236: 047 MORE PUZZLE

047 MORE PUZZLE

Lucas Alexander looked at the frail body lying on the bed with defeat and hopelessness in his hazel-green eyes. It's been six hours but she hasn't awakened yet. Ever since he'd rushed her to the hospital, he never left her side, hoping he'll be the first one to witness as she opens her eyes.2

He swallowed the lump in his throat with difficulty.

Stressed out and feeling he will lose his damn mind, he began pacing back and forth as though it will solve all his problems.

He shouldn't have left her in the pool alone. He thought, wanting to beat himself to a pulp for what happened to her. Max, his best friend, told him it wasn't his fault but he knew it was entirely his own. He left her alone, somehow she'd got bored of waiting and decided to take a walk. That's when she slipped on the edge and fell to the pool where she drowned.

If only he hadn't left her… If only he didn't take his time on the phone If only—

"Will you please stop, Lucas." Maxwell cut through his thoughts, reminding him he wasn't alone inside the hospital room.

"You can't blame me, Doc." He snapped sarcastically as he shot his best friend with another one of his death glares. "I didn't save her in time, look what happened to her."

His best friend, Maxwell, heaved a resigned sigh before briefly shaking his head both in annoyance and disbelief at his unusual behavior. 

Lucas continued to move back and forth across the spacious room. His pounding headache keeps getting worse.

"For the hundredth time, I said it's not your fault. You save her in time so stop blaming yourself."

Lucas finally stopped. "Then tell me why she is not waking up!" He said the word harshly that Maxwell flinched in surprise hearing the violence in his tone.

"She cut her head when she fell into the pool. The wound was shallow but she had swallowed a lot of water. She was still recovering, Lucas." Maxwell explained in exasperation. Sinking into the sofa, he ran his fingers through his hair then shook his head afterwards as he realized he'd been explaining that to Lucas but he was like a three year-old forgetful child, asking the same question from time to time.

"Will she wake up?" 

"For god's sake, she's just sleeping! Not dying! She will eventually wake up soon." Finally losing his patience, Maxwell snapped at him.

"Are you sure?" Lucas wasn't convinced.

"I'm a doctor, why don't you trust my words?"

Still unconvinced but calming a little bit, Lucas sunk into the sofa beside Maxwell.

"I don't want to lose her." He finally admitted.

"Really?" Despite the gravity of the situation, Maxwell raised his eyebrows in amusement. "As my excellent memory remembers, you want her to be dead."

"That was then." Lucas snapped. For a moment, irritation replaced the worries he felt.

"What changed then?"

"Nothing. Has. Changed." 

"Really?"

"Believe what you want to believe, Max."

"Are you in love with her?" 

The question startled Lucas that he abruptly rose from the sofa before he even realized what he was doing."No, I'm not." He growled.

"Good." Maxwell replied. A suspicious smile was plastered on his lips now. " Remember when you told me that if I wanted to court her, you will not care since your going to divorce her."

"What about that?" Lucas inquired, his expression darkening a bit.

"Well, I want to tell you, I'm doing exactly that." Max announced, making the frown on Lucas' temples deepen. "I want to court your wife — I mean soon-to-be ex-wife."

"No!" The words violently flew out of his lips, startling them both. "Do that and I promise, you will never be able to perform surgical operations with any of your patience." Lucas added grimly.

"Are you implying you will break my wrists if I come too close to your soon-to-be ex-wife." Maxwell was aghast and amused at the same time as he stared at him.

"Break your wrists? No I won't. I will cripple you for life " Lucas bluntly responded and Max roared with laughter at his remark.

"Damn. You're in love, man. You can't just admit it to yourself.

Lucas didn't argue with Max any more. He fell silent. He walked towards the bed and took Bella's soft hands.

"You're in love with Alexandria," Max, who he didn't notice followed his tracks, spoke behind him. He had spoken the words as though he was one thousand one percent sure of it.

"You're wrong Max."

"Wrong that you're in love with her?"

Lucas shook his head. "She's not Alexandria."

"Stop messing around, Lucas. Have you gone crazy? Her name is Alexandria."

"No. She's not that bitch."

The amusement in his best friend's face disappeared seeing that he wasn't joking. Intrigue and alarm took over. In a curious tone he'd began asking. "If she's not Alexandria then who is she, Lucas?"

"Her real name is Arabella." Lucas' hands tightened around Bella's fingers. In a very calm voice he continued, "Arabella Angelstone, CEO of AA Cosmetics."

Maxwell's jaw dropped to the floor. "The biggest Cosmetic Company? Damn! I don't believe this."

"And so do I at first." Lucas remarked. "The private investigator I hired just confirmed that on the phone hours ago."

"This sounds like a crazy telenovela!" Maxwell exclaimed, overcome with disbelief, awe, and shock.

"Except that this is real." 

"Here's the million dollar question, Lucas. Where's the real Alexandria?"

The mention of his ex-wife almost made him cringe. Letting go of Bella's hands, he turned to his best friend. "I don't know where that cunning witch went." He clenched his fist into tight balls on his side until his knuckles turned white. "That's what I will find out soon." Lucas mumbled under his breath, determined to find out the truth.

"You're in trouble, Lucas."

Damn big trouble. He admitted to himself, wondering if Arabella's real husband has his ex-wife Alexandria and if that's the case, the man has a much bigger problem that Lucas has in his hands.

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