When the hospital door swung open, Maya didn’t walk in alone. Frank and Charles followed closely behind her.
Mark was standing there too, and right beside them stood soone else.
The mont the sound of the door reached him, Adrian turned his head anxiously. "Maya? Is that you?"
Maya’s eyes instantly filled with tears at the sight of him. Adrian’s eyes were completely covered now by a thick dical bandage. Dropping everything she was holding onto a nearby chair, she rushed straight to the side of the bed.
"Maya, is that you?" Adrian pleaded, his voice laced with panic as he reached out into the empty air. "Please, say sothing."
"Yes, Adrian, it’s ," Maya whispered, her voice trembling as she looked at the gauze. "Why... why is your face covered like this?"
Adrian offered a small, fragile smile, his hands dropping back to the mattress. "Don’t worry. I asked the nurses to cover my face. I figured... if my eyes are covered, I can pretend that the reason I can’t see anything is because of the bandage, and not because I’m actually blind."
Maya looked at him, her heart breaking into pieces. She swallowed the lump rising in her throat and gave a slow nod. "Okay. I understand."
As the room fell silent, Adrian’s senses sharpened. He tilted his head, catching a faint, familiar scent in the sterile air. "Maya... did you co back here alone?"
Maya glanced back at the group standing frozen by the door. "Adrian, I should tell you... Charles called earlier—"
"Don’t tell him anything yet!" Adrian interrupted urgently, his voice rising. "Don’t tell any of my friends yet, please."
Maya was stunned, looking from Adrian to Charles. "Why?"
"I don’t want them to see like this," Adrian whispered. "I don’t want them worrying about ."
"Adrian, they are your friends," Maya reasoned gently. "They care about you."
"I know they do," Adrian said, his voice cracking with emotion. "But I feel like I’m always the one having one problem or another. I’m always the burden."
"That’s not true—"
"Please, Maya, just don’t tell them yet," Adrian begged, reaching blindly for her hand. "If any of them call you after the surgery is successful, then you can tell them. But not right now."
Maya stared at him, torn. "Adrian, they really are your friends..."
"I seriously just don’t want them to worry," Adrian insisted.
Then he suddenly paused, sniffing the air again as his brow furrowed beneath the bandages. "But... why do I sll sothing familiar?" he murmured slowly. "You still haven’t answered ... did you co back here alone?"
Maya opened her mouth to tell him the truth, but Charles quickly caught her eye, shaking his head firmly and stepping back.
Catching the cue, Maya turned back to her brother. "I ca back with my maid and my personal assistant. That’s probably who you sll."
Adrian smiled softly, relaxing his shoulders. "Alright. I just thought I caught a familiar scent."
Charles and Frank stood frozen just inches away from the bed. They had been moving forward, ready to rush to his side, pull him into a hug, and reassure him that everything would be okay. But the mont they heard Adrian’s heartbreaking confession, they froze.
Silently, they stepped back into the corner of the room, keeping their breathing shallow so he wouldn’t notice they were there.
anwhile, Mark remained by the door, standing beside the mysterious visitor, silently watching the heartbreaking scene unfold from afar.
Adrian shifted, sitting up against the pillows. He reached his hands out blindly toward the sound of Maya’s voice, a small, fragile smile on his face. Maya imdiately took his hands and sat down on the edge of the mattress beside him.
Adrian pouted slightly, trying to lighten the heavy mood. "I’m hungry, Maya. And I’m really thirsty."
Maya squeezed his hand, her eyes glistening. "Just wait a little longer, okay? You can’t have anything before the surgery. Just a little longer."
Adrian nodded understandingly and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her. Maya held him tightly, burying her face in his neck. They stayed locked in the embrace for a long ti, drawing strength from one another, before Maya slowly pulled back just enough to look at his covered face.
She took a deep breath, deciding to try one last ti. "Adrian... what about Matteo?" she asked. "He’s your boyfriend. He deserves to know about your condition. Can I at least call him and tell him what’s happening?"
Adrian’s smile vanished instantly. He pulled completely out of her embrace, his posture turning rigid in the hospital bed.
"No, Maya," Adrian said flatly. "Don’t call him. When the surgery is successful, you can tell him."
