"Are you done talking about me?" Lucca said while still lying on the bed. Looking at his face, he seemed annoyed. Since when was he not annoyed?
"You're awake," his master said. Lucca looked at me with a confused expression. Maybe he was asking himself why I was here. His master coughed to break the tension between us.
"Seraphina is here to take care of you," his master explained on my behalf.
Lucca didn't respond. His master then looked at me and smiled. "Seraphina, why don't you buy some food for us? I'm a bit hungry," he said.
I nodded. "What food do you want?" I asked.
"Anything that an old man can eat," he said, then laughed.
I smiled and excused myself. Lucca kept staring at me until I left the room.
Lucca's POV
When Seraphina left, his master hit me on the arm.
"Ouch. Master, why are you--?" I couldn't even finish what I was saying because he hit me again. Okay, I could feel that my master was mad at me.
"What have you done to yourself? You are not even listening to me!" he shouted. I guessed he already knew what happened to me. It was obviously Damian and Dominic who reported it to him.
"You even lost your strength because you are so hard-headed!" he reprimanded.
"I am really determined to get it to live!" I replied.
"And now what happened to you? Instead of getting it, you lost your strength, and your time was shortened."
"My time was shortened?" I asked with curiosity.
"You forced yourself to take the ring from its owner. You felt something when you touched it, right? At that moment, when you planned to steal it, your time was shortened. My guess is you only have six months to live."
"What? Just because of what I did? Who the hell cursed me like this?" I wanted to shout and become violent, but since I was in front of my master, I couldn't do it. I didn't even have the strength to do it, which annoyed me even more.
"And now you're curious as to why she's here? You need her by your side to regain your strength. If not, you will completely lose it until your time comes."
That made me even more annoyed. "So I will be staying with her 24/7?"
My master nodded. "Because of your stubbornness, you have to deal with it. Can't you think of other plans than stealing it from the owner? I already warned you, but you didn't listen, you impatient rascal," he scolded.
I didn't respond. My master was really mad at me. He wouldn't say all of this if he weren't.
"You'll be staying here in the hospital for a week until you regain your strength. Dominic already asked her to take care of you, and she agreed. She even took a leave to do it. Don't waste your time and make sure that after a week, you can regain your strength," he said.
"What should I do then?"
"Stay close to her. As much as you hate the idea, the fact that she is your source of strength now means you can't do anything without her. Just think of a way to be closer to her until she finally gives you the ring."
As I was absorbing my master's explanation, the scenes that kept bothering me popped up in my mind again.
"Master…"
"Hmm?"
"I have something to tell you," I said.
"What is it?"
"Some things keep bothering me," I said.
"Like what?"
"Like I feel I had a life before I was even born," I blurted out.
My master was taken aback by what I said, but quickly regained his poker face and looked at me.
"Tell me about it," he said.
"I saw my own face in the persona of Xavier Knight, and I saw Seraphina in the persona of Monica Blake. I thought it was just a dream, but since I touched the ring, it keeps popping into my mind."
My master went silent. I don't know if it was because he couldn't answer me or because he was thinking hard about what I had said.
"Connection," he answered.
"Huh?"
"You and Seraphina are connected."
"You mean we've known each other for a long time?"
"Probably," he said while not looking at me. He was staring into nowhere, as if deep in thought.
"Master…" I wanted to ask more, but he interrupted me.
"Make sure you and Seraphina are always together. I will visit you tomorrow. I have something to do right now," he said, then stood up. I wanted to stop him, but he was in a hurry.
Seraphina's POV
I bought some snacks and rice meals from the convenience store near the hospital. After buying, I immediately took the elevator to the floor where Lucca was staying. As I was walking, I was startled when his master exited the room as if in a hurry. I called him, but he was too occupied and didn't even look at me. He even left the door open. I entered the room and closed the door. I wanted to ask why his master was in a hurry, but I didn't want to start a conversation with Lucca.
"What did you buy? Did you spend your own money? I'll pay," he said.
I placed the plastic bags on the table near the sofa and shrugged. "I didn't spend much. You don't have to pay," I said.
"What made you agree with Dominic?"
"Huh?"
"Helping me here in the hospital."
Ahh. That's what he meant. Honestly, I didn't want to do it because it was too awkward for me to stay with him alone like this. But the fact that I owed him made me agree with Dominic. Of course, I wouldn't tell him that. It would surely annoy him.
"Dominic and Damian are both busy at work. Dominic even told me that your parents are working abroad. His master can't even take care of you since he's old, so I agreed because no one else could take care of you."
He didn't respond, but he just stared at me. I became conscious, wondering if I had something on my face. I even touched my face to check.
