CHAPTER 120
BRIANNA’S POV
It’s been more than two weeks since I returned from the hospital. Ever since I did, Sebastian has treated me like I was a golden egg.
He gave strict orders to the maids never to let me do anything. They helped me bathe, and change my neck brace, bandages and clothes. They spoon-fed me, brushed my hair, and his guards even carried me to my room when I was too tired to use the crutches.
Sebastian had to relocate me to one of the guestrooms downstairs so I wouldn’t have to deal with the difficulty of going upstairs.
Though it’s been more than two weeks now, getting to a month, I was still learning to walk properly on the crutches. If anyone had told me I would be using crutches someday, I would have never believed them. I would have laughed and thought they were joking. But look at me.
I whiffed out a dry laugh. How ironic.
Sebastian has been doing his best. He handled the hospital bills which I knew was a huge sum even though he wouldn’t let me know. He was always checking up on me and even spent most nights with me. He would lie beside me on the bed and hold me gently like I was the most fragile thing ever. He would read to me and tell me silly jokes just to make me smile. He had seen how gloomy my expression was since I came back from the hospital and he didn’t like it one bit. He would kiss me on the cheek and forehead and tell me not to be anxious because my condition was only temporary.
He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Despite all his assurance and attempts to make me feel better, I felt like a…. burden. A huge liability to him. What good was I to him like this? In this state, I couldn’t offer him anything. I was as useless as a broken tool. And from the looks of it, it didn’t seem I would be getting rid of these crutches and taking off all this stuff in my body anytime soon.
Sebastian will call off important meetings and rearrange his entire schedule just so he can stay with me. I have tried to talk him out of doing that because it will affect him as an Alpha King. His kingdom needs him. But he never listens to me.
Today, I decided to do something different. I told him if he didn’t go to the Alpha kings’ meeting he was meant to go to today that I wouldn’t eat or have anything to drink for the rest of the day.
He quickly agreed to go and has gone not so long ago.
I was seated in the courtyard in the back of the castle, enjoying some fresh air and the beautiful scenery when one of the maids approached me.
“Miss Brianna,” she said with a bow. “Someone is here to see you.”
My brows furrowed in surprise and confusion. Ever since I got to this castle, I haven’t had a visitor and wasn’t expecting any because no one knew I was in this part of the world. No one knew I even existed.
“Can I know who the person is?” I asked, looking up at her in curiosity.
“She said she goes by the name Aunt Gigi,” she answered in a polite tone.
My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open in intense shock.
“Aunt Gigi…?” I blurted out in repeat as if to confirm what she said.
“Yes, Miss Brianna,” the maid answered. Though she tried to remain composed, she was a bit taken aback by my sudden reaction.
“Send her in immediately,” I urged her. “And please bring a chair and small table along with some refreshments for us,” I said in addition as she gave a firm nod, lowered to a courteous bow and went back inside the castle.
After Hermes proposed to me and I followed him to his castle, I never heard from Aunt Gigi again. She never visited or maybe she did and Hermes didn’t let her in or let me know about it. I was locked up in that hellhole of a castle 24 hours a day and 7 days a week so I couldn’t tell. I assumed she, her husband and my cousins forgot all about me. They might have thought I was living the dream not knowing I was living on a daily dose of maltreatments, defilements and tears.
About a minute later, I heard the click-clack of heels behind me. I couldn’t turn my neck but I knew it was her. I knew her walking step.
“Here she is Miss Brianna,” the maid said with a bow as she presented Aunt Gigi. “I will be going to bring the table, chair and refreshments you asked for now.”
Since I couldn’t nod, I waved at her dismissively as she left, my eyes never leaving Aunt Gigi.
Aunt Gigi just stood there like she was caught in a daze, tightly clutching the handles of her handbag. Her lips which were painted with a subtle shade of pink lipstick parted in shock and her eyes stamped on me in great sympathy, almost glistening with tears.
She hasn’t changed that much, only she became even more beautiful with her curly, shoulder-length hair that looked freshly styled and her light well-made makeup. She was wearing a floral dress and a pair of short, comfortable kitten heels—her favourite type of shoes.
I wished she didn’t have to see me like this after all these months we have been apart. She was looking all beautiful like sunshine and rainbows while I was all crippled and wishing that accident never happened.
I felt….. mortifying. But there wasn’t anything I could do. It’s not like I could take off this neck brace, cast and bandages and pretend I looked fine. Because I wasn’t.
“Oh Brianna…” she brought her hand over her lips as if to hold back a painful emotion and came closer to me, looking at me like I was a clumsy kid who hurt herself. “What happened to you…why are all these things on your body.”
She assessed my body frantically and tried to touch my arm in the cast. I let out a slight wince causing her to flinch and quickly took her hand away.
“I’m so sorry….” She apologized, ready to even knee and beg me, her voice sounding so pitiful at me.
I hated it when people looked and talked to me like that as though I were made of the lightest of glass. Sebastian, the maids and even his guards have been doing that to me since I returned from the hospital.
I know they were just worried and wanted to make sure I was okay. But as much as it pained me to admit, it made me feel so fucking pathetic and useless. If Aunt Gigi continued with it, I might just feel bad and break down into tears. And I was avoiding that because Sebastian made me promise not to cry again.
“It’s nothing,” I said to Aunt Gigi so she won’t continue worrying.
The maid interrupted us by bringing the chair and small table. Another maid followed closely behind her, carrying a tray of fruit juice, biscuits and two glass cups.
“Aunt Gigi please sit,” I gestured to the chair as the maid finished setting it.
Quickly, she sat and tried to hide how deeply troubled she was by smiling at the maid.
The maid served us and after that asked if there was anything else we needed before they could leave. Aunt Gigi shook her head. Since I couldn’t shake mine I answered. “No, thank you.” with a small smile.
After a while, I noticed they weren’t living. They stood at a corner watching us which made my brows knit in nervousness and confusion as I wondered why. If I remember correctly, Sebastian never asked them to monitor me like that.
“Can I help you with anything?” I asked the two of them.
“No Miss Brianna,” one shook her head with a small smile on her face. “We are just waiting till when you want to drink your juice and eat your biscuits so we can feed you.”