"WHO ARE YOU?"
Marius's eyebrows furrowed. "Why is my suitcase outside the house?" he automatically asked.
He didn't want to give attention to the possibility that was crowding his mind. But he couldn't deny that deep inside, that was what he truly felt.
His heart raced quickly.
Taking big steps, he approached the door and turned the knob. After confirming his suspicion, he immediately cursed.
"Sam..."
Marius let out a heavy and deep sigh. Then he sat down on the bench, feeling gloomy. It was then that he noticed a small piece of paper attached to the suitcase. Marius moved and took it.
"I know what you did."
Those words were enough to prove that his suspicion was true. Sam knew everything. How was that the puzzle he was facing now?
Marius's chest rose and fell.
All of this hurt him because he had to admit that he loved Sam. That was the truth. And he believed it was his karma for planning something bad for the girl from the beginning.
He knows that he needs to fix everything. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that he will fix everything because he can't bear to lose Sam in his life. Because he is used to always being with her. That line may be worn out, but it's the truth. He has gotten used to seeing Sam's face the first thing when he opens his eyes in the morning. And the last thing before he closes them at night is before sleeping. He feels guilty as he blames himself for letting out a sigh. Then he started to move.
He knows that Sam went to Manila. He will follow her. He is already at the gate when he takes out his cell phone. He knows and is sure that Sam won't answer his call. But he still wants to try. However, he was about to stop dialing when the phone he was holding suddenly rang. An unfamiliar number was registered on it.
Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat out of nowhere. And what he felt gave him a reason to answer the call. "Hello?" he answered with a suppressed breath.
"Hello, Sir Marius? Marius dela Vega?" the voice of the man on the other line said. "Yes, this is him. Who is this, and how did you get my number?" were his consecutive questions.
"Sir, Miss Samantha Scott is currently in the hospital. We're sorry, but your number was the first one we saw on her phone, so we immediately called you."
Marius felt his whole body go cold upon hearing that. Until he didn't notice the following events:. He just saw himself standing outside the ICU, where he could see his unconscious and fighting for his girlfriend through the glass wall.
"S-Sam," he uttered with a choked voice, accompanied by the rapid flow of his tears.
*****
"I need to go to Baguio as soon as possible, Lana."
Andrew was worried during those moments, especially since he heard a loud noise from the other line earlier when he was talking to his sister. Following that, he heard the sound of what seemed like an ambulance siren.
"I understand. If you want, I can accompany you," Lana offered as she approached her husband who was pacing in front of her.
"Call Marius, please," Andres said, looking straight into her eyes.
Although confused about what was happening, Lana nodded in succession. She was about to call Marius, but he beat her to it. Just as her phone rang, her close friend was also calling her.
"Marius?" she answered.
Upon hearing that, Andrew immediately stopped in front of her.
"Lana, it's Andrew. I need to talk to your husband," the young man replied.
Lana handed her phone to Andrew without saying a word. In truth, she couldn't find any words to say because she had a bad feeling.
"What? My god!" Andrew exclaimed, and he weakly sat down at the foot of the bed where Lana was sitting.
The call didn't last long. And Lana didn't like her husband's reaction when he returned the phone to her.
"What happened?" she asked, worried.
Andrew turned to look at her from staring into space. Then he spoke in a voice that she could barely hear. He was struggling and she could feel the intense pain he was feeling because of it.
"S-Sam is critical," Andrew replied.
Lana quickly burst into tears upon hearing this. Her husband immediately embraced her, crying as well.
"Don't tell Andrea about this, okay?" Andrew instructed, holding his face and wiping away his tears.
She nodded in succession. There was no more conversation after that. Perhaps it was due to the intense fear and worry they both felt. They quickly packed their belongings and, along with the family driver, they went up to Baguio together.
Lana decided not to let her husband drive. She knew it wouldn't be beneficial given the current situation.
*****
"OH, no, Sam..."
Andrew's voice was filled with deep sorrow, and Marius sensed it in the words he uttered. It was late at night when he arrived at the private hospital in Baguio with Lana, where Sam was admitted.
"What happened to her, Marius?" Lana asked, clearly trying to hold back her tears.
Marius bowed his head heavily, unsure of how to answer. The truth was, that the only clue he had was the short note that Sam left for him. He reached into his pocket and handed it to Lana.
"What does this mean?" Andrew's voice was filled with anger after a few moments.
"I-I'm sorry," Marius could only say, as he faced the now angry gaze of the man.
He knew Andrew was furious with him. The man didn't need to say it. If looks could kill, he might have been lying in a pool of blood on the floor by now.
"You're such a fool!"
With those words, a strong punch landed on his jaw, causing him to collapse on the floor.
"Andrew!" Lana scolded her husband.
"Get out of here! That's why Sam was crying like that earlier while I was talking to her! You deceived her! I trusted you with my sister!" Andrew was furious.
Marius stood up and nodded in agreement with Andrew's words. He knew Andrew was right. And he also knew that he was to blame for everything. He couldn't lie about all the accusations Andrew made against him.
"I'm not leaving here. I'm sorry, I know you have more rights because you're the patient's sibling, but I love Sam and I can't leave her," he finally managed to find the words that he didn't just say out of obligation, but because he wanted to say them.
Andrew stared at him for a moment, then he saw his aura gradually calm down. They were in that state when Lana suddenly spoke.
"Sam!" she exclaimed and approached the glass wall of the ICU.
"Nurse! Please, call the doctor!" Andrew shouted at the nurse who was approaching them.
Sam regained consciousness, and, perhaps due to intense anticipation, Marius didn't wait any longer. He quickly moved and entered the room. He approached Sam and tearfully held her hand.
"Thank God you woke up," he said, kissing her hand afterward.
As he looked at the beautiful face of the girl, he noticed the confusion in her aura. Particularly in her beautiful eyes.
He immediately became anxious, especially when Sam carefully withdrew her hand from his.
He knew she was angry with him. But when the girl spoke, his suffering worsened even more.
"Who are you? Do I know you?"