"Do I have dirt on my face?" I asked because he wouldn't stop looking at me.
"No. I just wonder why Dominic chose you to be his friend."
I didn't know whether to feel offended or flattered that Dominic chose me as his friend.
"Was that sarcasm?" I blurted out.
"It's up to you how you interpret it," he answered.
I frowned. What was I supposed to get from him? He was sarcastic and rude the whole time.
"Do you need anything? Like food or water?" I asked.
"Water," he said.
I nodded and took a bottle of water from the plastic bag I placed on the table. I went near Lucca, opened the bottle, and gave it to him. As he was about to take it, his hand touched mine. An electrifying connection surged between us. Then right there, I remembered the scene again.
Xavier Knight and Monica Blake got married. Monica was the happiest woman on earth because she was able to marry the love of her life. But a part of her kept asking if Xavier was truly happy or if he regretted it. Even before the wedding, Monica had asked Xavier multiple times if they could stop the wedding and let him be with his girlfriend. But Xavier kept insisting on continuing it.
People were cheering for them as she held a bouquet while exiting the church. She looked at Xavier, and he was smiling slightly, not like hers, whose smile was full and genuine. His parents, as well as Monica's parents, welcomed them with warm hugs. Their parents were both happy that their plan had finally been executed.
"Take care of my only daughter, Xavier. Don't hurt her," Monica's dad said.
He smiled, but it wasn't genuine. It was a smile that hid a thousand emotions. "I will, Father," he replied, calling Monica's dad Father now. That made her heart flutter. Everything was too fast for her to fully digest, but what she felt was an overwhelming mix of emotions she couldn't explain. On the other hand, Monica was a bit worried about her best friend, Mandy. She hadn't talked to her since the confrontation on her birthday. Xavier hadn't told her anything about whether they had spoken or not.
"Hija… take care of your husband. He may seem aloof and strict, but he has a soft heart," Xavier's mom said.
Monica held her hands and nodded. "I promise to take care of him, Mom," she even called Xavier's mom Mom.
They hugged once more before letting them go, and they both got into a limousine heading to the wedding reception.
Inside the car, Xavier remained silent.
"Xavier, are you okay?" she asked him. She couldn't blame him now since she had been the one insisting he not pursue the wedding, knowing he loved someone else. But even now, she still didn't understand why he agreed to marry her. Was it just to please his parents? He had always opposed the idea in every meeting they had, yet she still followed through. It always hurt her, but she understood him.
"Yeah," he answered shortly.
"You seem unwell. You can tell me if you need something."
"Did Mandy keep pestering you?" he suddenly asked.
Her eyebrows furrowed, and she shrugged. "Not even a message."
He went silent again.
"Xavier… if you don't want this, you know you can go back to Mandy and—" he didn't let her finish.
"You keep repeating the same dialogue," he said, annoyed.
"Because I want you to know I didn't force you. And I'm still wondering why you chose me over her."
He looked at her, this time with softness.
"You don't know the real Mandy. She could do anything she wants until she gets what she wants," Xavier said. That made Monica's skin shiver. She didn't understand what he meant, but there was something Xavier knew that she didn't.
Suddenly, the limousine stopped abruptly without warning. Xavier asked the driver what happened, irritated. Just as the driver was about to answer, someone shot him. She gasped as she witnessed the brutal killing of the driver.
"Lock the door!" Xavier exclaimed, but it was too late because someone opened the door beside her. The goons forcibly pulled Monica out while Xavier shouted.
"Stop pulling me!" Monica shouted as the goons threw her to the ground. She felt pain in her arm from the impact.
"Monica!" Xavier shouted while two goons restrained him.
"Xavier!" she called him in a frightened voice. As much as she wanted to scream and tremble, she forced herself to stay calm and think of a way to escape.
But her thoughts were interrupted when Mandy Moore appeared.
"Long time no see, best friend," she said sarcastically, smiling evilly at her.
"What are you doing to us?" she asked while struggling against the men holding her arms.
Mandy smirked and walked around her.
"At least you get to wear that expensive white dress before you die."
The word die made her ears ring.
"You're going to kill us?" Monica asked bitterly, unable to believe that the person she had spent most of her life with was going to kill her.
"Not Xavier. I'm going to marry him. But you, you deserve to die," she said with rage.
"Mandy… what did I ever do to you to make you hate me like this?" she asked with a trembling voice. She tried to stay calm, but seeing her best friend prepared to kill her made her body weak.
"Xavier is mine, and you took what belongs to me," Mandy said, raising her chin.
"You don't own me, Mandy! I told you that before."
