The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress
Chapter 134

Flair

POV

The next day I'm up early, intending to visit Johnathon again in the hospital, while Grayson reluctantly gets ready to go to work.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" he asks tightly, his eyes filled with concern. "Thanks, honey but I know that you have stuff to do. Thanks but I can manage" I said quietly.

He kisses me lovingly on the forehead and I close my eyes, enjoying the affectionate gesture. "Well if you need me, for anything, call" he advised and I nodded, heading out the door and to the limo, with a bodyguard in tow.

I'm surprised to replace that I am the only one present at the hospital. I had expected either Charlotte or her mother to be here already. The doctor merely shakes his head. "I'm afraid that Mrs Deluca was quite distressed yesterday. I hope to see her later today though."

"How is Mr Deluca's condition?" I asked timidly, remembering how shocked I had been when I had seen him hooked up to all the machines and lying prone on the bed, so pale and listless.

The doctor gave a kind smile "It's unchanged for the moment."

"That's not good news is it?" I said sadly.

The doctor did not deign to answer which was answer enough. We walked up the hallway and he left me at Johnathon's hospital room.

I walked inside, my eyes on his face, where his eyes remained firmly fixed closed. He looked the same. Only the bruises were a deeper purple color today and the bandages around his head looked like they had been changed to fresh ones. I swallowed past a lump in my throat. "Oh Johnathon" I whispered, feeling tears coming to my eyes as I reached down and grabbed his hand "I'm so sorry that this happened to you."

A lone tear trailed down my cheek. Everything I had thought about him, all the insults I had silently called him inside my mind was instantly forgotten. I cringed to think how much I had hated him as I sat beside him and stared down at his swollen face, gently touching his cheek.

Silence. What do you say to somebody who can't hear you or see you? To an ex-husband who never knew your real identity until recently? I grieved the loss of a man who had shown me affection in the first stages of our marriage until we had grown apart and I wished that I had been kinder towards him, even if I could not have foreseen what would happen to him. All I could do was hold his hand and squeeze it while looking closely for him to show any signs of improvement or that he could hear me. "What are you doing here?" Charlotte's voice came from the doorway and I turned, letting go of Johnathon's hand. "Charlotte" I smiled kindly, but she was glaring at me, her eyes narrowed as she glanced between me and Johnathon. "May I remind you that you and Johnathon are no longer together?" she said icily, moving slowly into the room and regarding me with contempt "I know what you're trying to do Flair. Trying to play the wronged ex-wife who cares about her ex-husband while he lays in a coma. It's sickening" she spat, folding her arms over her chest "I am his wife, not you. I am the one who will sit here with him and hope that he gets better. I am the one who has been by his side the last few months" she spat out as she stood there, her expression growing angrier and angrier "and I am the one who is carrying his child."

"I didn't mean to upset you Charlotte" I stammered, standing up awkwardly and facing her in surprise "I merely wanted to visit Johnathon. I thought you might have already been here but you weren't...." I trailed off too late realizing how that might sound a little judgemental.

"Not all of us are early risers like you are" she snarled "Now get out of here" she ordered, gesturing wildly with her hand.

I immediately complied, not wanting to anger her. I walked slowly out of the doorway, glancing at her apologetically. "Go" she hissed.

I began to head down the hallway and then stopped in my tracks, realizing that I had left behind my handbag. I gave a growl of exasperation and indicated to the bodyguard that I was going back as he nodded and waited at the end of the hallway. I began to slowly walk back, cursing my lack of foresight. Charlotte was going to be even angrier now when I interrupted her. Some instinct in me, made me stop just out of sight and peer around the corner of the doorway. Charlotte had her back to me. She was leaning over Johnathon. "You always thought you were so smart" she murmured as I listened intently, debating whether to call out or wait, hesitant, "you think I don't know that you've occasionally compared me to that b***h ex-wife of yours Flair?" she gave a low chuckle while stroking Johnathon's face, her voice light and carefree. From this angle she looked as though she was bestowing affection on him, should anyone happen to walk past.

