispered hoarsely, her eyes filling up with tears. They spilled, and she sobbed brokenly when the nurse rushed inside.
“Sir, you need to step out, please. The patient isn’t stable enough.” The door opened and Maxwell entered with a scowl.
“How did you sneak into my fiancee’s room? Please arrange for security here, nurse Faye. This man is a threat to her mental well-being,” said Maxwell.
“No, you’re the one who’s a threat, Maxwell. Why are you doing this? Haven’t you taken your revenge already?” demanded Alexander angrily.
“Stop, please. Maxwell, stop this. Alexander has done nothing,” protested Eva, but Maxwell grabbed hold of Alexander’s collar.
“Stay away from us, Alexander, or I will have you arrested for threatening us.” The nurse rushed out to call the security guards, and Alexander pushed Maxwell away.
“I’ll kill you before you can do that. I’m leaving now only because of Eva’s condition, but once she is well, I’ll be back. Mark my words,” said Alexander, but Maxwell laughed.
“I’ll marry her before that.”
“Please stop,” Eva whispered feebly, watching the ongoing drama with horror, realizing what she had gotten herself into this time. Panic caused her pressure to drop, and she again lost consciousness for the second time. Maxwell and Alexander were too busy fighting a battle of their own to notice her.
“In your dreams. I’ll crush you again like before. Wait and watch!” said Alexander, walking out of the room before the guards arrived. Hayley came inside and gasped at seeing her friend’s condition.
“Eva? What happened?” She patted her friend’s cheeks and then glanced at a guilty-looking Maxwell. “What’s going on? Where’s Alexander? Couldn’t you have let them sort out their differences peacefully? What are you getting out of this, Maxwell? Do you realize Eva won’t survive without him? She has loved him for the last twelve years. He is the father of her child. Please step down and let them reunite.” Maxwell stood transfixed on the spot while Hayley sighed and ran out to summon the nurse.
After a few minutes, the nurse and the doctor revived Eva. Maxwell sat with his head in his hands while Alexander sat in the waiting area downstairs. Eva’s tears shook him hard and he couldn’t leave her under the circumstances. What he failed to understand was Maxwell’s behavior. He didn’t have any idea that Maxwell hated him so much! They just had a high school fight, hadn’t they? If he could accept Nicholas into his family, what was up with Maxwell?
Maxwell didn’t leave Eva’s side, and Alexander couldn’t see her in his presence. He didn’t fear anyone, but he didn’t want Eva’s condition to deteriorate. It might not make a difference to Maxwell, but it meant the world to him.
The next morning, Maxwell’s family came over to relieve him, but he refused to budge. Alexander stayed in one corner of the lounge area, waiting patiently for an opportunity to see his Eva. He took updates from the nurses around and found out that she was recovering slowly. He could wait till she completely recovered.
Maxwell was restless with Alexander literally living in the hospital. With the wedding happening the next day, he desperately wanted to take Eva home. They canceled at the church, and arranged for an officiant at home. It would be a simple wedding amidst family and close friends. Skylar arrived to relieve Hayley and immediately noticed Alexander sitting in a corner.
“Have you eaten anything since yesterday, Alexander?” she asked with concern at seeing his shabby appearance.
“No, if I leave, Maxwell will take her away.” Skylar sighed and grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the cafeteria.
“Let him. You can’t talk to her here at the hospital, Alexander. Come to your senses. Eat, rest, gain some strength, and plan your next step. Tomorrow, they have planned to have the wedding at 11 o’clock in the morning at Maxwell’s parents’ house. Be there to snatch away what is rightfully yours. I’m sure his family would understand. You can always compensate for the damages or expenses incurred,” suggested Skylar. Alexander nodded, her words giving him hope. With Eva in the hospital, he had lost his ability to think.
“Thanks, Skylar. I’ll do that,” he said, going inside the cafeteria.
“Good luck then. See you tomorrow at your wedding. Got to relieve Hails. Bye,” she rushed and Alexander smiled, having found the push he needed. He ate a light breakfast and sipped a strong coffee and went home to plan everything properly. Ashton returned from Florida and went over to see Alexander. The two friends plotted and planned their course of action.
In the evening, Skylar called Alexander to inform him that Eva was stable and had been discharged from the hospital. Maxwell had taken her home. Alexander frowned with confusion. He had been so engrossed in his own problems that he hardly noticed that Alyssa was missing from the scene. How could that be possible? She and Eva were very close and she would never skip her wedding. Where was Alyssa?
“Where’s Alyssa? I haven’t seen her since the party yesterday,” said Alexander, while Ashton frowned with worry.
“I have no clue about what’s going on, bro. I wasn’t even here.”
“Wait, I’ll call Sienna. She knows everything.” He tried her number, but Sienna didn’t accept his call.
“I’ll go crazy, Ashton. Do you know Eva is pregnant with Maxwell’s child? I went to the hospital to ask her, but she broke down before I could even talk to her. What do I do now?”
“There’s only one way. Let’s barge into Maxwell’s house at 10 o’clock and grab hold of him. We can force him to spill. I’ll call a few of my friends and you can marry Eva forcefully there itself,” suggested Ashton. Alexander frowned at his plan but agreed eventually since there wasn’t any other option available.
“Fine, call your friends. Make it clear to them, we don’t want bloodshed. They won’t cause harm to anyone there. We will just beat up Maxwell and force him to give in,” he warned his friend.
“Sure.” Ashton went away to make a phone call while Alexander paced the floor, thinking about their plan for the next day.