Athilda's pov
Talia hates putting anything under her bed. She always says it makes the room look dirty. So this probably was not hers.
Could it be Lucien's? I shook my head and decided to focus on Vivienne first. I took her out of the crib and laid her gently on Talia's bed.
I wiped her clean, powdered her carefully, then put on the fresh diaper.
Once she was settled back in her crib, I turned back to the black box and opened it. It had been a long time since I last entered this room, maybe that was why the box instantly grabbed my attention. It stood out, and now I knew why.
Inside were colourful pieces of paper, and they looked like love letters. I pulled out one of the letters and read it.
Yup. Confirmed, they were definitely love letters. The dates were from different years, and the names on them were not the same either. So they came from different admirers… from her elementary to college days.
Wow. My sister really had admirers back then. Must be nice. Sana all, right? Lol.
I kept digging through the box and found some photos next. I smiled as I looked through them one by one, pictures of her with her ex-boyfriends. My smile widened.
What if Lucien saw these? Would he get jealous? Would they fight?
Turns out my sister is more sentimental than I thought. She kept all her memories from her single days, neatly stored and organized. I wish I were like that. Me? I misplace everything. I am a certified mess. Lol.
I kept going, curious, until my smile slowly faded. I found something I did not expect. It was a picture of my sister… being hugged from behind by a guy. And not just any guy.
It was him. It was Enzo.
I bit my lip, staring hard at the photo, hoping I was just imagining it. But no, it was definitely him.
Wait, wait. Maybe it is just someone who looks like him? They say there are at least seven people in the world who look alike, right?
Yes. That must be it. I was about to put the photo back into the box when I noticed something written on the back.
"I love you, Babe. I love you. Enzo
Enzo, MY FIRST LOVE"
My jaw dropped. No way. It was him. The same guy I had a one-night stand with… was my sister's first love?! Fate! Why are you doing this to me? Why now? Why him?
I never knew Enzo. I thought I was familiar with all of my sister's exes. I was always in the loop. And I have always known that her first love was Kuya Luke, or so I thought. But as I stared at the photo again, something clicked. In the background was the Eiffel Tower. Paris.
They both looked really young, probably around 13 or 14 years old. Then I remembered… My sister went on vacation to Paris when she was 13 to stay with our grandmother on Mom's side.
"What the hell…" I mumbled, feeling weak all over.
How did this happen? How is this even possible? Fate, what game are you playing now?
Days passed quickly, and just like that, vacation was over. It was time to go back to work.
In all my years as a nurse, this was the first time I actually dreaded going back. The hospital had always felt like a second home to me. The patients, my co-workers, they were my second family.
But now? I would rather skip work if I could. Too bad I could not. I was needed there.
Now I am on my way to St. Calisha. While driving, my phone suddenly rang.
Talia is calling.
I rejected the call. She called again. I rejected it a second time. And again.
Ugh, it was distracting. I was driving and starting to feel annoyed, so I gave in and answered.
"Hello?" I said, trying to sound as normal as possible.
"Oh?" I answered sharply.
"Ahm, Ath… sorry to bother you. You have not been replying to my texts, and you have been at the condo for three days straight, so I…."
"Just say what you need. What do you want?"
"You are the only one who has not had her dress fitted yet. The party is this Friday, Ath."
"Fine. I'll go later."
I ended the call right away and rolled my eyes.
I focused on driving, let my playlist run, and not long after, I arrived at the hospital. I parked the car, and the moment I stepped out, my eyes selected the surroundings, just to make sure he was not anywhere nearby.
Last I heard, the day after I saw him, he officially started working here. So now I have to be extra careful. Once I confirmed the coast was clear, I grabbed my bag and wallet from the car and started walking towards the building.
"Baby!"
I froze for a split second, my eyes widening when I heard someone yell that word.
"Hey Baby Ath!"
I let out a sigh of relief when I recognized the familiar voice.
"You're so loud this early, Kristan," I said with a frown, not even hiding my irritation.
