Chapter 440 - Scratching Scars That Won’t Heal (1)

The VIP hospital room had a soft, warm light glowing around the back of their beds, where the built-in headboard was that housed some buttons with labels on them for staff use. There were unused monitors and IV racks on either side of Angela and Gael's bed, serving as a reminder that they were in a hospital and not in a hotel.

Angela stirred, a soft moan escaping her lips when her eyes fluttered open. Her back was throbbing, which was what woke her up at six a.m. that morning. With her brows furrowed, she sat up on the bed and glanced at Gael, wondering if he was hurting too like she was—though his wounds must hurt ten times more than hers did.

He was currently lying on his right side with his back facing her. She felt the urge to touch and hug him but decided against it, not wanting to disturb his sleep and press on his wounds. A couple of hours ago, she woke up realizing their beds were pushed next to each other, and he was holding her hand. She wondered if he moved his bed himself or he asked for help from the nurses. Would they have allowed him? She didn't know if it was okay. The thought of Gael doing it alone didn't sit right with her—with his back injury and all that.

Angela rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom to pee, dragging the IV rack with her, leaning her weight on it as she advanced. She walked carefully not to wake him up. After relieving herself, she washed her hands in the sink and proceeded to wash her face and comb her hair as well.

Last night, Angela woke up around midnight while Gael was still unconscious. She told Nina what happened, and her best friend came right over, bringing her stuff she might need—like toiletries and a change of clothes if she wanted to. So she took her time in the bathroom cleaning herself, resisting the urge to take a shower as that would be quite hard for her at that moment.

The hospital dress she wore was like a top and bottom pajama outfit—thank goodness it wasn't one of those open-back type. She had to remove the top to wipe herself properly with a warm towel. Angela hadn't seen her back yet. She let out a gasp when she saw the long red outline of the chain across her back, from her left shoulder down to her right waist. It was starting to turn bluish purple. Her brows knitted deeply. If hers looked like this, she could only imagine what Gael's looked like.

Gael wasn't wearing the same hospital gown as she was, and that was probably because he had a more serious injury. Soft elastic wrap covered his entire torso, so she hadn't seen it yet.

She began to sob as the events from last night played in her head. Angela blamed herself. Because of her, Gael was hurt. Because of her, the baby…

She clamped her hands over her mouth to stop from making a sound. Everything she did hurt others.

…

Once Angela got out of the bathroom, a female nurse came over to her side, assisting her back to her bed.

"Your breakfast is here, and I placed your medicines next to it. You should eat while it's still warm," said the nurse.

Gael was still asleep. He was usually a light sleeper, but he hadn't woken up from all the shuffling around him. Angela thought he really must be in pain, and the pain medication must have knocked him out cold.

"Don't worry; he'll be fine. He just needs to rest so he can heal properly," reassured the nurse. Angela must have looked so obviously concerned just now. When she settled back in her bed, the nurse maneuvered the overbed table in front of Angela, carrying a covered plate and a small cup of her medicines. 

"He must really love you," commented the nurse out of nowhere. "I was helping out in the ER last night as they were understaffed. He carried you in, looking so worried and pale. I offered to check up on his wounds too; he looked so banged up. But he waved me off and demanded we focus on you instead. Turns out he was in a bad state himself. Passed out just after Dr. Yun told him you were okay." She pursed her lips.

Angela swallowed, unsure what to say to that. In the end, all she could respond was, "Thank you."

"Angel…" Gael's sleepy voice caught their attention.

He pushed himself up in a sitting position, and the nurse readily went to his side to adjust his bed and then placed his own overbed table in front of him. She left soon after, leaving Gael and Angela alone in the room.

Both of them were starving. The prepared meal looked appetizing and smelled good. Omelet, hash brown, muffin, fruits, fresh juice, and coffee. 

She smiled at him and reached out for his hand. He placed his on hers and gave it a squeeze. After exchanging smiles and holding hands for a couple of minutes, they dug into their food and ate quietly. Neither of them spoke while they ate. It wasn't an awkward silence, but both of them knew the inevitable conversation they needed to have.

Angela knew that Gael must be dying to ask, but she knew him well enough to know that even though he didn't say it out loud, he let her decide when she was ready to talk about it. He kept glancing her way as they ate.

After finishing their breakfast, Gael urged her to take her pain medication. She refused, not wanting to depend on it. But the grimace on her face told him she was in pain. Then she insisted that he take his as he needed them. He gave her a pointed look as he told her, "You're clearly in pain. It will heal faster if you manage it. I'll keep an eye on you so you won't overdo it."

"What about you?"

"I'll take mine if you take yours."

Knowing that Gael's injuries must hurt worse than hers, Angela obliged, and they swallowed their medicines together.

She moved both of their overbed tables to the side, and she settled on his bed next to his hip, feeling the need to be next to him.

"Tell me about the video. What's exactly in it?" Gael asked when she found her comfortable position.

Angela swallowed the lump in her throat. There was no use keeping the truth about that video to herself, not after what Gael had gone through last night for her. 

If you're determined to keep something a secret because it could destroy your family's reputation, you'd never want to tell other people about it. Ever. No matter what. It didn't matter that Gael was in the mafia—that he couldn't have judged her. For her, keeping it a secret was how she could keep her family safe.

Too late for that now, obviously. Keeping that secret hurt the man she loved. And it would hurt him more later. However, no matter what she thought, Gael was already her family.. And he deserved to know.