Bella turned around, startled, and found Lucas leaning casually against the doorway. His arms were crossed over his chest, his tall frame relaxed yet commanding. Even slouched against the entrance, he still seemed to tower over her.
Her eyes drifted—just for a second—to where the fabric of his coat stretched over his biceps. The memory of his arms wrapping around her earlier flashed back uninvited. His body had practically engulfed her smaller one, and just the thought sent a faint blush creeping over her cheeks.
She quickly looked up—only to find him staring right into her eyes.
'Wait… was I just staring at him?' Her inner voice screamed. 'Why was I staring?'
'Because he is hot' another voice chimed in smugly.
Heat rose to her cheeks again. She dared a second glance and caught him still watching her. 'Wait—is he checking me out now?'
She coughed, desperate to break the tension, and the sudden sound startled him enough that he shifted slightly before regaining his composure. When he straightened and moved closer, standing in front of her, Bella forced herself to look anywhere but at those eyes.
"See? I told you everything would be fine in the end," Lucas said with a small smile.
Bella nodded, relief still fresh in her heart, though her mind had shifted. Now that Rachel was safe, other questions bubbled up. Like—why was he still here? Businessmen like him were supposed to be impossibly busy. Time was money, wasn't it?
"Mr. Costanzo," she began carefully.
"Lucas," he corrected immediately.
"Mr. Lucas," she tried again.
"Just Lucas. Okay?"
She sighed. "Okay… Lucas." The name rolled a little awkwardly off her tongue. "I was wondering why you waited through the surgery with me. You must be very busy. Don't you have important meetings or things to do?"
Her question caught him off-guard. He blinked, suddenly remembering the meeting he had skipped entirely. His temporary assistant was probably still waiting with reports on his desk. Why was he here instead of handling business?
'Because I saw her crying…' he almost admitted to himself. 'But no—that couldn't be it. It had to be because of Rachel. Yes. I stayed for the little girl. Not because of Bella.'
"I was just worried about Rachel," he said smoothly. "Besides, I'm free today, so I thought I'd check on her. But when I arrived, she was already in surgery, so I decided to wait until it was over."
Bella nodded, her expression softening into an "O" of understanding.
A pause lingered between them until Lucas broke it. "If you don't mind… can I ask you something?"
She tilted her head. "What is it?"
"How come you have a daughter? Because… I remember that night, you were a virgin."
Bella's cheeks burned instantly. 'Of all things, did he have to bring that up?' Her mind spun back to that one reckless night, and she wanted to bury her face in her hands.
Lucas leaned back slightly, almost regretful. "Sorry, that was too personal. You don't need to answer."
"No," Bella said quickly, shaking her head. "It's not like that. Rachel… she isn't my biological daughter. I adopted her."
Lucas kept his expression neutral, though he already knew the truth. Still, he wanted to hear her story—her version of it. "Go on. I'm listening."
Bella exhaled slowly and sat down, her gaze falling on Rachel's pale face.
"Four years ago, one night, I got a call from aunt Gabrielle—she runs the orphanage I grew up in. She had an emergency and needed someone to take care of a sick child at the hospital. No one else was available, so she called me.
"When I first saw Rachel, she was so tiny and fragile, hooked up to machines. My heart broke on the spot. At first, I had no intention of adopting her—I was barely getting through life myself. But that night, I stayed with her. She couldn't sleep from the discomfort, so I played with her, held her in my arms. Eventually, she clung to me and slept peacefully."
"The next morning, when I tried to leave, she started crying. And that's when I realized—she had chosen me. Usually, it's the parents who choose the child. But Rachel… Rachel chose me."
Bella's voice faltered, and tears welled in her eyes. "She's the one who taught me what real love feels like. She's my only family."
Her tears finally spilled over, and Lucas was quick to grab tissues, offering them to her without hesitation. She accepted with a shaky smile.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For staying with me today."
He shrugged lightly. "It's fine. I'm worried about her too."
For a moment, they simply sat together, both gazing at the small figure on the hospital bed.
Just then, the doctor entered, checking Rachel's vitals. Lucas took the opportunity to hand Bella the folded prescription papers.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head out," he said. "I'll visit tomorrow when she wakes up. Here are the instructions—do's and don'ts the doctor explained earlier."
Bella nodded, taking the papers. After finishing his examination, the doctor turned to Bella. "Her condition is stable. She'll probably wake up in about two hours."
"Thank you, doctor."
The doctor gave a warm smile, then paused. "By the way, her father is very diligent. That young man wrote down every word I said, like a student in a lecture." He chuckled before leaving.
Bella froze, blinking. Father? But the doctor was already gone, laughter trailing behind him.
Her lips curled despite herself. "Of course… he's worried about her."
She settled back into the chair, carefully reading through the notes Lucas had written, her chest oddly lighter than before.
Meanwhile, Lucas, instead of heading out of the hospital, decided to stop by another ward. Mark was here recovering—he might as well check in. But just as he reached the door, he froze at the sound of laughter.
"Are you sure you wanted to be a nurse?" Mark's voice floated out, teasing. "Because I think you're beautiful enough to be a model."
Lucas raised a brow as he caught the sound of a nurse giggling inside. He leaned casually against the wall, lips quirking at the scene he had just stumbled upon.