An Unexpected Encounter

"Laura, call the police, do it immediately," the grandmother approached to hug Sarah.

"No, please, not the police. If the media finds out, I'll be dishonored."

Laura called her grandfather and Luke's parents; after all, they had raised their nephew.

"What happened?" the grandfather asked, alarmed upon seeing Sarah.

"Lucas dared to harm her," the grandmother felt shattered.

"That scoundrel will pay for it right now," the grandfather walked towards the exit, halted by James.

"Wait, I'll go with you. After all, Lucas is like my son. I don't know what happened to that young man, but I assure you I'll make him answer for what he did."

"I hope so because if not, I'll kill him with my own hands."

Grandfather Oliver took a few steps, then clutched his chest. A grimace of pain appeared on his face.

"Grandfather, grandfather, what's happening to you?"

Laura ran to her grandfather; James prevented him from falling to the ground. They immediately called an ambulance.

Minutes later, at the hospital, everyone waited outside the operating room. Oliver was about to undergo emergency surgery. Sarah had arrived shortly after, insisting on changing. Luke's mother had stayed to wait for her.

"Oh, my God! I don't understand, so many misfortunes in such a short time," the grandmother cried distressed, while Sarah rested her head on her shoulder.

James had called Lucas to confront him about his misbehavior, demanding that he take responsibility as the man he was. James had invested a lot in his education, and now he had to prove he wasn't a vile criminal.

Lucas couldn't believe it. Sarah was completely crazy; she needed psychiatric treatment. He immediately headed to the hospital.

"What is this man doing here? Wasn't what he did enough?" The grandmother stood up angrily, then slapped Lucas hard across the face.

"Mrs. Cassini, I believe your granddaughter has lied to you. I would never dare to do something like what she's claimed."

"Do you dare say that my granddaughter is capable of making up something like this?"

James approached to ask Lucas to come with him. The grandmother was getting too agitated, and he feared she might suffer the same fate as Oliver.

"Laura, I truly hope you believe me. I haven't harmed your sister," Lucas said before leaving. Laura ignored him, looking away.

Lucas followed James out of the hospital. He respected him as a father figure and could see that he was furious about what he was supposedly accused of.

"How could you? That's not the education I've given you.

"Uncle, that girl lied, and I have the evidence."

Lucas took out his phone, immediately showing James a video. It only contained images, as the cameras in his office didn't capture sound.

"You see, I'm not lying. That girl has the devil inside her."

"Wait here, I'll call Laura. She'll talk to her grandmother after. She won't believe me."

Lucas headed back into the hospital, calling Laura to prevent her grandmother from getting upset again. Sarah, realizing the situation, went on alert.

"Where are you going, sister? You can't leave Grandma alone. The doctor is about to come out to give news about Grandpa."

"I'll be right back," Laura replied sternly, not giving Sarah a chance to insist again.

"Come with me, and please, daughter, give Lucas a chance to explain what happened."

"What is he going to explain? The state my sister arrived in says it all."

"Just a couple of minutes, that's all I'm asking."

"For Luke, I'll give Lucas that benefit, but only a couple of minutes."

"Thank you for coming. Let me please show you. If, after watching this video, you still think I'm capable of what you believed, I'll turn myself in to the authorities."

Laura couldn't believe what she was seeing. The footage clearly showed what happened in the office, then Sarah entered the bathroom, and she came out in the condition she had arrived.

"What if someone attacked her inside the bathroom?" Laura asked, still reluctant to believe that her sister could invent something like that.

"Daughter, I think it's clear she lied, all because Lucas didn't agree to what she asked."

"I can't believe it. She lied and caused Grandpa to have a heart attack." Laura entered the hospital immediately.

"Why didn't you tell her what Sarah offered you?"

"It's pointless, Uncle, she's been through a lot already."

Laura stood in front of Sarah, who was still sitting next to the grandmother. She felt anger and helplessness, raised her hand, and delivered several slaps to her sister's face, one after another.

"This is so you learn not to lie to harm people," she said while feeling her body tremble with fury.

"Laura! How dare you treat your sister like this? After everything that has happened," the grandmother couldn't believe it.

"How do I dare? She caused a heart attack to my grandfather for something she made up. She forgot that the corporate has cameras; absolutely everything has been recorded."

"Sister, I'm sorry, I truly... I feel terrible for what I've done." Feeling exposed, Sarah didn't know how to act; she didn't want her grandmother to realize she hated Laura.

Laura felt that she couldn't face Sarah at that moment; she was furious and didn't want to say something she might regret later. After all, her sister was younger than her.

She walked through the hospital corridors to clear her mind. The hospital was huge, and there she had lost the love of her life. Those memories caused her a lot of pain. She headed towards the interior garden, passing through the specialty area.

