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"I feel pregnant." Three words, full of meaning, and life-changing.
ZIA'S OPERATION DAY
Calina's pov
For about two hours, I stayed behind the big window and watched my baby's surgery. It was a strange feeling to see your child lying openly on the table, but I knew she was in good hands.
Mr. Wright was one of the best cardiac surgeons. I wanted to help him during the operation, but he turned me down as his assistant. He said I couldn't operate my family member according the law.
"She will be fine," Emma said next to me, rubbing my back reassuringly. "I know, I just wish I could be there and help," I muttered.
"I know, but she is in good hands there. She will be fine," she told me again. Sighing, I nodded my head before leaning my head on her shoulder. I silently watched my baby's surgery. Though, they should be done anytime soon.
And I smiled, letting a sigh of relief as Mr. Wright showed me a thumbs up, indicating me that the operation was a success. My baby would be healthy again.
"Look, I told you," Emma said with a smile. "You did," I said with a little laugh before leaving the room.
"Are you coming?" I asked Emma as I saw she wasn't following me. "I'd, but I'm needed in an emergency," she muttered looking at her phone that beeped.
"Alright, I'll go then," I said, nodding my head, wanting to see my baby. "Yeah, I'll drop by when I'm done in the emergency section," she muttered, "you go."
"Okay." I walked to the room where my baby was stationed.
Smiling, I entered my baby's room, watching her unconscious figure. Everything seemed stable according to the machines she was attached to.
She wouldn't wake up for a few hours. And Emma was busy in the emergency section. Now, it was the perfect opportunity to pay my debt back.
"I'll be back soon," I said to her sleeping frame, "I promise." Then, I left the room with one last look at her before leaving the hospital and going to my car.
Getting in my car, I drove to the gangster I borrowed the money from.
*****
It was a half hour drive from the hospital to the druglord's place. As I got there, I got out of the car and went to the villa.
"I have your boss's deposit," I said to the two bulky men in front of the gates before one of them called his boss and informed him of my arrival.
Then, he nodded his head and opened the gates for me. Sighing, I went in. I went straight to the front door and rang the doorbell. It didn't take long for a maid to open the door.
"Mr. Cortez is waiting for you in his office. Please follow me," she said with a smile. I nodded my head before entering the mansion and following her in silence, as she led me to his office.
We stopped at a door before the maid knocked on the door. "Yes!" I heard him say before I entered and the maid closed the door behind me. "Candice? How are you?" he asked me with a dark smile.
"I'm alright," not asking him back as I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible and have no interaction with him again, "I brought your money." Taking the envelope with the money out of my pocket, I placed it on the desk.
He cocked his head and said, "Yes, we agreed on twenty thousand pounds, but I changed my mind. I don't want the money anymore, I want your services."
"That wasn't the deal." I frowned.
He said with a smirk, "I know, but I set the rules of the deal, so I can change them to my own liking. And I want you to work for me to pay off your debt."
"You want me to operate and take care of your men if they are shot or injured?" I asked him.
Chuckling, he shook his head. "I know you can offer better service," he said, tilting his head. "You didn't tell me you were a cardiologist."
"What do you want from me?" I asked him cautiously. "I want you to do heart transplants for me. It is paid high on the black market. And now I have the main tool for it, I mean you, you are my main tool, I can offer some hearts on the black market," he told me.
I looked at him fiercely, not letting him intimidate me at all, telling him firmly, "I'm not a murderer, Mr. Cortez, I'm a doctor, I heal. And this deal is over. You got your money as I promised." Then, I left his office, not waiting for an answer.
His men didn't stop me as I left the villa and went to my car. "Shit," I cussed, leaning my head against the steering wheel, wondering:
Did I mess things up more while trying to fix them?
I guess, I had to wait and see.
ONE WEEK LATER
Calina's pov
I watched my daughter.
After her operation, I was afraid that she would have any complications during the healing time, that was also why I wanted to stay by her side so that I could react quickly if any complications occurred.
"No offence, but you smell like my right foot, and my right foot smells disgusting," Bob said next to me.
Smiling a little, I turned sideways, looking at him, asking with a raised brow, "And the left one smells nice?"
"That isn't our topic right now, our topic is my left foot," he said, making me huff.
"And that it smells disgusting, like me, thanks!" I patted his shoulder, rolling my eyes.
"You're welcome, go home and take a shower," he told me. "But--"
"I'll be here, watching her, I promise," he said. "I'll take a shower in the hospital," I muttered, refusing to leave my baby.
"You need to rest, sugar. You look like your body will shut down any second," he claimed seriously. "Alright," I gave in, "but you'll call me if something happens."
"I promise," he smiled, hugging me, "go home and rest a little."
Sighing, I nodded my head, before pulling away from his embrace and leaving.
To rest a little. Have a little break, which I really needed. Cancer made me feel sick, I recently got fever and recurring nosebleeds out of nowhere, but not let it show, not wanting them to worry about me.
I knew I had to start my treatment soon before cancer would completely take over my body.
