"Lucca…" I called his name to get his attention. I ran as fast as I could to get closer to him, and as soon as I reached him, I hugged him tightly. I closed my eyes while holding onto Lucca. I had no idea what was happening around us. I just hoped that the ring would help me, just this once, and help us escape from this chaos.
I heard shouts coming from different directions. They were cries of pain. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw a bright light surrounding us. I couldn't see Damon or any of his men anymore. I was curious, but deep down, I knew it was the ring's doing.
So, I wasn't imagining it before.
The ring was the one that had helped me before, and now it was helping me again.
"Lucca! Seraphina!"
Dominic rushed toward us. I was still holding onto Lucca, whose body was covered in blood.
"Let's go. We need to escape this place. We don't have time," Dominic said.
He immediately grabbed Lucca and carried him in his arms. I followed closely behind him as we ran toward the gate.
The moment we stepped outside, we heard footsteps and shouting behind us.
"They're escaping!"
"Don't let them get away!"
I glanced over my shoulder and saw several of Damon's men running after us. My heart pounded against my chest as fear rushed through me. Dominic didn't slow down. He tightened his grip around Lucca and ran even faster.
"Keep running, Seraphina!" he shouted.
I forced my tired legs to move faster. My clothes were stained with blood, and my breathing became heavier with every step, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. Not when Lucca was in Dominic's arms, unconscious and badly injured.
We finally reached the car parked outside the gate. Dominic hurriedly opened the back door and carefully placed Lucca inside.
I immediately climbed into the backseat beside him.
"Go!" I shouted.
Dominic slammed the door shut, rushed into the driver's seat, and started the engine. The car roared to life, and he stepped on the accelerator.
We sped away from Damon's house.
I looked through the window and saw Damon's men running after us. Some of them even tried to get into their vehicles to chase us, but Dominic drove faster, leaving them farther and farther behind.
I finally let out the breath I had been holding.
We had escaped.
But my relief quickly disappeared when I looked at Lucca.
He was unconscious, his entire body covered in blood.
"Dominic, let's go to the hospital. Lucca's unconscious. I thought he had super strength. But what happened to him?"
"He'll be fine. Don't worry," Dominic said calmly as he kept his eyes on the road.
I looked at Lucca again. Blood covered his clothes and his face. I was covered in blood too, but I didn't care about myself. All I could think about was Lucca.
I reached for his hand and held it tightly.
Thankfully, we had escaped from Damon's house, but Lucca was badly hurt.
Dominic suddenly pulled out his phone and made a call.
"Damian, meet me at the hospital. Lucca is unconscious," Dominic said before ending the call.
I tried to calm myself down, even though seeing Lucca in that condition terrified me. I just hoped he would be alright.
What would his master say when he found out that Lucca was in this state? Especially since his master was still in the hospital.
I continued looking at Lucca when suddenly, I felt his hand move against mine.
My eyes widened.
"Lucca, can you hear me?" I asked, trying my best not to let him hear the fear in my voice.
He didn't say anything, but I felt his fingers move slightly against my hand.
"We're going to the hospital now, Lucca. You'll get treated there. Just hold on for a little while," I whispered.
"He'll be fine, Seraphina. Don't worry," Dominic said calmly.
If Dominic was this calm, then perhaps I shouldn't worry too much either.
I needed to trust him.
Finally, after several minutes, we arrived at the hospital.
The moment Dominic stopped the car, nurses and a doctor immediately rushed toward us. They quickly opened the back door and transferred Lucca onto a hospital bed.
I recognized the doctor immediately.
It was the same doctor who had treated me when I got sick before.
"Doctor!" I called, trying to get his attention.
He looked at me and immediately recognized me.
"Nice to see you again, Seraphina," he said as the nurses hurriedly pushed Lucca's bed toward the emergency room.
The doctor examined Lucca for only a few moments before turning to us.
"We need to take him to the operating room."
My heart dropped at his words.
The operating room?
Just hearing those words made me even more frightened.
I looked at Lucca as the nurses continued pushing his bed away. Dominic noticed my fear and gently held my hand.
"Don't worry," he said.
I nodded, trying to calm myself.
The nurses and doctor quickly entered the operating room with Lucca.
Before entering, the doctor turned toward us.
"Lucca is a strong man. He'll be fine. Don't worry."
With those reassuring words, the doctor entered the operating room and the doors slowly closed behind him.
