Day Forty-Two…
~~*****~~
[ At Stephen's Place… ]
Nathan finally arrived at Stephen's house. He rushed to Stephen after hearing the piece of good news. Upon entering the house, Nathan immediately proceeded to Phantomflake's room. Stephen was already there, waiting for Nathan.
"Steph!" Nathan pushed the door open and he was out of breath.
Stephen greeted Nathan with a warm smile. "You're here!"
Nathan stepped forward with large strides. In no time, he reached Phantomflake's sickbed. She was still unconscious.
"Did she open her eyes?" Nathan asked his best friend with anticipation
Stephen shook his head but he glanced at Nathan with hopeful eyes. "No. But Cherry and I saw her fingers move last night. My dad already examined her. Everything about her condition is improving!"
"Her brain activity is very active." Stephen presented Phantomflake's chart. "Sooner or later… she will wake up!"
Nathan grabbed the patient's chart. He had mixed emotions about this. 'Two years… I waited for this for two years… Phantomflake must wake up no matter what.'
Stephen noticed that Nathan was lost in his own thoughts. He could understand his feelings. Everyone here was waiting for Phantomflake to regain consciousness. Stephen patted Nathan's shoulder, snapping him out of his train of thought.
"Nate… don't worry. She is going to wake up," Stephen softly said, reassuring Nathan.
Nathan just bobbed his head, focusing his eyes on Phantomflake. He exhaled deeply before handing the patient's chart back to Stephen.
"Let's go out. We need to talk," Nathan mumbled. He sounded very serious.
Stephen just followed him behind. They headed to the garden. No one was around. They could discuss anything they wanted.
"Is there something wrong, Nate?" Stephen asked him curiously. He didn't understand why Nathan didn't look happy at all. Was he troubled by something?
"Nothing. I just want to ask you regarding Phantomflake," Nathan simply replied.
Stephen looked at Nathan confusedly. They've already talked about Phantomflake's health. What's more he wanted to know?
"Okay. What is it?" Stephen gave him a questioning gaze.
"You said you met Phantomflake a few years back and you knew her personally… Am I right?" Nathan was asking for Stephen's confirmation.
"Yes. It's true. Why?" Stephen was puzzled.
Nathan paused, fixing his eyes on his best friend. He just stared at Stephen for a long moment, before he spoke up once again.
"Perhaps… you knew something about Phantomflake's child. Do you know about this?" Nathan asked him inquisitively, his eyes not leaving his face.
Stephen's face became pale and he lost the ability to speak when he heard Nathan's last statement.
'How did he know about this?' Stephen was shocked beyond belief.
Phantomflake's pregnancy was a secret. He promised to bury this secret and not let anyone know about it… including his best friend, Nathan.
"From your expression alone, I can tell that you know about this. Where is her child?" Nathan's voice was cold. He was upset because Stephen hid this truth from him.
It was a funny thing that Aiden would be the one informing him about this. For the first time, Nathan didn't get annoyed by Aiden's blabbering mouth. Because of him, he found this truth about Phantomflake.
"H-How did you know this?" Stephen asked him instead of answering his question.
Nathan pursed his lips. "Just answer my fvcking question, Steph!" He grabbed Stephen's collar. "How long are you planning to hide this from me? Now I need an answer. Where is Phantomflake's child? I have to find her child so that she will become obedient to me once she wakes up."
Stephen was displeased when he heard Nathan's last remarks. His expression darkened and he grabbed Nathan's hands that were holding his collar.
"Stop it, Nate! Don't involve the innocent child in your revenge!" Stephen raised his voice and removed Nathan's hands.
Nathan was caught off guard by Stephen's reaction. He didn't expect that Stephen would get mad at him. 'He truly cares about Phantomflake!'
"Why are you doing this to me, Steph? Why are you protecting Phantomflake?!" Nathan pushed Stephen away. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
"Because she had suffered enough!" Stephen spat back at Nathan.
"I understand your pain, Nate. But I also understand her pain. I witnessed how much she suffered from a traumatic experience. Nathan! Phantomflake was my patient! You will never find her child because her child passed away! She lost her child!"
Nathan was taken aback when he heard Stephen's revelation.
'She lost her child…' Nathan repeated Stephen's words in his mind. But he had no right to pity her. She brought him the same misery… when he lost her beloved woman.
"Nate, can't you open your mind? You should not direct your anger and hatred at Phantomflake! She is just a tool used by your enemy to make you suffer!" Stephen added. He was arguing with Nathan just because of Phantomflake.
Nathan remained silent. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to admit it but Stephen had a point. But since he didn't know who the real mastermind was, all Nathan could do was blame everything on Phantomflake. He was taking all his hatred and anger on her.
"I might consider that… unless Phantomflake will reveal to me the mastermind behind Monica's death," Nathan retorted.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Why are you two fighting? What happened?" Aiden just came at the right time to intervene with the two men. Aiden heard the yelling of Nathan and Stephen. They were arguing. He immediately stepped in the middle to pacify them.
"Calm down. Let's talk this out in a peaceful manner." Aiden held their shoulders.
Stephen took a deep sigh, calming himself down. After a while, he apologized to Nathan first.
"I'm sorry, Nate. I hid this truth from you because of the promise I made to her."
Aiden glanced at Stephen with eyes filled with intrigue. "What promise? Promise to whom?" He darted his gaze back and forth between Nathan and Stephen.
The two men just stayed silent, not mentioning Phantomflake's pregnancy.
"Hey! C'mon! Tell me!" Aiden shook their shoulders alternately, urging them to spill the beans.
It did not take long before another person joined them.
"Aiden Wu!!!" Cherry showed up and called upon Aiden's attention. She was looking dagger at him. She seemed like she was ready to skin him alive.
"Uh-oh! I sense danger!" Aiden mumbled, hooking his arms on his two best friends. "Besties… please save me from Black Rose," he whispered to them.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