IN THE MEANTIME
Esmeralda's pov
I was in the UK. He took me back after I told him I felt pregnant. And I couldn't wait to see my Leonardo after all those years. I had missed my baby boy so much.
But I knew I had to be patience and . If I rushed things, I could ruin everything. Now, I was lying on a bed while a doctor checked with an ultrasound device if I was pregnant or not.
And I prayed that I was pregnant. I didn't lie to him when I told him I felt pregnant. I was late on my period, and had morning sickness for a week now.
Biting my lip, I looked at the device nervously, before letting a sigh of relief as the doctor said, "She's three weeks pregnant."
"Alright, thank you, doctor," Alessandro said, paying the doctor, before leading him to the door, talking with him there as I sat on the bed, wiping the gel off my stomach.
As he was done talking with him, he closed the door and turned towards me. I chewed on my lip nervously, as he approached me.
Looking down, feeling scared that he'd still send me back to this damn island, I muttered, "Please don't send me back to this island, I can't bear to be alone anymore, I'll go mental if I stay there any longer, it's not good for the baby either, and--"
"I won't send you back," he interrupted me, surprising me, making me look at him. "You won't?" I asked him hesitantly.
"No," he shook his head, "I won't, as you say it's not good for the baby, and I want you to have a healthy pregnancy."
"And Raphael?" I asked him with fear. "I'll talk to him, and until then, I want you to behave and don't draw attention to yourself here," he told me. I nodded my head, agreeing with him, "I promise I won't. Is Leonard here?" I couldn't help but ask.
"He's in Italy, starting his training."
"Why aren't we there?" I asked, not liking that there were miles between my child and me. "I have my reasons, but I still don't trust you enough to tell them after the shit you pulled behind my back years ago, and brought us into this situation," he claimed, making me sigh.
I looked at him sadly, not arguing with him. Not because he was right, but because I didn't want to test his waters, and see if he'd take me back to this island or now.
Instead I decided to stand on the right side of him, giving him right whatever he said, until he'd take me to my son.
"I'm sorry," I apologized.
"It's already too late, Esmeralda," he muttered, before turning around, leaving the room, and locking me up in another room of another castle.
I looked at the door, a crazy gaze set in my eyes, a blank expression on my face, my hands clutching the bedsheets, muttering,
"You're right, it's too late to say sorry, but not for me."
IN THE MEANTIME
Calina's pov
I was at home, taking a shower. The hot water did good on my tense and sore muscles. As I was done showering, I got out of the shower and dried myself with a towel before wearing my clothes that I put on the washing machine.
I chose clothes that showed less skin because of my illness. I didn't want my daughter to wonder why her mother was bruised. After getting dressed, I dried my hair with a blow dryer and went out of the bathroom.
I looked at the bed, wondering if I should take a nap, but decided against it. I wanted to be right next to my daughter.
Grabbing my purse and jacket, I went to the front door and leaving the house. I decided to take a cap to the hospital as I was too tired to drive.
On the way there, I stopped at a toy store and bought her a large stuffed bear. I smiled at how happy she would be after seeing the stuffed bear. She loved cuddly toys.
As I finally got to the hospital, I got out of my car and went to the hospital with the bear in my arms. When I was in the collider of her room, I frowned as I saw two police officers talking to Bob outside my baby's room.
Feeling alarmed, having a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, I approached them before asking, "What's going on here?" All three turned to me when they noticed my presence before Bob said nervously, "Candice ... I'm so sorry."
"Why are you sorry? What's wrong? What's going on here?" I asked, feeling uneasy. "Are you Zia Hooker's legal guardian?" the officer asked me.
"Yeah, I'm her mother," I said, my hands clutching the teddy bear tighter. "I'm sorry, madam, but your daughter was kidnapped from the hospital," said one of the officers.
His words made me let go of the stuffed bear, and stumble back. All of a sudden I felt dizzy, like I'd faint away any second. Telling myself not to stay conscious, I resumed my posture by leaning against the wall and looking at him.
"W-What? W-what are you talking about?" I asked him with tears in my eyes, not wanting to believe what he had just said. "I'm so sorry, Lina," Bob whispered, and my eyes shot at him.
"Where were you?" I asked him, feeling a madness inside me, grabbing the hem of his shirt with both hands. "Take a break! I'll watch her! And call you if something happens! I confided her to you! Is that how you watch my daughter! Where the hell were you when some assholes kidnapped my daughter? Huh?"
The officers pulled me back when I attacked Bob out of anger.
"Madam! Calm down!" the officer demanded, holding me in place. "My damn daughter is kidnapped! How the hell should I calm down? Should I sit down and have a tea with you to calm myself down?" I asked hysterically, trying to get out of his grasp like a mad-woman.
As I realized that trashing around was getting me nowhere, I stopped fighting in his grip. When he noticed that I was calming down, he let go of me. "Who kidnapped my daughter? Why?" I asked before either of them could say a word.
"That is the question we wanted to ask you, Madam. Do you have any enemies?" the officer asked me. I looked at him with tears in my eyes. Did I have enemies? I had. Could I tell him who I was suspicious of? Not at all. I couldn't risk my baby's life.