I stood there, staring at the closed doors.
For the first time since we escaped Damon's house, I allowed myself to feel the fear that had been building inside me.
I could only hope that Lucca would make it through.
"Let's wait here for a while, Sera. Sit down," Dominic said. "I'll get some water."
Then he left for a while.
I sat on the chair, staring at the operating room door. Although the doctor had assured me that Lucca would be fine, I was still scared of what would happen to him.
Dominic came back with a bottle of water in his hand. He handed it to me, and I drank half of it.
Suddenly, Mira and Damian arrived.
Mira immediately went to me, looking worried when she saw the blood on my clothes.
"Are you hurt? What happened? Who did this to you?" Mira asked, throwing several questions at me.
I didn't answer any of them.
Dominic and Damian left, leaving only Mira and me in the waiting area.
"I was so worried about you, and I blame myself for letting you go to the convenience store. If only I hadn't asked you to buy alcohol, this wouldn't have happened. Was Lucca badly hurt?"
I nodded.
"He is."
Mira's face showed even more worry. Guilt lingered in her eyes too.
"It was all my fault."
"It wasn't your fault. We didn't know this would happen."
"Who did this to you?" she asked.
I looked her in the eyes.
If I told her it was Damon, it would probably affect the relationship between Mira's parents and Damon as business partners. But I couldn't hide it and pretend that it wasn't him. What if Mira's parents became his next targets?
"Damon and Lucca's ex did this," I said.
Mira looked confused.
"Damon? What? Why?"
"He tried to kill Lucca so that he could have me."
She gasped.
"I didn't know about this. I thought he was just like you, but not to the extent of hurting someone."
"That's what I thought before too."
"Let's report Damon and Lucca's ex to the police. This was kidnapping!" Mira said, grabbing my hand.
I gently pulled my hand away.
"Sera…"
"I'll wait here until Lucca wakes up. I shouldn't leave him here."
Mira looked worried about me, while I was worried about Lucca.
If the ring hadn't helped us, maybe I would already be grieving Lucca's death. We hadn't even started dating yet, but this had already happened.
"But you should change your clothes, Sera."
"I'm okay. I'm not going home. I'll stay here."
"Okay. I won't force you to go home. I'll get some clothes for you, okay? I'll ask Dominic to accompany you," Mira said.
I nodded.
Mira went over to Damian and Dominic. I didn't know where they went after that. My thoughts were completely occupied by Lucca.
I prayed for Lucca's protection.
I wanted him to live.
I wanted to date him.
If he didn't survive this, how could I ever date him and get to know him better?
I didn't even realize that tears had started falling down my cheeks.
That was what Dominic saw when he came back.
"Seraphina…"
Dominic sat beside me while I sniffled and tried to wipe my tears.
"Are you crying because of Lucca?" Dominic asked.
"Why? Aren't you scared that your friend might die?" I asked back.
"He won't die. He has his super strength, remember?"
"But it didn't save him. Why did he look so weak and helpless a while ago?"
Dominic fell silent.
I was sure he was hiding something, but I didn't force him to tell me.
"You saved all of us instead," Dominic said.
"I didn't. It was the ring that saved us. It was my grandmother's memory that saved us," I said.
Dominic nodded.
"If it hadn't helped us, we would surely already be mourning Lucca. The gun was so close to him. Damon could have pulled the trigger at any moment."
"I know, and I'm so thankful that it didn't happen."
"I'm sorry for making you worry about me. I didn't know that Damon would come after me. I thought he wouldn't find me since he didn't know about Mira's condo, but I underestimated him," I said through my sobs.
"It wasn't your fault, and Lucca would surely tell you that it wasn't your fault. We didn't know this would happen. No one wanted this to happen."
I didn't stop sobbing.
Why was I hiding what I was feeling from Dominic?
I had been suppressing my feelings ever since I was kidnapped, and now I was finally letting them out through my tears.
"Mira wanted me to report the kidnapping," I said when the silence between us became unbearable.
"What did you say?" he asked.
"I don't want to drag Lucca into this and expose his secret," I responded.
"Mira would probably wonder why you don't want to report it to the police."
"She will, but I know she will understand without me revealing Lucca's secret," I said.
"Don't you want to rest for a while? You look exhausted," Dominic noticed.
"No. I need to stay with Lucca. You can rest if you want. I saw you fight those men, and it wasn't easy," I said.
