Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The shocking revelation
Rhys’ POV
The smile that was once on my face vanished the second I saw Evelyn collapse before my eyes.
"Evelyn!" Her name tore from my throat, and I rushed to her side without a second thought. But I was too late. I couldn’t catch her before she fell onto the ground. She had already hit the hard pavement beneath her, scraping her hands and knees in the process.
My heart was racing in my chest, and worry consumed me whole. People had stopped along the streets and turned to stare, mostly either out of curiosity or concern. Murmurs rose from the crowd, but they quickly faded into the background, sounding muffled like I was underwater.
The only thing I cared about was making sure that Evelyn was safe. She was the most important. I carefully picked her up in my arms, feeling the heat of her body seeping into mine.
With one arm still holding onto her, the other reached up to press against her forehead. Her body felt hotter than usual. "You are burning up," I murmured to myself, and panic started to settle in.
A knot of unease formed in my stomach. I let her limbs hang limply as I shoved through the crowd that surrounded us. What the hell was happening? What did Lucas do to her? But I couldn’t be bothered about him, I needed to get Evelyn to the hospital.
I looked down at her, her eyes still fluttered shut, and her expression serene, nothing like the raging emotions inside of me. "You will be okay," I muttered under my breath, but it was more for me to be honest.
Without wasting another second, I rushed her to the nearest hospital and ordered every single test to be taken, just in case. This was the second time she collapsed in less than a month. This should not be happening. Something was wrong, very wrong. Maybe she was hiding something from me.
They had taken Evelyn somewhere to run some tests and do some scans while I paced along the brightly lit hallway of the hospital for God knew how long. Until eventually, the doctor’s voice drifted to my ears, and I finally snapped out of the thoughts that were running wild in my head.
"Mr Carson, can I speak with you?" He asked, and the worry that was swirling in my chest exploded instantly upon seeing the look on his face.
It sounded serious. Did something really happen to her that I didn’t know about? A muscle tic in my jaw, but I only nodded and followed him into the doctor’s office.
The door clicked shut behind us, and the place fell eerily silent. I pulled the chair from beneath the large desk and folded myself into it. But I couldn’t stay still for even a second. I leaned forward, my hands clasped together as they rested on the table.
"What is it? Is everything okay? Will Evelyn be okay?" I asked, hurling question after question.
The doctor gave a default smile, it almost felt patronising in some way. But I shook that thought off. "Ms Hart will be fine. She is doing well, and her vitals are stable. But..." His voice trailed off, and he paused for a while.
"But" was not a good sign, it never was. My chest felt tighter than before, even the air felt thinner in this tiny space now. I braced myself for what was to come next as he took some time contemplating his next few words, but it never came.
"Are you her husband?" He asked instead, and I raised a brow at him, confused by the sudden question.
The word "yes" sat at the tip of my tongue for a split second before I had to correct myself. "No, I’m not."
His eyebrow jerked slightly. "Oh," his tone seemed surprised. His gaze bounced from his screen and back to me again. "You are Mr Rhys Carson, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah, but I’m her...boyfriend." Not a real one yet, but soon to be. Hopefully.
The corners of his lip twitched slightly at my response, and he adjusted his glasses that were sitting at the bridge of his nose. I watched as he leaned in closer, his eyes squinting at the large, bright screen before him. "Ah, it says here that you are her legal guardian."
My eyes widened. I was her legal guardian this whole time? I thought she would have changed it a long time ago. But hearing this felt oddly comforting, and a slight smile tugged at my lips.
"Is that so?"
"Yes, that’s what it says here," he muttered under his breath, his eyes still fixed on his screen.
"So is everything okay?" I cut in impatiently, tapping my feet against the floor. "She had fainted twice now in less than a month. Is there any reason why?"
I watched as the doctor’s brow furrowed together, and a small frown found its way to his face. "That was what I wanted to talk to you about," he began, a serious expression plastered across his face as he adjusted himself in the leather seat. "It seems that there is some infection due to a past surgery."
"What?" I never knew she had surgery.
I frowned, the confusion must be obvious on my face because the doctor went on to explain. "She had her fallopian tubes removed. And there seemed to be some complications from her past surgery that lingered and worsened recently. Thus leading to abdominal pains, even to the extent of passing out."
This news came as a surprise to me. Evelyn had always wanted to start her own family. When we were together, that was all she would talk about. She loved talking about how much she looked forward to being a mother. I could still vividly picture the grin on her face. Nothing was adding up. Why would she opt for such a surgery?
"Mr Carson...?" My mind was still a whirlwind of thoughts when the doctor’s voice reached my ears this time, jolting me back to reality.
I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes. "Yeah?"
"Is everything alright?" He asked, his voice laced with a hint of concern, and he was already staring at me.
"Yeah, yeah...will she be okay?"
"We had prescribed her some medicine for the pain and infection. Aside from that, ensure that she avoids any strenuous activity for the time being while she recovers." He paused. "All strenuous activity," he added, emphasizing each word, and I almost choked on nothing.
Immediately, a vivid image popped into my head. I couldn’t stop myself as my mind began to wander on its own, and warmth spread through my chest. I could see the curves of her body, and how my hand would trace every inch of her bare skin as she lay beneath me, making every coherent thought disappear. I could see the way her back would arch against the mattress when I fuck her mindless. I could hear the way she would moan my name and—
What the fuck was I thinking? What the hell was wrong with me? I was in the hospital. Evelyn had fainted earlier, she was sick, and here I was thinking about fucking her? I mentally slapped myself.
"Mr Carson?"
I blinked and immediately straightened in my seat. "Right. Of course." I cleared my throat, trying but miserably failing to ignore the heat lingering on my face. "No strenuous activity."
The doctor’s expression remained professional, though I could have sworn there was the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes. "Correct," he said. "At least until she’s fully recovered. If you have any questions, feel free to ask one of the nurses or me."
I nodded quickly. "Right, yeah. Thanks."
The words barely left the tip of my tongue when I dashed out of the doctor’s office and headed straight to where Evelyn was. His words were still ringing in my ears when I pushed the door open to her own private ward. Her eyes were still closed as she lay there with a serene look on her face.
I carefully approached her and settled in the tiny chair next to the bed. Without thinking, my hand drifted toward hers. My fingers gently wrapped around her smaller hand, holding it gently. Before I knew it, I had lifted it to my lips, pressing a light kiss against her knuckles.
"Don’t worry," I murmured. "I’ll take care of you. Nothing is going to happen to you while I’m here."
I felt her finger twitch in my hand, and her eyes slowly opened to meet mine. I immediately dropped her hand. "You are awake."
"What...what happened? Did I faint again?"
I nodded as a tiny frown settled between my brows. "It wasn’t just the hunger this time. There’s an infection."
"What? How..."
"There are some complications after the removal of your fallopian tubes which led to an infection," I explained, but she was still staring at me like I had grown another head. "Why didn’t you tell me?" I asked quietly.
A look of horror flashed across her face instantly.
"I..." Her voice cracked. "I never had any surgery to remove my fallopian tubes."
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