"The things I've done for you" she sighed, adjusting his pillow behind his head and plumping it up "The lengths I've gone to."

Maybe I should just interrupt her? But what did she mean by the lengths she had gone to? What had she done? I made a noise with my shoe and she slowly straightened up. I groaned inwardly and made a conscious effort to be loud as I entered the room, Charlotte glowering at me.

"Sorry," I said meekly, holding my hands up in surrender "I left my bag behind."

I pointed to it, near her feet. She looked down and grabbed it impatiently, practically flinging it at me. I caught it neatly. "Thanks," I said meekly.

She snorted and waved me away. This time I had no choice but to walk away, sensing her eyes on me as I began to make my way up the hallway towards my bodyguard. I heard the sound of the door to the room closing. Charlotte was ensuring I didn't poke my nose into the room again and interrupt her privacy. I sighed and headed into the private waiting room. Grandfather was sitting patiently, sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Flair," he said beaming "I didn't realize that you were already here. Have you seen Charlotte already?" he asked.

"She's with Johnathon," I said politely "She wanted some alone time with him."

He snorted "In other words, she told you to take a hike. Oh well" he sighed "at least she wants to spend some time with her husband. I thought I was going to have to persuade her but she surprised me this morning by telling me she was leaving for the hospital" his eyes were twinkling "a pleasant surprise. She must be missing him," he said with approval "I might not like the man but he's having a positive effect on her behavior." "What was his condition?" he asked eagerly "I haven't seen the doctor yet."

"Unchanged," I said dully, sitting beside him as he looked at me sympathetically "The doctor said his condition was unchanged. He looks worse than yesterday" I confessed.

"Oh," he said his face falling "I had hopes that...." he trailed off.

There was a loud bell sound in the loudspeaker and then the words "Code Blue" over and over again as we looked at each other.

"Somebody must be in trouble," Grandfather said with a frown.

I nodded, anxiously leaning back. The loudspeaker continued and sirens began to blare. It was loud. It was chaotic. I could see nurses and doctors rushing through the corridors. Even then it didn't compute or occur to either Grandfather or me, who they were there for. Who they were trying to save. It didn't seem feasible to me, that the man's room I had just left had been so close to death. Had I ignored the signs or the obvious? Had I been so lost in my own grief I had failed to see what was in front of me?

A devastating scream that pierced the ears and filled the air. It was one that was eerily familiar and I glanced at Grandfather, my blood running cold. No, no, no, I wanted to scream with her. I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to face the truth. Grandfather's eyes filled with sorrow. "The code blue was for Johnathon," he said softly, his face filling with understanding "That was Charlotte's scream we just heard." "No" I whispered "I was just there, he was, he was fine" I pleaded.

I refused to believe it. It had to be a mistake. Grandfather had to be mistaken. I opened my mouth to deny it, but then Charlotte screamed again and the sound of wailing could be heard. My heart stopped cold. My hands began to shake. My stomach began to churn. How could Johnathon have died in such a small amount of time? Was it a complication?Many sentences in this chapter have been removed because you are not reading them on Jo b n ib.com. The door opened and a nurse led a crying Charlotte into the lounge, as she clutched at her. "Charlotte" Grandfather said, getting to his feet, and embracing his granddaughter "what's wrong? What happened?"

I stood up, trying not to sink back onto my ground. Charlotte's eyes were dark, and empty as she looked up from her Grandfather's embrace, tears falling freely down her cheeks. My mind was screaming at me to turn away before she could say the words. But it was too late. She parted her lips and she uttered the words that I'd been dreading. "He's...he's dead" she stammered, her tone devoid of emotion "he died Grandfather. One second he was fine and the next, he was gone."

Gone. Johnathon was gone. As I felt a tear come to my eye, I tried surreptitiously to hold in my grief, feeling how inappropriate it would be. What right did I, the ex-wife have to grieve when his wife was hurting in the very same room and had just watched her own husband die in front of her eyes?