"Shut up, Xavier! You fooled me. You made me think you were in love with me, but the truth is, you're not!" she screamed.
Monica looked at Xavier with a questioning gaze. He didn't look back at her and instead kept his eyes on Mandy.
"I told you, you're crazy," Xavier said bluntly, as if he wasn't about to be killed.
Mandy smiled bitterly, then her expression turned fierce. She nodded to the goons holding Monica and pointed the gun at her. Monica smiled weakly, already accepting her fate. She would be killed by her own best friend. And what hurt the most was that she had treated her like a sister.
Tears fell from her cheeks as she closed her eyes.
Then she heard the gunshot.
Seraphina was panting and holding her chest as she came back to her senses. That scene made her nervous, and Lucca was staring at her with confusion.
"What happened to you?" Lucca asked with a confused expression.
"Ah. I was just startled," I reasoned out.
"Startled because our skin touched?" he said, as if mocking me.
"No. You won't understand," I said, trying to escape the conversation.
I tried to go back to the sofa and pretended to get the food, but Lucca stopped me by holding my arm. I looked at him with a confused expression.
"You look scared," he said.
I didn't know how to react or what to answer. If I told him, he would probably think I was crazy, and that would only annoy him.
"It's nothing," I stuttered. Every time I looked at Lucca, I always remembered the scene where I was with Xavier Knight. Since we were in Dominic's townhouse, I had been thinking about it. Even when I wasn't thinking about it, it suddenly popped into my mind without warning. I couldn't even share it with Mira because it would only confuse her. I didn't even know how to explain it since I was confused myself.
Lucca let go of my hand when the nurse came into the room. I stepped back to give way to the nurse who checked Lucca's vital signs. I stood on the side while watching what the nurse was doing. After five minutes, she finished checking everything and left the room. Then another staff member came in to deliver lunch for Lucca. I said thank you since Lucca couldn't. I went to the bedside table where the food was placed.
"I'll prepare it for you," I said, then placed it on a mini table and positioned it so Lucca could eat comfortably. His food consisted of rice, chop suey, steamed pompano, and a banana for dessert.
"Do you need anything else?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Eat yours too," he said.
I nodded and went back to the sofa to sit. I had bought too much food from the convenience store since I thought his master would also be eating there. I could eat it all until tomorrow.
I started opening the grilled chicken with rice. I suddenly felt hungry after realizing I hadn't eaten breakfast. I silently ate my lunch while occasionally glancing at Lucca. Sometimes he caught me staring, and I quickly looked away.
"Please get me some water," he said, and I was startled because he said "please." He was usually rude and sarcastic, but today he seemed more respectful.
I stood up and gave him the bottled water I had bought. I went back to eating and tried not to look at Lucca because I felt a bit conscious since he kept staring at me for no reason. After I finished eating, Lucca spoke again.
"You don't have to take care of me just because you owe me. I can take care of myself," he said, but his voice was soft and gentle.
"I'm doing it willingly because you helped me, too. And because Dominic is your friend, and my friend asked me for help," I answered.
He didn't respond and turned on the television to watch a movie. From where I was sitting, facing the patient's bed, I couldn't see what movie he was watching. Even though I was curious, I tried to distract myself by scrolling through social media.
While I was distracting myself, a sudden memory of Xavier Knight and Monica Blake appeared in my mind.
"No!!!" Monica Blake shouted as her husband lay on the road, covered in blood. The bullet that was meant for her had hit him instead.
"Xavier! No! No! No!" she screamed while crying. Mandy stood there in shock, not knowing what to do.
"I didn't… You were supposed to be the one who got shot!" Mandy was hysterical. Then she turned to Monica with rage.
"This is your fault! You killed him!" Mandy shouted angrily and grabbed the gun from one of the goons, pointing it at her.
"I hate you with all my heart. You will never be happy until your last generation! You foolish idiot! A witch! I hate you!" Mandy screamed, completely hysterical, like a wild madwoman. She didn't even seem to understand what she had done or how badly the situation had escalated; she was even willing to kill now.
"Mandy… what did I do to make you like this?" Monica asked in a defeated voice. She already knew she was going to die.
Mandy chuckled evilly. "Why don't you ask your ancestors?" she replied.
"I don't know what you mean."
"You will know when you die."
Then, right there, Mandy shot Monica straight in the chest. She fell to the ground, facing her husband, who was now dead. Tears fell from her eyes as she reached for her husband's hand before slowly closing her eyes.
Seraphina was panting and holding her chest as if she couldn't gasp for air. It was an abrupt situation that she didn't anticipate. Lucca, who was looking at her blankly a while ago, was now looking at her with curiosity.
"Xavier…" she murmured.