Day Fifteen…
~~*****~~
Badum! Badum!
Abigail could hear her heart beating rapidly against her chest. She was waiting for their lips to touch. But for some reason, she felt like Nathan was taking his time.
Just when she was about to open her eyes, she heard Nathan whispering in her ear. "Are you expecting me to kiss you?" Nathan finally let go of her hands that were being pinned over her head.
Nathan tried his best to hold his laughter, his lips curling up into a teasing smile. "You still have a long way to go, dear," he added.
Abigail snapped her eyes open only to see Nathan's cheeky grin. He tricked her! She had the urge to punch him and rip that annoying smile off his gorgeous face.
She felt embarrassed but Abigail didn't want to admit defeat. How could she let Nathan play with her feelings? She must get even at him. Since Nathan started it, then she would finish it!
Abigail lifted her head forward, giving him a peck on his face. Her lips touched the right corner of his lips. She did it intentionally to make Nathan fluster. She succeeded!
Nathan froze on the spot because of Abigail's sneaky attack. He just wanted to tease her. He didn't expect that Abigail would suddenly kiss him.
Abigail anchored her right arm around his neck and her left hand grabbed Nathan's jaw, turning his face to meet her gaze.
Nathan looked flustered and he was not able to utter some words.
With that, Abigail's lips tugged upward into a satisfied smile. "You are blushing, Mr. Sparks."
"No… I'm not!" Nathan denied her accusation.
Abigail just let out a soft giggle. Nathan was too defensive even though it was already obvious on his reddened face.
Nathan's plan backfired on him. He didn't expect that Abigail would do that sneaky move, turning the table around. He immediately got off on top of Abigail and sat down with a dark expression on his face. He shouldn't let Abigail make fun of him.
Nathan felt so awkward with this current situation. He was contemplating whether to leave or not when suddenly his phone rang. It was a call from Veronica. She was currently in the hospital, monitoring Phantomflake's condition.
Abigail frowned as soon as she saw the caller ID. it belonged to her rival, Veronica. She was still suspicious of Veronica as the one who wanted to harm her. She noticed the strange behavior of her attacker last night.
The culprit targeted her face, instead of attacking her vital points. If he wanted to kill her, he should have thrust the knife toward her neck or chest. Why did he have to focus his attack on her face?
Furthermore, she remembered Veronica's statement: "Anyone who will try to steal you away from me… must die. And any potential threat must be eliminated right away." Those were Veronica's declarations which she overheard before inside Nathan's chambers. So Abigail had a valid reason to suspect Veronica.
Abigail just stayed quiet as she tried to listen to Nathan's and Veronica's conversation.
"Veronica…" Nathan just called her name, signaling her to start talking.
"Nate, where are you? I didn't see you in your ward?" Veronica's worried voice was heard from the other line.
"I got discharged last night, why?" Nathan simply said. He didn't bother to explain further or elaborate on his answer. In his mind, he didn't have any obligation to explain everything to Veronica.
Veronica was puzzled as to why Nathan got discharged. He should stay in the hospital for a few days to recover. Did his doctor give him clearance to leave already? Veronica was clueless that Nathan left the hospital last night without his doctor's consent.
"You shouldn't have left the hospital, Nate. Your wound is still fresh." Veronica was nagging Nathan as if she was his girlfriend. Abigail could only roll her eyes skyward as she could hear Veronica's voice.
Nathan realized that Abigail was secretly listening to them. He didn't know whether he should laugh or get mad at Abigail's eavesdropping. He even caught her rolling her eyes at Veronica's last remarks.
'Is she getting jealous?' Nathan thought to himself. His lips twitched fighting a smile.
"Nathan? Are you still there? Are you listening to me?" Veronica's voice snapped him out of his deep thoughts. He got distracted for a moment as Abigail occupied his mind once again.
"I prefer to take a rest in a hotel, rather than to stay in the hospital," Nathan nonchalantly responded, hiding the fact that Abigail was the reason why he left the hospital last night.
