Raphael POV
Melany stared at me, her eyes grim. I laughed inwardly at myself for allowing such a woman to be the mother of my two so lovely children.
After a while, she said, "Raphael, something happened to Essel, and I was worried and scared... That's why I yelled at you... I'm sorry..."
Melany knew very well how to show weakness, and her watery eyes were flooded with crystal tears.
"Let's go see Essel first, okay?"
She came to take my hand. I was inwardly annoyed and shook her hand away with force.
Suddenly, something flashed through my mind.
I frowned and thought carefully, but couldn't catch that important clue...
I was in no mood to think about anything.
I pursed my lips and was about to speak when my phone vibrated in my hand.
The caller ID was Maddox.
As soon as I saw Maddox's name, a sharp pain came to my heart.
Every time Maddox called me, it was something important.
Now that Essel was in surgery, Maddox was calling me. Did this mean...
I was always calm and collected, but at the moment, my fingers trembled. I pressed the connect button twice in a row.
"Mr. Lancaster, Ms. Essel is all right!" Maddox choked out.
Maddox choked out, "The surgery will be over soon. The doctor said that if everything is okay, Ms. Essel will wake up tonight!"
My eyes widened and my heart contracted violently.
Gripping my phone, I walked quickly toward the hospital, asking as I went, "Where did the blood come from?"
I contacted someone, but it couldn't have been that fast.
"Mr. Lancaster, it's Ms. Chancey! I mean, Ms. Araceli. She's Ms. Essel's mother's sister, also Rh-negative blood!"
Maddox said incoherently, "Ms. Araceli was there when Ms. Essel had the accident. I drove her car to bring Ms. Essel to the hospital. After that, she donated blood to Ms. Essel..."
I froze.
"Did Araceli give blood to Essel?"
"Yes. Ms. Araceli saved Ms. Essel's life..."
I pursed my lips. "Is Araceli still in the hospital?"
"Yes. Mr. Lancaster, I'm going to check on Ms. Essel. Please come quickly."
Maddox hung up the phone.
I picked up the pace and eventually even ran into the hospital.
When I saw Essel lying in a hospital bed with an oxygen mask, I felt as cold as if the temperature around me had frozen.
Thankfully, Essel was fine, and it was all thanks to Araceli...
Araceli was sitting on the edge of the bed, her face pale and with dark circles under her eyes. She looked exhausted.
Inexplicably, I felt a tingle inside.
Araceli lifted her head.
"Mr. Lancaster."
I looked at Araceli's pale face and said calmly, "Ms. Chancey. Thank you. You don't look good and need to get some rest. It's okay, I'll take care of Essel."
Araceli shook her head.
"It's okay. I'll stay here with Essel."
Araceli held Essel's hand, with obvious exhaustion on her brow.
I sat down on the other side of the hospital bed and said calmly, "Maddox, bring a glass of warm water over to Ms. Chancey."
Maddox immediately turned around and headed for the door.
Apart from sleeping Essel, Araceli and I were the only ones in the ward.
The smell of disinfectant filled the air.
I said in a dull voice, "Thank you, Ms. Chancey, whatever you need help with in the future, just let me know. I will do my best to help you."
"Mr. Lancaster, don't be. Essel is one of the sweetest little girls I've ever met. She's also a good friend of mine. And..."
Araceli hesitated and said, "Essel must have sneaked out to find me, and that's why she had the accident. It had something to do with me, so of course I had to save her."
Her voice trailed off a bit and she bowed her head. The hair in front of her forehead covered all the expression on her face. I couldn't see what she was thinking, only that she sounded sad.
I paused and said, "Essel does like you a lot."
The corners of Araceli's lips lifted on a slight curve, looking so beautiful.
Araceli looked at Essel lying on the hospital bed and couldn't help but reach out and touch Essel's face.
I froze. I had never seen such a complex emotion in a woman's eyes, except for the eyes of my mother when she looked at me.
Araceli lifted her head and looked earnestly at me.
My heart pounded violently.
"Mr. Lancaster, I'm suddenly afraid that Valeria will also sneak off to look for you and meet with an accident. Can you promise me that no matter what reason Valeria comes to you, you will help me take good care of her?"
"Sure."
I promised her without hesitation.
That little girl appeared in my world like an angel of innocence.
Every time Valeria looked at me, I felt warmth spreading through my heart to my whole body.
What's more, Essel was also very fond of Valeria.
I was thinking about it when Araceli's eyes collided with mine.
I could see her fondness for Essel in the light of her dark eyes.
Suddenly, I was curious.
Why did Essel like her so much? Why did Valeria like me so much?
Was there some causal connection between this?
While she was staring at me, I was looking at her. We kept looking at each other like this, without hiding or feeling embarrassed.
This woman really had a fatal allure for me...
I couldn't help but look at her.