"Aww, Baby Ath is so grumpy. I just missed you. Give me a hug, come on," he pouted, pretending to reach out for a hug.
I shook my head and smacked his arm.
This is Kristan, my boy best friend. He is also Keturah's cousin. A doctor here at St. Calisha too. Honestly? He is handsome, licensed, and smart… but still acts like a kid sometimes.
He jokes around a lot and is clingy, always teasing me. But to be fair, when it comes to work, he takes things seriously. That is what I admire about him. He is one of the best surgeons I have ever seen in action. Not like Dr. Enzo.
I have never seen Enzo in work mode. What do you expect? He is new here. And honestly? I am not curious about him. I have not even read any articles or buzz about him, unlike the others.
"Hey? You okay?" Kristan's voice pulled me back to reality.
"Yes! Haha, come on. We are going to be late."
We started walking into the hospital, and I could not help but glance around, left and right, every few steps, just in case Enzo suddenly appeared beside me out of nowhere.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong? You are acting kinda weird," Kristan asked, his brows furrowed in concern.
"Huh? No! Nothing!"
"You sure?" he asked again, still not convinced.
"Yes, yes! I'm fine!" I smiled at him, the sweetest, fakest smile I could manage.
Time flew fast, and before I knew it, it was already 6:00 PM.
Thankfully, I still had not run into Enzo. Whew! I was actually getting good at this.
It is automatic now, the moment I hear people whispering or reacting loudly, I know it only means one thing; Enzo is nearby. He is a heartthrob here, after all.
That gave me just enough time to duck, turn, or take another hallway. So far, so good. But I know I will not be lucky forever.
I know the day will come when we finally bump into each other. I am well aware. I just do not know what I will do when that happens.
Sigh… whatever happens, happens.
Let us just hope I can keep dodging fate for a little while longer. I stepped into the room where I needed to draw blood from a little patient.
"Hi, good evening, Ma'am and baby girl," I greeted with a smile. "I'll be taking a bit of blood now from the baby, okay?"
The child pouted, her lips trembling, which made me smile even more sweetly.
"Baby girl, what's your name?" I asked softly.
But instead of answering, the child suddenly burst into tears.
"Shhh, baby, it's okay. Don't cry," I said gently, moving closer. "We're just going to remove something bad from your body, alright? Once we take that out, you'll feel better. And when you're all better, what would you like as a gift?"
The little girl's sobs slowly quieted down. She was hiccuping now, still sniffling.
"D-Doll," she whispered shyly.
"A doll? Okay, I'll get you a doll," I said, grinning. "And not just that, I'll add a dollhouse too! But first, we need to take out the bad stuff from here, okay? So you can get better."
She nodded slowly.
"Alright, give sis a big hug and close your eyes," I told her.
I carefully inserted the needle, drawing the blood while trying to keep her calm.
"There you go! You're so brave, baby girl! All done, yay!" I praised her cheerfully.
"I'll be back, okay? And next time, I'll bring your doll," I said as I finished labeling the tube. The little girl gave me a tiny smile and a slow nod.
Tok! Tok!
A knock sounded on the door. Her mom walked over to check who it was.
"Oh, Doc, it's you," she said.
I was about to turn and see who it was, but then I heard a voice. A voice I knew too well.
"Yeah, I just want to check on the little girl before her operation," the man said.
I swallowed hard. My eyes widened the moment I heard that voice. It was him.
Enzo. Oh no... oh no. What now?!
Panic quickly spread through me. Not now. Please, not now. I tried to keep my expression neutral, my hands calm, but inside I was spiraling.
I stayed facing the little girl, pretending to fix something in my tray. Maybe if I moved fast, I could slip out before he..
"Hi," came the voice, even closer now.
I slowly turned around, heart thudding. And there he was. Enzo. Standing right in front of me, wearing his white coat, stethoscope around his neck, eyes… looking straight into mine. I forgot how to breathe for a second.