"No, I have no enemies," I lied. "How was my daughter kidnapped?"
"A nurse came and took her, claiming she needed to do some tests on her. When she didn't bring her back in an hour, I was concerned and asked Zia's doctor who said there were no tests scheduled for her today. And we got worried and alarmed when she was nowhere to be found, we looked at the cameras to see where the nurse had gone with Zia, and the footage showed that she took her to an ambulance before she left with her the hospital," Bob explained with a sad expression.
"Don't worry, Madam. We are already trying to track down the ambulance. Hopefully, we will find your daughter soon," the officer said as I tried to cope with the feeling that my daughter was kidnapped.
"Fuck ..." I muttered with tears in my eyes.
"I know that the kidnapping of your daughter is a lot to handle, Mam. Therefore, we don't want to pressure you more, considering your unstable condition after the bad news, but please visit the police station or inform us if you get suspicious of anyone, or remember anything crucial that could help us find your doctor," the officer said.
"I will, thank you," I said in a daze before the officers and left. Sagging down the wall, I pulled my hair, crying. I felt like they had torn a part of me away.
"Do you think it's him? Could it be that he found you and took her away? Could it be possible? Have you noticed something strange lately? Or in the past few months?" Bob asked me. "I don't think so, if he planned kidnapping her, he wouldn't wait years to do it ..." I said, pondering who could have kidnapped my daughter, until one name came up my mind:
Cortez.
"Son of a bitch! If I'm Calina Ivanov, I'll kill you with my bare hands if you kidnapped my daughter." Sniffing, I let go of my hair, and balled my hands into fists, looking in sheer madness, ready to kill.
"What? Who are you talking about?" he asked me confused. I looked at him with puffy eyes before saying, "The bank gave me the loan, but they didn't get the money into my account on time and my baby's surgery would be postponed. Therefore, I borrowed money from a drug lord."
"You did what?" he asked me shocked. "But I gave him his money back on time. I paid him more than I took from him as he wanted. However, he no longer wanted the money," I said, wiping my tears away.
"What did he want?" he asked me carefully. Sighing, I said, "He found out I am a cardiologist. He wanted me to do an organ transplant for him for a year."
"I can't believe my ears at the moment! Please tell me you're kidding," we heard Emma say and our eyes darted in the direction from which her voice was coming. "You told me you got the money from the bank on time! You lied to me!"
"I'm so sorry, I was so desperate--" I tried to explain, but she cut me off.
"Desperate? You felt desperate? Why did you feel desperate? You had an option! Bob and I offered you an option! We could give you the money too! Why the hell are you not asking us for the money and go to a fucking druglord?" she asked me confused.
"I didn't want to borrow money from you! You've already done so much for me, I didn't want to bother you anymore! That's why I took the money from a gangster," I told her.
"And I thought we were family! I thought we'd tell each other everything!" she said angrily. "You are my family," I sniffed.
"But you don't behave like you see us as your family! I'm sorry to say that, but you're acting like a spoiled brat!" she said as I looked at her hurt. I knew I made a mistake, and I apologized, why couldn't she understand me?
"Emma! That's enough!" Bob interfered. "No, let her talk," I said to Bob before looking back at Emma. "Why am I acting like a brat? Tell me!"
"Why? You are sick and refuse to be treated! You ask a gangster to lend you money instead of asking us! And you are putting us all in danger again with your behavior! "she hissed at me.
"I'm sorry! I just wanted to take care of my problems myself! Without depending on anyone as I've been dependent on someone all my life! Because I hate being depending on someone! I hated how they, my father, my brothers, and him, wanted me to depend on them! In order to use me!"
"We're not them, and you have to let go of your past! Otherwise, you'll only live in deep sorrow! Otherwise, you can't heal!" she claimed.
Chuckling, I shook my head, muttering, "Don't lecture me about a pain you can't relate until you feel it! Because the pain I went through isn't curable! And time doesn't heal it! It just lectures you how to deal with it!"
As I was about to leave, Bob grabbed my wrist, making me look at him. "Where are you going?" he asked me worriedly.
"I'm going to take my baby back," I said firmly. "Let me come with you," he claimed. I shook my head with a smile before pulling my wrist from his grip.
"No. I will go alone, I will no longer put you in danger by acting like a spoiled brat!" I gritted out, and tears threatened to fall down my eyes as her words hurt. Turning around, I left. Not wanting to endanger them any more, like they claimed.
"There's no way I'm going to let you go there alone," I heard him say after me before I heard him tell me to wait. But I wasn't listening.
I ran out of the hospital. Fortunately, there was a taxi, looking empty. Hurrying to the vehicle, I got in.
"Please drive, I'll describe you the way," I told the driver as he moved out the parking lot, the door locking automatically as he was speeding.
I saw Bob from the outside mirror running after the car. The driver looked at me, asking me if he should stop, but I shook my head, telling him to drive away.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to drag you into my mess again. It's my mess and I have to fix it," I muttered, looking at him from the mirror before completely driving away from the hospital.
I drove to the gangster. And if he kidnapped and hurt my baby, I'll see that he will go to hell soon.
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