Lara's POV
I let out a shaky sigh of relief when my mother was finally taken into the operating room. But even then, the tightness in my chest refused to ease. I knew I wouldn't feel any peace until the doctor came out and told me that the operation was successful and that my mother was safe. Until then, all I could do was wait and pray.
Cammie led me to the hospital cafeteria, saying I needed to eat something, though the thought of food made my stomach turn. The bright lights and the faint smell of coffee did little to calm me. Everything around me felt distant, like I was moving through fog.
Marco came with us, and that only made my nerves worse. He sat across the table from me, silent at first, his presence impossible to ignore. I wanted to ask him why he was still here, why he was pretending to care when he was the very reason my life had fallen apart, but the words stayed trapped in my throat.
I still needed to confront Cammie, but now was not the right time. The anger inside me simmered, tangled with hurt and confusion. I felt betrayed by my best friend, and I hated the thought that maybe the only reason she approached me back in my first year of college, the reason we even became best friends, was because of that cursed prophecy.
Yet part of me refused to accept it. I didn't want to believe that Marco had been telling the truth about being a werewolf. It sounded insane and impossible. Not unless I saw him transform with my own eyes. Because werewolves don't exist. Period.
Cammie tried to make small talk, but it was clear none of us were really listening. My mind kept drifting to the operating room upstairs. I could almost hear the faint beeping of machines in my head, the sound of doors opening and closing.
And then, to my surprise, Marco started talking to my younger brother, Lyle, who had joined us not long after. Lyle looked tired but managed a small smile as he greeted him. Somehow, they began chatting as if they had known each other for a while. Marco asked about his studies, his favorite subjects, even joked about how difficult it must be balancing deadlines.
I sat there quietly, trying to make sense of it all. It felt surreal watching the man who had broken my heart sitting there in a hospital cafeteria, speaking gently to my brother as if nothing had happened between us. Lyle laughed a few times, completely unaware of the storm I was trying to hold back.
Lyle was in college now, the reason I had taken that cash advance from work. I had promised him I would help him finish his studies no matter what it took. He had no idea how much I had given up to keep that promise.
As I watched them, my chest tightened again. My mother's mistakes, my sacrifices, my choices, and it all seemed to circle back to love. Love that hurt. Love that never ended well. Maybe it was something that ran in our blood, this weakness for loving the wrong person and paying the price for it.
I looked at Marco one more time. His eyes met mine for a brief moment, calm and unreadable, before he looked away. No matter how hard I tried to escape him, I couldn't. I owed him now, and I didn't have the means to pay him back all at once.
The only option left was to beg him to let me pay in small amounts, or agree to be his wife and never have to pay him at all. The thought alone made me feel powerless. The realization made my stomach twist.
We waited for hours that felt like forever. Every time a nurse passed by, my heart skipped a beat, hoping she would stop and give us news. The smell of antiseptic clung to the air, the sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway, and my hands wouldn't stop trembling. Cammie sat quietly beside me, occasionally squeezing my hand, while Marco stood near the window, silent and unreadable as always.
When the door to the operating room finally opened, I jumped to my feet before I even realized it. The doctor stepped out, still wearing his surgical cap, his expression calm and reassuring.
"Laura's condition is now stable," he said with a gentle smile. "She'll be transferred to the ICU for monitoring, but don't worry too much. She's safe now, and she'll recover soon."
The moment I heard those words, my knees almost gave out from relief. I covered my mouth as tears welled up in my eyes. "Thank you, Doctor," I whispered, my voice breaking.
He nodded warmly, then turned his gaze to Marco. His expression shifted to one of mild surprise. "I didn't expect to see you here, Marco. I thought you were far too busy to leave your office."
Marco's answer came calm and composed, but his tone carried a quiet weight that made my pulse race. "Laura's daughter, Lara, is my fiancée."
My heart stopped.
The doctor's eyes widened, and a broad smile spread across his face. "Oh, that's wonderful news! I'm glad I saved your future mother-in-law then. You wouldn't want your bride to be miserable on her wedding day."
I forced a small smile, my lips trembling slightly. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks, but my heart was in chaos. My chest ached with confusion, torn between the thrill of hearing him call me his fiancée and the pain of knowing it wasn't born out of love.
Marco didn't even glance my way, yet I could feel his presence wrapping around me like a silent storm. The doctor's cheerful tone faded into the background, and all I could hear was the pounding of my own heartbeat.
In that moment, standing there in the hallway under the harsh hospital lights, I realized how easy it was for him to say it effortlessly. He could turn a lie into something that sounded real. And no matter how hard I tried, a part of me still wanted it to be true.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Blackwell," I said quietly after Cammie and Lyle walked away, giving us some privacy in the hallway. The fluorescent lights above buzzed softly, and the sterile scent of disinfectant filled the air. I stared at the floor tiles, unable to meet his eyes for too long.
"I will find a way to pay you back," I continued, trying to steady my voice. "And I swear, I will pay you in full."
Marco turned toward me, his expression unreadable. He stood there in his crisp suit as if he belonged anywhere, even in a place like this. "Lara," he said calmly, "you need to return to work once your mother is discharged. I already took care of everything. I hired a private nurse to stay with her so you can focus on your job."
He paused for a moment, his tone softer than I expected. "You don't have to pay me. Consider it my way of making amends for what I've done. I know it will never be enough."
Something inside me snapped. My hands curled into fists. "I said I will pay you, Mr. Blackwell," I shot back, my voice trembling with anger.
He gave me that familiar half-smile, the one that used to make my heart flutter and now only made my blood boil. "If you insist," he replied smoothly. "But then you will need to pay me within one month."
His eyes darkened as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. He opened it slowly, revealing the same ring that once symbolized my greatest mistake. "If you can't pay me," he said, "then you already know the other option. Wear this ring again."
"I will not marry you," I said sharply. "Not now, not ever."
Marco chuckled under his breath, the sound low and sure. "You can't pay me within a month, Lara. You know that," he said, his voice deep enough to make the air between us thicken. "And you can deny it all you want, but I can still feel what you try to hide. You want me close. You want what we once shared, even if you keep telling yourself it was a mistake."
He stepped closer, his eyes locked on mine. "You are bound to me, Lara. Every thought, every heartbeat, every unspoken desire, you cannot hide them from me. I can feel them as clearly as my own. I know how much you want me to kiss you, to touch you, to claim you again."
My throat went dry. I wanted to shout at him, to tell him he was wrong, that he didn't know what I felt. But the heat rising in my cheeks betrayed me. My pulse raced, and my body trembled with a longing I didn't want to acknowledge.
"I will show you, Mr. Blackwell," I managed to say, though my voice shook with both anger and fear. "Whatever curse or connection you think ties me to you, I will break it. I will never be your wife, and I will never bear your child."
Marco's eyes softened for a fleeting second, as if my defiance affected him more than he wanted to admit. But then the calm mask returned, leaving me breathless and furious all over again.
I turned and walked away before he could answer, my chest tight and my heart pounding painfully against my ribs. My hands shook as I pressed them against the cold wall for balance. I hated him for everything he had done to me, but more than that, I hated myself for still wanting him despite every reason not to.
And as I walked down that long hallway, the truth sank in like a blade. I only had one month to pay him back. One month to find a way out of this nightmare.
But deep down, I knew I was trapped. I didn't have the money, and the more I thought about it, the more I despised myself for insisting I would repay him. My pride had written a promise my reality couldn't afford.
Now, all I had left was the weight of his words and the cruel pull of something I didn't understand, something that made me fear I would never truly escape Marco Blackwell.