CHAPTER 6

I was brought back to reality when I heard a loud scream from people. It was the people who were running out of the church. One of them had just fallen to the floor as she was about to leave. This was now the case of real pandemonium in the church. I looked from left to right and saw that none of Bryce’s men or Bryce was looking in my direction. I held my gown and ran out of the church.

“Taxi!” I screamed with all my might. Immediately, one of them appeared from nowhere. I swung the door open like a flash and got on.

“St. Lucy’s hospital,” I told him, and he sped off. I turned my head to see if anyone was following me. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found out that there was no one.

I knew I had to see Grandpa or I would go berserk like Adrian. Bryce’s actions today had made me doubt his words. He could be saying one thing while doing another. When I looked in the mirror, I could see the taxi driver dropping inquisitive stares. I fought the urge to laugh. He would be wondering what could make the bride run out of her wedding or where I was going to bring his money from. I remembered that I had kept some money under my wig. I had insisted that the hairdresser wear me a wig, even though she didn’t see the need because I had gorgeous hair.

Only I knew my plans.

The moment I spotted the hospital, I began taking off my wig. I could see the taxi driver’s eyes go wide as I did that. I gave him the money and literally left the car while it was in motion. I burst into the hospital like a broken dam. I was also blind to the thousand eyes on me, but that was the least of my problems. I stood there, not knowing where next to go. I didn’t know his room number or the name he was registered with. Then I decided on the receptionist where patients for surgery were kept.

“Excuse me, please, where can I find patients in the recovery room?”

“Recovery room?” she asked me with an eyebrow raised.

"Please, you have to help me; my grandpa was brought here. He had heart surgery yesterday,” I asked, but she had a weird expression on her face. Obviously, she didn’t understand what I was saying. I left the counter and decided to ask another person. This time, I decided to ask a more detailed question.

“Hi doctor, please, where can I find the recovery room?” I asked him.

“Go upstairs and take your left,” he said. I said my thanks hurriedly and left. I ran upstairs, and I was also confused. I didn’t know which room I was going to enter. Suddenly, a door opened, and a nurse came out of it. I saw my grandpa in the room.

“Grandpa!” I shouted. The nurse tried to stop me, but my grandfather started to shout too.

“Let her be! She is my granddaughter,” he struggled to say. When the nurse saw him struggle, she and I rushed to his side.

“You shouldn’t be forcing yourself; you just had surgery,” she warned him.

“Grandpa, please be calm; I am here. I won’t leave you,” I said as I held his hand. After checking on my grandpa, she finally left the room, but with the warning that I shouldn’t stress him.

“Grandpa, how are you? I have missed you. What did they do to you? Did they hurt you?” I asked my grandfather. He shut his eyes as he began to smile.

“Calm down, Sara. You ask a lot of questions. How will I answer all of them at once?” He said this as he kept smiling.

“I smiled too. "Alright, grandpa, tell me how you are doing and what happened when they took me away.” I said. My grandpa sighed still, smiling as he narrated how those once harsh men in black gently carried him in another car that came and brought him to the hospital.

He said they didn’t leave his side until this morning, but with a promise that I would come to visit him. I couldn’t believe my ears. Those thugs that threatened to handle me roughly were nice to my grandpa? I didn’t want to believe it, but I also didn’t think my grandpa was lying.

I helped him sit up and drink some water. He cleared his throat, and I sensed he wanted to say something serious.

“Grandpa, are you okay?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m okay.” He paused and began to speak. “You know, Sara, I remember when your father needed money badly. He told me about the offer from the mafia, and I warned him not to take it.”

“Really grandpa?” I asked

“Yes. What I didn’t know was that he had gone behind and taken the money. When I asked him where he got the money to set up his company, he lied that a friend had given him money,” he said, smiling sadly.

With his words, I grew quiet and cold. All the questions I had were stuck in my throat because I knew my grandpa couldn’t answer them. We stayed in complete silence till I decided to leave, though I promised to visit or call.

As soon as I was in front of the hospital, I saw Bryce and his men waiting. I rolled my eyes as I came down the stairs.

“I knew this is where you would be,” Bryce said. ”Well, just so you know, the wedding holds,” he said. And that was when I saw myself in a beautiful bedroom at night. I was in the Gilbert mansion, and I couldn’t sleep. I decided to have a glass of milk.