He sighed.
"Just like you, I want to see Lucca fine. He may be cold toward us, but I will never trade our friendship for anything else."
After that conversation, we fell silent. Both of us were exhausted, but neither of us closed our eyes. Even though I was incredibly sleepy, I tried my best not to fall asleep.
After a few minutes, Mira returned carrying a bag of clothes. She told me to change, and she accompanied me to the restroom near the operating room.
I changed my clothes while Mira waited outside. Afterward, she took my bloodstained clothes and placed them in a plastic bag.
"There is a vending machine nearby. Do you want some coffee or a hot chocolate?" Mira asked.
Even though I wasn't used to drinking either, I decided to join her. I needed something warm to help me stay awake until Lucca recovered.
Mira put some coins into the vending machine and got three cups of coffee and one hot chocolate for me.
I took one of the coffees for Dominic. We went back to where Dominic and Damian were sitting. I gave the other cup to Dominic, and he accepted it.
I sat beside Mira while drinking my hot chocolate. Somehow, it made me feel calmer and helped me stay awake.
Why was the doctor taking so long?
Was Lucca really okay?
I finished my drink, but no doctor came out of the operating room. I checked Mira's phone, and it was already one in the morning.
"Your phone is in my condo. I'll give it to you tomorrow," Mira said.
I nodded.
Finally, after hours of waiting, the doctor came out of the operating room.
All of us immediately stood up and waited for the doctor to speak.
"Lucca is fine. I only had to perform a minor surgery because he had several cuts on his body. Other than that, there's nothing serious. I'll let him rest for a week," the doctor said.
After hearing the doctor's comforting words, I finally felt calm and relieved.
At least Lucca wasn't in critical condition.
I was happy to hear that he was fine and that he only needed some rest. Since I was his personal assistant, I would gladly volunteer to be his caregiver again, just like I had done before.
The nurses wheeled Lucca's hospital bed out of the operating room. I saw him with several bandages covering his body and face.
I looked at him with pity.
If he hadn't saved me, he wouldn't have ended up like this.
What if he saw his face covered in cuts?
Would he hate me?
Lucca was transferred to a presidential suite. It was the same type of room he had stayed in when he was admitted before.
As we entered the room, I told them that I would be the one to take care of Lucca and that they should rest for a while, especially Dominic, since they still had to take care of their master, who was in the same hospital.
"Are you really sure?" Mira asked.
"Yes. Go home now. I'll stay here," I said.
"You know I can stay with you," Dominic added.
"Dominic, I know what you did a while ago. Go home and get some rest. You're still going to visit your master tomorrow. It's already morning, and you haven't slept yet," I said.
"I'll stay here," Damian insisted.
I was about to tell him that I could manage on my own, but he added, "I'll be sleeping in Master's room."
I didn't argue with him since it was his master.
"I'll come with you," Mira said.
"I'll go home for a while to change. I'll come back immediately after I take a short nap," Dominic said.
I gave him an exhausted smile.
"Are you sure, Sera? You can stay here alone?" Mira asked.
"Yes. Don't worry about me. I can manage."
Mira didn't argue with me. Instead, she followed Damian to his master's room.
When all of them were gone, I finally had the chance to look at Lucca.
Suddenly, tears fell down my cheeks again as I remembered what had happened to him.
It was terrifying watching him stand in front of the gun Damon was holding. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if Damon had suddenly pulled the trigger and Lucca had died.
Would I ever have been able to handle watching Lucca die right in front of my eyes?
I shook my head.
It was a lucky day for us, at least. Even though Lucca was hurt, his injuries weren't as bad as they could have been.
I held Lucca's hand while continuing to stare at him.
His soft hand—the same hand that had once caressed me.
I was glad that I could hold it again, just like this.
I wiped away the tears that continued to fall.
I was being emotional today.
Who wouldn't be?
I didn't stop myself from crying. Letting my emotions out made my chest feel lighter.
I was good at holding back and controlling my emotions.
But now, I couldn't.
I didn't want to experience the grief of losing someone again, just like when my grandmother died.
I wanted Lucca to live longer.
I didn't know how many tears I had shed. I didn't sleep the entire night. I simply cried my heart out while holding Lucca's hand.
It was already sunrise when my eyes could no longer stay open.
