Chapter 375

Olivia

The next few hours stretched on for what felt like an eternity, and not once did I let go of Nathan’s hand.

At some point, though, I must have begun to doze off—because the next thing I knew, I was nodding off with my head on the edge of Nathan’s hospital bed, lulled to sleep by the rhythmic sounds of the machines beeping in sync.

I fell into a dreamless sleep, an abnormal yet not unwelcome surprise. I rarely slept without dreams. Maybe it was because of the stress, or maybe it was because I wasn’t asleep for long enough.

Before I knew it, I awoke to the sensation of someone shaking my shoulder. I jerked my head up, immediately wiping the drool off of my cheek. My first instinct was to check on Nathan, but he was still soundly asleep beside me. Next, my eyes met those of a nurse standing over me.

No, not just any nurse, I realized as my eyes came into focus.

It was Angela.

“Liv,” she breathed as I abruptly stood and threw my arms around her shoulders. She was in her clean scrubs, a soft pink color. She had her hair pulled back into a tight bun, and it was evident that she wasn’t expecting any of this when she came into work today.

“What happened?” she asked once we finally pulled apart.

I took in a shaky breath, my eyes landing on Nathan again. Still sleeping, chest still rising and falling. That was good, at least.

“I… I don’t know, Ang,” I murmured, my voice cracking as my face twisted into the telltale signs of an oncoming sob. “One second he was sick with what could have been the flu, and now this…”

Angela furrowed her brow as she looked through the clipboard that was attached to the end of Nathan’s bed. “Nothing in his test results,” she said quietly. “That’s strange.”

I nodded. “I know.”

“You should have told me.”

“I… I wasn’t thinking clearly,” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. “I’m sorry. I was just so focused on getting him here…”

Angela shook her head and closed the distance between us again, enveloping me in a warm hug. “It’s okay, Olivia. What matters is that he’s here now. Have you slept? Eaten? Had any water?”

“Not really,” I replied. “And Clint is home with the twins, and I’m just…”

Angela shushed me as she rubbed my back. At the same time, the pager on her waistband began to beep. She sighed and checked it. “I have to go. But I’ll be here all day and all night, Liv,” she assured me. “No matter what you need, I’ve got it. And I’m going to pull some strings with the doctors to get him some more tests. Okay?”

I nodded as I watched Angela leave. It was a relief to have my friend here to support me, but it did nothing to allay the fears in my mind. Once I was alone again, I sank back down onto the chair, and that was when I finally allowed myself to cry.

…

The tears were finally beginning to subside when Layla walked into the hospital room. I was just dabbing at my swollen face with a tissue when I heard the door open. I didn’t look up at first, expecting it to be another nurse checking on Nathan’s vitals.

But when I heard a familiar voice, I jerked my head up to see Layla’s blonde head of hair coming through the door. As she entered, her eyes immediately found mine, filled with a mixture of concern and determination.

“Layla,” I exhaled, rising to greet her, the relief in my voice palpable. We embraced briefly, a silent exchange of support in a time when words didn’t feel like enough.

Pulling back, Layla’s gaze shifted to Nathan, lying motionless on the hospital bed. She clapped her hand over her mouth, a shaky breath drawing in through her lips. “Oh my god,” she murmured as she hesitantly approached the bed. “Nathan…”

“I just can’t believe that it went from a flu to… whatever this is,” I said, gesturing to the array of medical equipment surrounding my comatose fiance. “I don’t understand. And look.” I pulled the amulet off of my neck and handed it to Layla.

It had been vibrating ever so slightly ever since I came into Nathan’s hospital room. It was faint, but it was there.

Layla took the amulet from me and drew closer to Nathan. She held it out to him, letting the pendant dangle over his body. Lo and behold, it began to sway slightly over him, and I knew that it wasn’t from her hands.

She nodded solemnly and handed it back to me, her eyes never leaving him. “Keep that on. For the baby.”

“So you think it is magic?” I asked, taking it back and looping it back over my head.

“I’m not sure. Let’s see what we’re dealing with,” she said, her tone shifting to one of professional concern.

As Layla moved closer to Nathan, her expression became intensely focused. She leaned over him, inspecting him closely, even went so far as to open one of his eyes and shine a small flashlight into its blue-green depths.

I watched for several long moments, biting my lips, before she straightened and shot me with a serious gaze.

“Olivia, you’re right; this is not just an illness. I’ve seen this before. I think it could be a hex—and a powerful, draining one at that,” she stated, her voice laced with worry.

“A hex?” I repeated, my voice trembling. “But who would do such a thing? And why?”

Layla shook her head, a sign of uncertainty. “I have no way of determining that. But this hex is slowly sapping his strength, feeding off of his life force. If it continues, he’ll die. I’ve seen it happen before. Have you noticed anything strange about his behavior?”

I sank back into my chair, feeling a cold dread settle over me. “Nathan started changing about a week ago. It was subtle at first, like he wasn’t acting like his normal self... then this sudden illness.”

“Hexes like this usually need something physical to anchor them,” Layla explained, her eyes scanning the room as the source could be anywhere. “But my guess is that it’s likely something in your home, something close to Nathan. Maybe it was placed about a week ago. Or maybe even longer, and you only just started seeing the signs.”

The thought of our home, our safe haven, harboring something so evil made my skin crawl. “How do we find it?” I asked.

“We’ll need to search every nook and cranny of your villa. The hex’s anchor could be anything,” Layla said, her tone serious.

“We need to do this quickly, then,” I said. “I can’t afford to leave him hanging if something is draining him of his life force.”

Layla nodded, her expression mirroring my resolve. “I’ll help you. We’ll comb through every inch if we have to. But for now, he’s stable. This is our window of opportunity.”

Turning to look at Nathan, his form still motionless and pale, I felt a surge of determination. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I can’t—I won’t—lose him. He means everything to me.”

Layla’s hand found my shoulder, offering a squeeze of solidarity. “I know, Olivia. We’ll find a way. You’re not in this alone.”

Despite her reassuring words, the gravity of our situation weighed heavily on me. Looking at Nathan, so vulnerable and distant, I vowed silently to bring him back.

“We’ll start as soon as we get back to the villa,” I said, my voice firm despite the fear gnawing at my heart.

Layla gave a curt nod. “I’ll be right beside you. We’ll break this hex, Olivia. We have to.”