"We need to go back," Aiden said as soon as Serena walked through the door, her arms full of bags from the market.
Serena stopped in her tracks, confusion washing over her face. "What? Why? I’m not ready to leave yet. I still need to find out more about my past. You won’t believe it, but I met someone at the—"
"Serena," Aiden cut her off, his voice firmer, almost urgent. He took a step closer to her, and she could see the tension in his posture. "We have to return. Grandma’s sick."
The excitement Serena had been feeling vanished in an instant, replaced by a cold, sinking feeling. "What? Is it serious?"
"She’s in the ICU," Aiden said, his expression grim.
Serena felt torn. On one side, there was Owen, who had promised to take her to all the places she had visited before, hoping it would help her regain her memory. On the other side, there was Grandmother, who had shown her so much love and care.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, despite the uneasy feeling gnawing at her. "I’ll go and pack my things."
Within minutes, they were hurrying toward the car. As Aiden started the engine, Serena couldn’t help but glance over at him, noticing the worry etched on his face. She hesitated for a moment before offering, "Maybe you shouldn’t drive. How about I do it?"
Aiden shot her a quick look, eyebrows raised. "Do you even know how to drive?"
Serena shrugged, trying to lighten the mood despite the tension. "We can find out."
Aiden grimaced, shaking his head as he muttered, "We need to get to the hospital, but not in an ambulance."
"I’m fine. I’ll drive," Aiden said more calmly, though his knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. However, as he stepped on the accelerator with force, Serena who was almost pushed back into her seat, looked at him in horror. Who exactly would land them in the hospital, she wasn’t sure. Aiden seemed to think his car was an airplane...
A little while later, Serena turned her head away from the passing scenery outside to look at Aiden. At least he wasn’t driving as dangerously as he had started.
She watched him closely as he drove, noticing the tension in his jaw and the way his hands gripped the steering wheel with such force that his knuckles turned white. She needed to distract him. If he remained this tensed, then it would definitely harm his judgement.
"Aiden? You love your grandmother the most in this world, don’t you?"
Aiden sent her a glance before nodding," Yes. She is my only family."
"Your only family? But what about your brother and sister? I mean I’m sure there was some tension there between you and Nathan but surely they love you."
Aiden shook his head sharply," They are my half siblings. And the only reason they keep in contact with me is for the money I can provide them."
Serena wanted to argue that he was probably mistaken but she’d only even met them once so couldn’t say more. " What about your parents?"
"I just said I only have grandmother as family.", Aiden bit out, his tone warning her to not ask any more questions about his parents. So, she nodded and stayed quiet. He was already agitated and now was not the time. She thought back to the way he had calmed her down last night and without a word, placed her hand on his that was on the gearshift. And the fact that he let her hold his wrist, was testament to how troubled he was in that moment.
When they finally pulled into the hospital parking lot, Aiden didn’t wait for the car to fully stop before he was out of the driver’s seat, practically sprinting toward the entrance. Serena barely had time to unbuckle her seatbelt and follow him, when she noticed him throw the car keys to his assistant who had already been waiting.
Catching the keys, he still moved to almost block his way as he warned," Sir, the rest of your family is here as well."
Serena watched as Aiden’s steps faltered for just a moment and a flash of irritation crossed his face before he resumed his hurried pace. "I don’t care about them. Just tell me about Grandma. Is she okay?"
"She is stable for now but the doctors are keeping a close watch. It was too close this time."
As they hurried through the sterile halls of the hospital, Serena’s heart pounded in her chest. She’d come to hate hospitals, they made her feel claustrophobic.
When they reached the door, Aiden pushed it open with a force that sent it slamming against the wall and making her jump. The room was filled with people—at least ten, by her quick count—all of them turning to face them with varying expressions as they stood up, as if in perfect sync. However, Aiden’s presence seemed to draw the air out of the room, and for a moment, there was a tense silence as everything, and everyone seemed to have frozen.
While she recognised his ’half siblings’ and Aunt Vera, grandma’s trusted maid, she didn’nt know anyone else. She guessed this must be what Assistant An had meant by the rest of the family comment. She looked around curiously, when both the rest of them stared back at her, looking quite hostile.
Serena was about to walk in and push forward when- a sharp, cracking sound echoed through the room. Serena’s eyes widened in shock as she realized what had just happened—a woman, tall with dark hair pulled back into a tight bun, had stepped forward and slapped Aiden across the face with such force that his head snapped to the side.
The slap reverberated through the room like a gunshot, leaving everyone stunned. Aiden slowly turned his head back to face the woman, his eyes dark with a mixture of disbelief and fury.