Lucca's POV
I growled when I felt pain all over my body. The sunlight coming through the window made it even harder to bear. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, trying to figure out where I was.
As far as I could remember, I had been at Damon's house yesterday to save Seraphina. But the last thing I remembered was Damon pointing a gun at me. I was ready to be killed at that moment.
Then I heard Seraphina's voice.
After that, I lost consciousness.
I was about to move when I noticed someone sleeping beside me. She was sitting on a chair, bending her body toward mine while holding my hand.
"Seraphina…" I called her name, but there was no response.
Did she take care of me the whole night?
I felt something wet on my hand, the same hand Seraphina was holding.
Did she cry because of me?
"Seraphina…" I called again in a husky voice.
Actually, I wasn't feeling any better. My body hurt, and I couldn't explain the pain I was feeling. I thought I could save Seraphina yesterday. I thought I could defeat hundreds of Damon's men.
But in just a snap, I felt weak.
I didn't know what had happened to me. I had lost my strength and couldn't even lift a person.
"Hmm…"
Seraphina slowly lifted her head. Her face was swollen from crying, and her eyes were red.
I couldn't help but pity her.
What had I put her through?
What had Damon done to her?
"Lucca!"
As soon as she saw that I was awake, she immediately stood up and hugged me.
I growled because of the pain.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," she said and was about to let go of me, but I pulled her closer by the waist and hugged her back.
"Did you miss me?" I asked, trying to ease the tension.
"I thought you were going to die," she said. Then I heard a little sob escape from her.
"I don't know what I would do if you died in front of me."
She started sobbing while still hugging me.
"I'm sorry for making you worry," I said, trying to stop her from crying.
This was the second time I had seen her cry.
And it was painful to see someone like Seraphina cry.
"No. I made you worry about me. That's why you came to Damon's house," she said before pulling away from the hug.
She wiped her tears and tried to compose herself.
"Damon was with Hillary," she said.
I wasn't even shocked by it.
Damon and Hillary were bedmates. Damon was the reason I had broken up with Hillary before. I couldn't give Hillary what she needed as a woman, so she found it in Damon.
"Did they hurt you?" I asked.
She shook her head.
"They couldn't hurt me. I had my grandma's ring to protect me," she said.
Now I understood why my master had given the ring to Seraphina's grandmother.
My master wanted to protect the person he had once loved.
But if I took the ring from Seraphina, who would protect her then?
"Lucca… I'll take care of you until you get better. I can assist you here while working. I'll do everything, just—"
I didn't let her finish her sentence. She was still tense even though she was trying her best to compose herself.
I held her hand and looked into her eyes.
"You've been exhausted too, Seraphina. I wasn't the only one suffering. You were suffering too," I said.
Tears fell down her cheeks again. She immediately wiped them away.
"I'm sorry for letting my tears out."
I smiled.
"It's okay. You don't have to hide them. What matters most is that no one was hurt," I said, reassuring her.
"But you got so many wounds from fighting," she said.
"Yes. But medicine and some ointments will heal them. I have the best doctor, so don't worry," I said.
Our conversation was interrupted when the doctor and nurses came in.
Seraphina immediately stood up straight and moved to the corner to give the doctor and nurses enough space.
"How are you feeling, Lucca?" the doctor asked.
"I'm starting to feel better," I lied.
The truth was, I was still in pain. But I didn't want Seraphina to worry, so I lied.
"Eat your breakfast first, then take your medicine. The nurse will tend to your wounds as well."
I nodded at him.
"Thank you."
The doctor didn't stay long. The nurse brought me my breakfast and told me she would come back after I finished eating.
When they were all gone, Seraphina immediately attended to me. She wanted to feed me herself.
"We can eat these together," I said, knowing that Seraphina hadn't had breakfast yet.
"I'm okay. Don't worry about me. I can eat whenever I want," she said before starting to feed me rice and soup.
I opened my mouth and accepted the food she fed me.
"You know, my hands aren't broken," I said, trying to joke for the first time.
"Just let me. This way, I can ease my guilt."
"Guilt? About what? Sera, you didn't do anything wrong. Damon and Hillary did. What makes you feel guilty? Because I'm in pain right now? I chose to save you, not because you wanted me to get hurt," I explained to her.
I hoped she would understand everything I was saying.
"Exactly! If I had been more careful, you wouldn't have gone there to save me and gotten hurt. It was all my fault," Seraphina said.