Till We Meet Again | The Ceo's Absent Lover

33 | CULPRIT

Verona, despite her own distress, felt an unexpected sense of peace. Bella, it turned out, was not the deceased person. The doctors, alarmed by Verona's s cries, had mistakenly assumed the worst.

“Miss,” one of the doctors addressed her, “are you related to the deceased?”

Verona shook her head, her voice barely audible. “No,” she whispered. “Bella isn’t—”

Before she could finish, the doctors sighed in relief. They had mistaken her for a grieving relative. Verona’s heart sank. She needed to find Bella, to see her alive and breathing.

“Where’s the other patient from the accident?” Verona asked, her voice steadier now.

The doctors pointed to an adjacent room. Verona rushed there, her footsteps echoing her desperation. Inside, two doctors worked frantically to save another life. Verona’s eyes scanned the room, her mind racing. She had just confused the dead person for Bella. How could she have been so wrong?

“Any other patients from the accident?” Verona asked the doctors, her voice urgent.

“No,” they replied, their eyes avoiding hers. They hurried away, perhaps fearing repercussions. Verona washed her trembling hands, trying to steady herself. Bella was alive. She had to be.

Verona turned back to the corridor. Adane, still sitting on the floor, his face buried in his hands. Verona approached him, her heart aching for his pain.

“Mr. Crawford,” she said softly. No response. She patted his shoulder. “Mr. Crawford, Bella is alive. She wasn’t the person on the bed. Bella isn’t dead.”

Adane looked up, his eyes red-rimmed. Recognition flickered—he’d seen her at the mall with his sons. Verona’s heart swelled with empathy. Bella’s survival mattered to Adane more than anything.

“Where is she?” Adane’s voice cracked.

Verona pointed toward Bella’s ward. Just then, a doctor emerged. Adane rushed to him, desperate for news.

“The patient,” the doctor began, “has head injuries, broken hands, and a fractured left foot. But she’s lucky to have survived.”

"Can we see her now?" Verona asked.

"The patient is out of immediate danger,” he said, his words a fragile lifeline. “But we need to conduct further checks. You can see her in the next hour. Bella should wake up within the next two days.”

Adane and Verona exchanged relieved glances. The next hour dragged like a lead weight. Every second stretched into eternity. When the door finally creaked open, they both leaped to their feet.

“Can we see her now?” Adane’s voice cracked. The doctor nodded, granting them entry.

Verona’s breath hitched as she stepped into the room. Bella lay there, vulnerable and bandaged. Her head was swathed in white, and smaller bandages adorned various parts of her body. Verona’s heart ached—only five days since they’d arrived in New York, and now this.

Adane approached Bella’s bedside, his love for her etched in every line of his face. His chest tightened, anger at his own helplessness simmering. “Bella,” he murmured, brushing her hair gently. No response. Seeing Bella like this tortured Adane, he wanted to take Bella's place. As Verona took Bella’s hand, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Hours blurred into moments. Verona turned to Adane. “Are you okay, Mr. Crawford?”

“Call me Adane,” he said, gratitude in his eyes. “Bella’s friends are my friends. Thank you for being there all these years, for helping raise my children. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

"Bella is the one that I should be thanking, she helped me over the years, and if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here now. The only way you can thank me now is to take care of Bella and my godchildren, speaking of which, what should we tell them?" Verona replied.

"I'll call my parents and tell them what happened. I'm not planning on telling the children about Bella yet, at least not until she wake up. She wouldn't want them to worry."

Verona nodded.

"I'll be able to keep them during this period, but I want them to stay with your family. I think Bella would want that too."

"Okay." Adane replied. He then took out his phone, called his parents, and told them what happened." Ben and Jane told Adane that they will be coming over soon. Adane then told Verona and she nodded.

"I don't think this was an accident." Verona spoke her mind. "Those doctors we saw in the corridor were a little fishy too."

"What makes you say so?" Adane asked.

"When I came up to them earlier, they were looking at you feeling terrified. After I held that woman's hand, they looked more shocked, I just feel something is off."

"I will check upon it." Adane replied. He had already called Stephan and told him to get all the details of the accident. He wanted to know why his Bella was hurt so badly. If it was a normal accident, he would let it pass, but if someone planned this, he will most certainly settle this matter.

There was a knock on the door, then a young make doctor entered with a folder. The doctor opened the folder and handed it to Adane. Adane signed the document and the doctor left.

"Is that document related to Bella?" Verona asked.

"Yes, I'm transferring her to a VIP ward." Adane answered.

...

An hour later, Bella occupied the hospital’s most luxurious suite. It boasted a private bathroom, a cozy patient’s room, a guest area, a living room, and even a small kitchenette. Verona marveled at the opulence, wondering if Bella would appreciate it when she woke.

Ben and Jane then arrived. Jane held two bowls of soup and handed them to Adane and Verona. They both thanked her. They didn't have an appetite due the given situation, but they were both hungry, and so they ate.

Jane then went to Bella's side and held her hand while sitting on a chair. "Get well soon Bella." She said.

Adane then called his father and they both sat on the sofa.

"I need to ask you a favour, I want you and mom to take care of the children, at least until everything is sorted out." The doctor said that Bella should wake up within forty-eight hours, after that everything will be cleared."

"I get it, and you'll be working from here, right?" Ben asked.

Adane nodded. Verona finished eating and went to Jane. "Aunt, I'll be leaving soon, I need to go back to work. Adane decided that he wanted the children to stay with you for the time being. Should we go back and get their school supplies?"

"Sure." Jane smiled. Jane and Verona had officially met the day before so they were a little familiar. They packed up and left.

Soon after Stephan arrived. "Sir I got the information you asked for."

"Was it intentional, or was it a normal accident?" Adane questioned.

Ben looked at Adane in awe. He had to admit that he never ruled Bella being in the hospital was deliberate.

Stephan cleared his throat, "It was all prearranged by Katelyn Forbes."

Adane was stunned, he never ruled out Katelyn as the culprit. A question then popped in his mind, 'How did she know about Bella?'