Her mind, overloaded with so many events, didn't give her a break. One thought after another came to her.

She felt that her head would explode at any moment. She advanced toward the door that led to the garden. She was about to go out when suddenly she stumbled over something. She was on the verge of falling from the impact, but a hand held her firmly.

Upon reacting, she realized she was sitting on the lap of a man in a wheelchair. He was sitting on a wheelchair, and she stood up immediately. They both remained static for a moment, their gazes met.

The man was the first to react, and his expression turned annoyed.

“Why the hell don't you watch where you're going?”

Laura felt embarrassed; clearly, she had no intention of arguing with someone in his condition. Apparently, he had already had enough.

"I'm sorry, I apologize. I was distracted, and..."

"You're nothing but a fool, and I don't forgive you, so get out of my way, nuisance."

The girl couldn't believe it; being in that condition didn't give him the right. He was a complete barbarian.

"You're an idiot. What makes you think I'll allow you to talk to me like that?"

Dimitri glared at her with fury, about to say something again, and at that moment, his fiancée reached him.

"My love, I asked you to wait for me in the office. I've been looking for you for a while."

"Let's go," Dimitri's response was short, and Laura felt sorry for that girl. What a shame she was engaged to such a rude man.

Dimitri had quickly regained movement; only his legs still couldn't support him. His father had a good friend at that hospital, a specialist doctor who would handle his case.

When he locked eyes with that girl, a shiver had run down his spine. He felt like he knew her from somewhere, but he couldn't remember where.

Laura felt the same way; that man had the same gaze as her beloved, even the eye color was the same. But as soon as he opened his mouth, she realized Luke had never been so rude. In fact, she had never heard him say a bad word.

Now she felt guilty for comparing his gaze to that man's. Perhaps it was normal to try to find something of him everywhere.

She was sitting on a bench in the garden when Ares appeared. The hawk was always free, even though his owner was no longer alive.

"You again. I think, like me, you can't find your place in this world," Ares stood next to her, and after observing for a moment, he took flight.

Luke had always told her he felt that the hawk could understand him, and she laughed because she thought that couldn't be true. Ares was just a bird, nothing more.

She decided to return to the waiting room to see if there were any updates on her grandfather. The grandmother had changed seats; she was upset with Sarah for what she had done.

"Sister, I..."

"It's not the time, Sarah. We'll talk when we get home. Right now, I don't want to worry Grandma any more."

"Don't worry, I understand."

Sarah turned around to head to the cafeteria. She was tired of waiting for news about Grandpa, tired of pretending to feel something she didn't.

Shortly after, the doctor came out to share updates.

"Family of Mr. Cassini?"

"Yes, we're here," Grandma responded immediately, and Laura approached the doctor with her.

"Mr. Cassini has tolerated the surgery very well. The event could have happened at any time; his heart has been damaged for a while. Now, he must strictly follow the instructions for a quick recovery."

"I assure you he will follow the instructions, doctor. I'll take care of that," Grandma felt relieved that Grandpa had endured the surgery.

Later, Grandma insisted that Laura return to the mansion with Sarah and Luke's parents. She would stay with Oliver to take care of him; no one could keep her away from his side.

Upon arriving at the mansion, Sarah tried again to talk to Laura. She asked her to step back; it wasn't the right moment, and she felt truly exhausted.

"You're a fool; you humiliated me. I'll make you pay later. I assure you of that," she muttered under her breath as she walked away.

Dimitri and his fiancée had arrived at the Petrov mansion. He couldn't help but feel exhausted. He had to come to terms with the fact that it would still take time for him to feel completely well.

"My love, shall I prepare your bath?" the girl asked with a smile.

"I've told you several times that I don't need your help. I'm not helpless, but apparently, you don't understand."

"But it's not to make you angry. I've done nothing but take care of you, putting my life on hold all these years to do so."

Yulia pretended to be distressed by his rejection, lowered her gaze, and he felt remorse seeing her on the verge of tears.

"Forgive me, Yulia, but I've told you that I can't remember you. You say we were in love and about to get married, but my mind is completely blank."

"Don't worry, my love. With time, you'll remember. I'll leave you to rest. I'll come back tomorrow for breakfast together. How does that sound?"

"Alright, I'll be waiting for you."

Dimitri turned on the faucet to fill the bathtub, then with difficulty managed to get down from the chair and practically crawled to get into the tub. Fortunately, he had enough strength in his arms.

That night, Dimitri, like Laura, had a terrible nightmare. In it, he saw a beautiful bride screaming while he lay on the floor in a pool of blood.

He woke up in a sweat, his hands clutching his chest. The pain he felt was real. Days before, he had another terrible dream where he died in the midst of a battle, and several soldiers had perished beside him.

"Who am I really? Why can't I remember?"

Outside his window, perched on a tree, a huge falcon was standing.