Chapter 72 One last chance

Rachel's POV

I looked around my huge hospital room, which she had been my home for the past three weeks. I was getting discharged today and Ethan just went to the doctor's office to complete all the formalities and stuff needed.

"Who's getting discharged today?" Marina asked with a smile coming into the room with her hands raised high, ready to give me a hug.

"This girl". I answered, pointing at myself and returning her smile to mine.

"Oh, baby girl," Marina said, giving me a bear hug.

"Arina, release me. " I said with a squeezed voice with was caused by her tight hug. " You're acting like you haven't seen me in years". I said chuckling.

"Well, I haven't seen you in almost a week". She said with a shrug.

"Yeah, that's because the director called you for work. How do you leave London and come back here anytime you please? " I asked in wonder.

Marina truly surprised me. Even when the movie hadn't ended she was still able to go back and forth.

" You can that your boyfriend's assistant for that. I don't even know what he told director George, but that man now gives me freedom".

" Mark? " I asked in surprise.

If Mark was behind this, does it mean it was an order from Ethan? "Was it Ethan's idea?"

She shook her head, walking to the wardrobe to help me pack my stuff. " Nope. It's all Mark, I'm sure by now you must know about his real identity". She paused to look at me and I nodded.

Ethan told me about that already, that Mark was a Walker, well the Walker since he was the only grandson of the matriarch of the family, Fredrick Walker.

" So, he used his identity somehow to get that man to let me free. "

I smiled watching Marina as she helped me pack my clothes into my suitcase. She was trying to act nonchalant, but I could tell that just the mention of Mark's name sent a spark through her body.

" Do you like him?" I asked suddenly and she turned back to face me.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"Mark... Do you like him?" I asked again and her face flushed red.

"Me... Why, what ... No". She said incoherently trying to hide her flushed face from me.

A knowing smile appeared on my lips. She does like him, it was obvious. " Do you both have something together like..."

"No!" Marina interrupted shaking her head and hands excessively in front of her.

"We don't have that kind of relationship... Yet". She said the last word in an inaudible voice. My ears pricked up and I walked closer to her. "Yet?" I repeated with a curious smile.

"Uhm..."

"Come on, just tell me already. Who else would you tell this kind of thing if not me?" I asked wiggling my brows while elbowing her softly.

Marina rolled her eyes before dropping the dress in her hands into the suitcase. "Fine. Yesterday when I came back to the country, he was the one who picked me up and..."

"And?" I repeated impatiently.

Marina's face flushed red, and her eyes darted about. She was embarrassed, something really must have happened.

" And... Em... We went out "

"On a date?"

"No, it was not a date". She blinked nervously "Just a meeting between two friends".

"And then what?" I asked again already getting bored with the story. " Get to the good stuff already". I said with a pout while shaking Marina.

"Okay, okay... We kissed". She said in a low mutter

"Oh my goodness!" I exclaimed in surprise. "You kissed?"I asked again with a wide grin.

"We kissed". She said again a lot louder. I couldn't contain my excitement and began jumping up and down, holding Marina with me, so she was involuntarily jumping too.

"You kissed. Oh my goodness". That was such a huge thing. Marina and Mark had only known each other for about two months, and they already had their first kiss; they really were made for each other.

Unlike me and Ethan... I stopped jumping, slowly trying to catch my breath.

Ethan and I had known each other again for almost six months, if something was going to happen between us, it would have already. He had been with me almost every day since I woke up from the coma, but nothing had ever happened; there wasn't even a moment between us anymore.

Oh... Shit. I murmured to myself.

What was wrong with me? Why was I so desperate to see something between myself and Ethan?

"Rachel, are you okay?" Marina asked her face etched with worry. One minute, we were celebrating her relationship life. The next, I was brooding about mine.

I shook my head gently. "I'm fine, just thought about something".

"So are you ready to go?" I heard Ethan's deep voice and Marina and I turned towards the door. There he was, the man I couldn't stop thinking about these past few days because he was always around; he was in a causal green polo shirt with darker green pants and a small smile on his face, a smile I couldn't help but reciprocate.

" Give us a few minutes". I answered looking at the not so finished packed suitcase.

Marina and I finished packing the rest of my stuff into the suitcase, and in less than ten minutes, we were ready to go.

We left the hospital room with Ethan, who gallantly offered to carry my luggage and give it to one of the guards who were behind us.

I found it amusing because it initially looked like he was about to carry the luggage himself, that was until he handed it over to one of those huge, heavy, muscled bodyguards that were always by my door, I only found out about that a week ago when I I wanted to go out of the room.

" What about Lorena? I haven't said goodbye to her yet". I asked when we were about to get into the elevator, remembering about the kind doctor who I found out was not middle-aged like I thought. If she could have a son as old as Raine, and the guy even had an elder brother, she must be at least fifty. She took care of her skin really well.

Though she had two grown-ups soon, she still looked like someone in her early thirties.

" She's on call right now, and she expressed her deepest regrets for not being able to say goodbye to you. But you can call her later ". Ethan said and I nodded, remembering that I collected her number.

"Where's Mark? " I asked Ethan once we were out of the elevator. He was normally always with Ethan, but right now, he was not.

Ethan looked towards Marina who blinked at him. "Why are you looking at me? Am I supposed to know where he is?" She asked with a scoff.

Ethan rolled his eyes and moved closer to me. " He has a few businesses to attend to back in the office. "

I raised a brow at him. "Isn't that supposed to be your job? " Ethan coughed softly turning his head away from me. "If I go there, I won't be here".

"But now Mark's not here, and I can tell Marina is not so happy ". I said, teasing Marina, who immediately glared at me.

"Hey... "

I giggled softly at Marina's expression. It was not so often I got to tease her about a guy, so once the opportunity comes, I'll take it.

We were just about to get out of the hospital when I heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice call my name.

"Rachel."

I turned around slowly, recognizing the voice immediately. It had been so long since I had heard that voice.

"Mother"