Chapter 132- My Turn

Arabella pov:

I kept drifting in and out of sleep.

Every now and then, I would manage to open my eyes and find Maya leaning over me, checking if I was awake. Other times, it was Lucien sitting beside the bed. I could hear voices around me, feel someone touching my forehead or adjusting the blanket, but I never stayed awake long enough to understand what was happening.

I had no idea how many times I fell asleep before I finally opened my eyes and managed to keep them open.

For a few seconds, I simply stared at the ceiling. The room was surprisingly quiet.

I slowly turned my head and realized there was no one around. As the fog in my head began to clear, I took in my surroundings properly. I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV cannula in the back of my hand.

Then everything came rushing back.

Zorro! I had killed him.

A panicked breath left me as I pushed myself upright. My head spun for a moment, but I ignored it. I couldn’t lie here anymore. Not when I knew exactly who had handed me that poison and lied about what it would do.

Jasmine Smith.

I pulled the cannula out before I could think better of it and winced at the sharp sting. A small drop of blood appeared on the back of my hand, but I wiped it away and climbed out of bed.

My legs felt weak when I slipped my feet into the slippers beside the bed, but I forced myself toward the door. The moment I stepped into the corridor, I walked straight into someone.

"Easy, Arabella."

Bradley caught me by the shoulders before I could stumble backward. His eyes immediately moved over me, his concern turning into a frown.

"What are you doing out here? You should be in bed."

"Where is Lucien?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"He had to take care of something. He’ll be back soon." Bradley glanced at my hand, and his frown deepened when he noticed the spot where I had pulled out the IV. "Now, please, let’s get you back into bed before you hurt yourself."

I shook my head and stepped away from him. "Where’s Jasmine? I need to see her." Something changed in his expression, but I was already walking past him.

"Arabella." I didn’t stop and kept going. I could hear him coming after me.

"Jasmine isn’t in the palace, Arabella." That stopped me. I stood in the middle of the corridor with my back to him.

Bradley jogged past me and stopped before me. "She left for a security conference. She won’t be back for a while. Might take three days." He finished with a shrug.

My fingers slowly curled at my sides.

Of course. For three years, I had believed Jasmine had helped me escape... that she was my well-wisher. She proved to be a snake whose venom had cost Zorro his life and left me carrying the guilt for it.

I drew in a long breath and closed my eyes, trying to get my emotions under control. Jasmine wasn’t here. Fine. There was nothing I could do about that right now.

When I opened my eyes again, I stepped around Bradley and continued down the corridor.

"Arabella." Poor Bradley was once again forced to run after me, probably regretting the day I had returned to the palace. I ignored him. "Arabella, would you please stop?"

"Bradley, I need to talk to Lucien. Right now."

"He’ll be back. Soon."

I finally slowed down. "Where is he?"

"I told you, something urgent came up. He’s probably still in his office with the officials." His footsteps quickened behind me. "Please, Arabella, listen to me. You just woke up after being sick, you pulled out your own IV, and you’re walking around the palace wearing nothing but a flimsy hospital gown."

I frowned and looked down at myself. Oh, Goddess. The thin hospital gown barely reached my thighs, and I was wearing nothing beneath it.

I immediately stopped walking. I had been so desperate to find Jasmine that I hadn’t even noticed what I was wearing. Heat rushed to my face.

With an irritated sigh, I finally turned around. Bradley was standing several feet away.

"Can you ask Lucien to come see me? Now?"

"Yes." He reached into his pocket quickly. "Absolutely. See? I’m calling him." He held up his phone before gesturing toward my room with his other hand.

"Now, can we please get you back into bed before someone sees you like this? If Lucien finds out I let you wander around the palace half-naked and sick, he’ll beat my ass."

Despite everything going through my head, I gave him a tired smile. "No, he won’t. You’re his Beta."

Bradley started guiding me back toward the room. "Which means I know better than anyone what he’s capable of."

By the time I reached the room, even I had to admit Bradley had been right. My legs were beginning to shake again. I climbed onto the hospital bed and lay back against the pillows while Bradley pulled the blanket over my legs.

"Where’s Maya?" I asked, suddenly realizing I hadn’t seen her since waking up.

"She stayed with you for most of the nights," Bradley said. "So did Toby. Lucien practically ordered both of them to go back to their rooms and get some proper rest. They’ll come see you as soon as they know you’re awake."

A nurse came in a few minutes later. She wasn’t particularly pleased when she saw what I had done, but thankfully, she didn’t say anything. She cleaned another spot on my hand, inserted a fresh cannula, and connected the IV line again.

I barely noticed the sting because my thoughts had already returned to Jasmine.

She had known exactly what she was doing that night. She had seen how desperate I was to escape and used it against me. All she had needed to do was put that bottle in my hand and tell me one simple lie.

And like a fool, I had trusted her. My fingers curled slowly over the blanket.

You used me to do your dirty work, Jasmine. You made sure my hands were the ones that carried it out while you stayed safely behind your mask.

Three years ago, I had been too desperate and naïve to see through you. Not anymore.

Enjoy your conference while you can, sweetheart. Because when you come back, it’ll be my turn.