The only sound in the ward was the steady tick-tock of the IV drip, each drop a slow, deliberate beat that seemed to slow down time itself.
The nurses were careful and quiet, not to wake the two patients in the ward.
"There," a nurse pointed at one of the patient's fingers. It was moving, and her eyes slowly opened.
"Go on and call the doctor," the second nurse muttered before she rushed to the patient's side, careful not to stumble on the numerous tubes connected to the second patient's body.
"Miss, can you hear me?" she asked, and the patient's eyes shot open. Luna Norman scanned the place, her gaze drifted to the door. A doctor walked in,
Behind the doctor was someone familiar.
A fine silhouette that made her hazy eyes linger for a while before words finally escaped her lips, calling out to him by memory,
"Aidie," she muttered but her throat was dry so the words barely came out.
The doctor noticed this and turned to the nurse,
"Give her some water."
Once she was done, she stepped aside and let the doctor check her, but all along, Luna's gaze was on Aidie.
Countless tears rolled down her cheeks when she reminisced about the past events. "Aidie, he killed Mom and Daddy." Luna sobbed. Aidie's hands formed a fist, but he didn't say anything.
He stood there tall, his brown eyes focused on her. Soon, the doctor was done and walked to Aiden.
"She is stable now, don't stress her much." With that said, he walked out with the nurses and closed the door.
"Forgive me, I arrived late," Aiden said, his voice stiff and low.
Luna shook her head in denial. "It's all my fault," she muttered and kept crying. Aiden didn't say anything; he knew it was his fault.
His dad contacted him several times, told him to show up for Luna's wedding, but he refused. How could he watch the woman he had loved for so many years marry another?
That would feel like vinegar poured on his already open injury.
On the day of the wedding, he had switched off his phone. Only after receiving the update about what happened at the wedding did he track down Luna's contact; his team was quick to rescue her.
It's been three months, and he was scared she wouldn't wake up, but once he got assurance from the doctor that she would wake up soon, he went ahead to implement his plan.
Luna sat up and cleaned her tears. Her gaze landed on the patient on the bed at her right; there were just so many tubes connected to her.
"That's Calla Rose," Aiden blurted as if sensing her confusion.
"What…what happened to her?" Luna questioned. Of course, she knew who Calla Rose was. Everyone did.
The favored granddaughter of Madam Rose.
"An accident," he answered.
A knock came from the door, a woman in her forties pushed the door, and walked in with a middle-aged man.
"We heard she finally woke up,"
The woman looked quite posed, upright and calm with a beauty face that didn't seen affected by her age, she was Cecilia Rose and the man next to her was her husband, the third son of old woman Rose.
They took one good look at Luna and then smiled at her, with a warm gaze which confused Luna.
"Hello," they said but she felt confused, so she simply gave a nod. She knew they were Calla's parents and didn't ask further.
They must have come to see their kid.
Did Aiden have little money that he couldn't afford a private room for her?
"Did you explain the situation to her?" Raymond Rose asked, and Aiden sighed heavily, picked up the mirror at the side, and handed it to Luna.
"Look"
Luna's gaze swept across the ward before she stared at her reflection, her brows furrowed, and her hand gently touched her face.
It was Calla Rose's face.
"Aidie…Aidie, this isn't my face," she muttered in disbelief, her gaze moved to Calla, who was unconscious.
"I made a deal on your behalf," Aiden said, pulled out a chair, and sat comfortably.
"With the name Luna Norman, you will never get to live a peaceful life, so here is a chance to start afresh. You could inhabit Calla Rose's identity; she already gave her approval."
Luna's face showed no emotion; she was at a loss and didn't know what to say or how to react.
"That's true, child, we will welcome you into our home," Cecile said with a smile. Although it was hard to accept another child as hers, she had no choice.
Her daughter, Calla, wasn't going to make it; the doctors were waiting for their approval to turn off the oxygen on her.
This couldn't be the end of their daughter; they couldn't let the ones who hurt her go free and chase them out.
"Aidie," Luna's gaze was on Aiden. She wanted him to explain what was going on.
"Calla has been in the hospital for close to a year and won't make it alive, her parents won't be treated well, and the Rose fortune will be handed to the relatives who planned her death, but that can be avoided only with your help."
Aiden went further to explain that Cecile and Raymond were willing to accept her in and treat her like their kid; all she had to do was make sure she stayed alive and let them continue their research in the family laboratory.
Luna shook her head in denial. "I can't assume someone else's reputation, I need to go back home," she said, countless tears rolling down her cheeks.
"That bastard will pay for what he did to my family. I will make him pay."
Aiden chuckled lightly, "And how do you intend to do that?"
Luna had no idea how, but she had to find a way, right?
"Go back home with the Rose and assume the role of a billionaire heiress, it's what you have always wanted," he blurted, and Luna stared at him in disbelief; even the couple was surprised he said that.
With that, Aiden stood up. "There, I offered you help, and my job here is done. Farewell, Calla Rose."
He walked to the door, Luna jumped down the bed and hurried to him "Where are you going brother?"
She held his arm, he clenched his fist, and pulled his arm from her. "I am sure you know of the Rose family; they are the most influential family in the nation, and everything they have belongs to Calla Rose, and now it's yours."
"I don't care about their money."
Aiden laughed, "That's new." he held the doorknob when Raymond butted in.