Chapter 129

Stella

As soon as Silas and I get inside of his car, I bring out my phone to call Matteo, who is currently working at the hospital where Clara usually goes to. I called him multiple times, but nobody answers, not even a nurse. Even Silas tries to call Matteo, knowing that our brother will pick up whenever he calls, but he gets the same exact silent response as I do.

We sit in silence as we try to contact Matteo, wanting to get to the bottom of the Clara situation. The music on the radio is nice and upbeat, despite the tread that I feel inside of my chest. I notice Silas looking over at me and raise an eyebrow, leaning towards him.

“What's on your mind?” I ask, turning to look at him.

“Why didn't you ask Sebastian to take you?” Silas follows up, glancing at me and taking his tension away from the road. “I mean, he is your boyfriend, right? Why wouldn't she want him to be here with you instead of me?”

“I think that if Sebastian were to come, things may escalate far quicker than expected. I need to remain a little bit under the radar and I need somebody who will support me in silence rather than immediately fighting,” I answer his question honestly, not wanting to deceive him in any way like I have with Sebastian and a few others.

“Ah, I see,” Silas quietly says with a slight nod.

I know back in response, finally turning my gaze away from him and onto the road that lies ahead. A cough escapes my mouth, and I hunch over, covering the lower half of my face out of instinct. I reached out to the side for the water bottle that Silas brought for me and take quick sips from it to try and ease the itch in the back of my throat.

Silas looks over and gently places his hand on my shoulder, rubbing my back. I smile at him and nod, quietly thinking him as I lean back into the seat, his hand returning to the steering wheel.

“Are you okay Stella?” Silas's voice is filled with concern and worry. It melts my heart to know that my older brother, somebody who struggles with his emotions, can be so open with me now that we have grown to be more comfortable with one another.

“I am, yes, yet,” I reply, wanting to calm his nerves. “It was just a cough.”

I look away from him once again and stare out the passenger side window. My mind wanders back to Clara and I can't help but think if this is a trick or not, weighing the possibilities in between my hands. In a moment of vulnerability, I turned back to face Silas and sigh.

“I just can't help but feel cautious going into this,” I admit, “Clara has pulled stunts like this before, and I can't help but think that this is just one of those times. And I know that Adrian is going to be there, because he always is, so if Sebastian shows up it will become an even bigger mess that I do not wish to be a part of.”

Silas slowly nods beside me. He does not immediately respond, which I am grateful for, and enjoy the fact that I can speak without feeling judged or have to walk on eggshells around him. No matter what, Silas and I will forever be there for each other.

We arrive at the hospital minutes later. Silas helps me walk through the emergency room, weaving me through the small crowd of grieving families and friends, making our way up to the intensive care unit where Clara is sure to be staying. With the help of a nurse, we find our way to her room and I gently knock on the door, making my way inside as Silas remains in the hallway.

The room turns its attention on to me. Clara's parents immediately rushed towards me, their face is turning from sadness to an inexplicable anger. Her mother grabs my wrists and drags me towards the bed where Clara lays unconscious, deep in sleep.

“It is about time that you are here! Could you have taken any longer to get here? I know our expectations of you are low, but this is just horrible,” her mother beats me as she shows me Clara, who is basically on full display for those to see. “She just got her breathing tube out too! You missed the worst part of her injury!”

“And you didn't even bring flowers,” her father joins in, rolling his eyes at me as I try and break away from her mother's grasp.

“I am not your daughter anymore, do I have to remind you of that? I am here just to see if Clara is okay and to see her reasoning behind, blaming me for her problems, I am not here for you to belittle me for not teleporting here,” I roll my eyes at them and break her grip off of my body.

I look down at Clara, noticing this sunken purple circles beneath her eyes. I glance at the IV in her hand, following it tube to the machine that has her vital signs on it. With one last look, I turn around to face my parents just to see Adrian entering the hospital room.

I knew that he was going to be here, but it is still as shocked to see just how loyal he is to Clara despite her constant lies and deceptions.

“Stella? Why are you here?” Adrian asks as soon as his eyes land on me. I step around Clara's parents and simply shrug in response, shoving my hands into my pockets. “Is everything okay?”

I hesitate to respond, not wanting my personal afflictions to come into the public eye with Clara and her parents being able to watch. I glanced at them before turning back to Adrian, who guides me to the farthest part of the room, giving us some semblance of privacy as we stand close next to each other.

I look up at Adrian, his green eyes, bringing me an immense sense of comfort. I let out a quiet sigh and cross my arms over my chest, unsure if this is the right time or place to confront him about him, blocking me the other day. Finally, I look back up at him and shake my head, my emotions beginning to get the best of me.

“What is it? You know that you can talk to me, right?” Adrian quietly speaks, slightly leaning down to whisper into my ear.

I nod and I can’t help that my eyes well with tears. I hate how emotional I am whenever I am around him. He always brings out this side of me and I hate that I am unable to control the way I feel about him.

“Why did you block me, Adrian?” I quietly ask. “I tried to call you but your number was deleted from my phone.”

Before Adrian has the chance to respond, Clara wakes up with a loud gasp, her eyes springing open as she sits up in bed, turning her attention onto Adrian and I.