Veronica could only sigh in defeat. "The reason I am looking for you is that… I have an important update regarding Phantomflake."
Nathan's expression changed instantly at the mention of Phantomflake's name. Abigail also noticed the chilly aura that surrounded him.
"What happened to her?" Nathan became serious.
"You should go back here and see for yourself. It's so hard to explain on the phone," Veronica replied. She used Phantomflake to make Nathan return to the hospital.
Nathan didn't say another word as he stood up, marching out of Abigail's room. Abigail just watched him in puzzlement. Nathan was rushing out. When it came to Phantomflake, Nathan was always sensitive.
"Nathan, where are you going?" Abigail followed him until they got out of her room.
Nathan turned around and replied, "I'm going back to the hospital. Just stay here and don't go out without your bodyguards. Is that clear?" Nathan reminded her with his stern voice.
Abigail shook her head. She wanted to know what was happening. "I'm coming with you!" She declared, running in his direction. She immediately held his arms upon reaching his spot.
Nathan just sighed. He didn't want to argue anymore. "Okay."
Nathan and Abigail left the hotel and proceeded to the hospital. Five bodyguards accompanied the two– one bodyguard driving the car and one bodyguard sitting in the front passenger seat while the other three riding another vehicle as they followed behind.
When they reached the hospital, Nathan was in a hurry to reach the floor where Phantomflake's ward was located. Abigail was still following him. Surprisingly, Nathan didn't mind letting Abigail see Phantomflake.
When they entered the room, Veronica and Doreen were already there talking to each other. The two doctors turned in their direction when they heard the sound of the sliding door.
Veronica's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Abigail. 'What is she doing here?' Then Veronica sized her up, from top to bottom and vice versa. She cursed inwardly after seeing that Abigail was just fine.
'Why did she appear together with Nathan? I thought she was…' There was a gleam in Veronica's eyes as she looked sharply at Abigail. 'She is such a pain in the ass!'
Abigail met Veronica's sharp glare. And she returned Veronica's deathly gaze with a taunting smile. She was provoking her. Her smile seemed like telling Veronica 'I'm well, safe and sound!'
When she was done provoking Veronica, Abigail shifted her gaze to the patient lying on the sickbed. Her expression became serious as she saw her original body. So she was truly the reason why Nathan went to Country F. He wanted other doctors to examine Phantomflake's condition.
"What happened to her?" Nathan asked Dr. Doreen and Veronica, moving closer to Phantomflake's sickbed.
"She bled…" Dr. Doreen responded. There was a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"What do you mean she bled? What kind of bleeding? Internal bleeding?" Nathan panicked a little when he heard that. Phantomflake's condition must improve, not worsen!
Veronica and Dr. Doreen both shook their heads. "That's not what she meant, Nate. Come, look at this." Veronica showed him Phantomflake's right hand and the blood stain on her bed. Phantomflake had a cut.
Abigail subconsciously held her arm which was wrapped by a bandage. She was no longer surprised about this incident. She already expected that her original body would also receive the same wound she got last night.
"Who did this to her?" Nathan asked them. His voice was as cold as the winter.
Abigail gulped hard, feeling a little bit anxious. What if Nathan would realize that she also got the same wound as Phantomflake? He cleaned her wound last night, would he be able to recognize it?
"Honestly, we don't have any ideas, Nate. The bleeding automatically stopped although we didn't treat her. And this wound suddenly appeared out of nowhere." Veronica explained to Nathan.
Nathan fell silent. His eyes were assessing Phantomflakes' cut in her right arm.
Meanwhile, feeling the need to disappear, Abigail slowly and quietly stepped backward. Before Nathan could remember her, she had to get out of that room. Her presence would only remind him about her wound which was very similar to Phantomflake's wound.
Abigail was just a few steps away from the door when Nathan spoke up.
"Abigail… come here," he commanded her with his authoritative voice.
Abigail cursed inwardly as she bit her lower lip. 'Damn! Don't tell me… he realized something?!'
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