"Why?" Maya asked, her brow furrowing.
"Because when I tried to call him before, he wouldn’t even pick up," Adrian muttered. "If he finds out I might go blind... he might walk away from completely. He might think he can’t be with a blind man. Please... don’t call him yet. You can tell him after my eyes get better."
Maya looked at him and said bluntly, "What if your eyes never get better? Because you are already shutting everyone out, Adrian. What if it never gets better?"
"You should pray it gets better, Maya," he murmured.
"I am asking you, what if it never does?" Maya pressed.
"Matteo won’t choose to be with a blind man, Maya," Adrian said, a heavy bitterness coating his words. "And if that happens, I will accept it was my fault. I ruined everything anyway."
"Adrian—"
"Besides," Adrian cut her off softly, his hands gripping the hospital blanket, "if Matteo actually decided to co, I don’t want him coming to visit out of pity. He has not been picking up my calls for a reason."
"Matteo loves you, he won’t—"
"I love him too!" Adrian broke in, preventing her from finishing. "And that’s exactly why I don’t want him to see like this, Maya. It’s not pride. I’m just terrified he might not love anymore if he knows I might go blind."
Maya stared at him, heartbroken. "Are you saying you don’t trust his feelings for you?"
"I trust him," Adrian whispered. "But with everything that’s happened between us... I don’t even know if he still loves ."
Maya opened her mouth to speak, but Adrian cut in, abruptly changing the topic. "I’m already thinking about what I can do if the surgery isn’t successful. I can’t just stay blind without working. I might run out of money."
Maya let out a watery laugh through her tears, shaking her head. "You are facing a major operation and you’re already thinking about work?"
Adrian smiled softly, leaning back and trying to act childish to break the tension. "Or I might just stop working altogether and let my sister take care of . Since she has access to Father’s money, and she’s rich on her own... you’ll take care of , right, Maya?"
Maya wiped a tear from her cheek. "That’s not my job. It’s your boyfriend’s job. He has more than enough, he will take care of you."
At the ntion of him, Adrian’s smile softened into sothing deeply longing. "I miss him. And I know if he were here right now, he would just be standing there, looking at silently without saying a word. Not because he doesn’t know what to say..."
Adrian swallowed hard, his voice thick with raw emotion. "But because he knows my absolute biggest fear in this world is going blind. If he watched right now, he would know I’m living my worst nightmare. So he might just want to act like he’s not here, just so I wouldn’t feel bad or embarrassed. But anyway, everything I’ve just said... It’s how I truly feel."
Maya’s breath hitched as a sudden chill went down her spine. "Adrian... what are you talking about?"
Adrian paused, his head tilting slightly toward the heavy silence of the room. "I’m talking about..." He stopped himself, shaking his head softly. "It’s nothing. Maya, can you help ? I want to use the restroom."
"Of course," Maya said quietly.
She carefully helped him up from the hospital bed, guiding his steps as they slowly walked together toward the bathroom. Once Adrian stepped inside, Maya retreated back into the main room. Her mind was racing, and she imdiately tried to whisper to Charles to figure out what to do next.
But before she could even utter a word, Adrian suddenly shouted from inside the restroom.
Panic instantly seized the room.
Maya and Charles lunged forward, about to rush toward the bathroom door, but a powerful arm abruptly blocked their path. With one swift, decisive movent, soone pushed past them and bolted into the restroom.
The mont the heavy door swung open and a towering presence filled the small space, Adrian let out a soft chuckle.
"I thought you just wanted to stand out there and watch in silence," Adrian whispered, his sightless eyes turning toward the sound of the deep breathing in front of him. "But you’re still too possessive to let anyone else co in here, aren’t you?"
The person stood completely still, saying absolutely nothing.
"Are you really just going to stand there and stay silent?" Adrian asked, his voice cracking.
Finally, the agonizing quiet broke. A deep, familiar voice spoke, laced with a complex mix of hurt and restraint. "You said you didn’t want here. Why do you want to talk now?"
At the sound of his voice, the dam broke. Tears began to soak into the edges of Adrian’s dical gauze. He reached out blindly, his hands trembling as he searched for him.
"Baby..." Adrian sobbed...
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