Episode 19

When Dereck returned to the hospital, already enveloped by the soft blanket of night, his heart beat with a mixture of anxiety and longing. The last time he had seen Evelyn, his secretary and secretly his wife, had been under the rays of the early afternoon sun. Now, walking through the silent corridors, his only desire was to see her smile once more.

Upon opening the door to Evelyn's room, Dereck was greeted by a scene that completely captured his attention. Evelyn lay resting, a glimpse of serenity on her face, so oblivious to the turbulence that her feelings provoked in Dereck's chest. "How beautiful she is!" he thought, admiring her under the veil of sleep, the soft light of the bedside lamp illuminating her features with kindness.

Not wanting to disturb this moment of peace, Dereck chose a nearby armchair, settling in with the caution of one who does not wish to break a spell. There, seated, he contemplated Evelyn, lost in the depth of his own thoughts. His heart, a drum beating to a cadence of admiration and doubt, reflected on the whirlwind that Evelyn, even asleep, stirred within him.

In that room, under the soft light dancing on the walls, Dereck allowed himself to recognize how much his life had changed since Evelyn had become a part of it. Every smile, every conversation, every shared look came back to mind, weaving the plot of an untold but deeply felt story. He knew, as he observed her, that their relationship could go beyond the confines of an office.

As the night progressed, and the silence of the hospital room merged with his reverie, Dereck found a certainty within himself. He promised, in that silent moment, that he would do everything in his power to see Evelyn smile, to be the reason for her happiness, just as she was for his. And there, with a heart full of hope, Dereck waited beside Evelyn, vigilant in his vigil, until the early hours passed and it was almost ten o'clock at night when Evelyn finally woke up.

Waking from a heavy sleep, knocked out by the medication she was taking, Evelyn saw Dereck sitting beside her in the comfortable armchair. The soft light from the bedside lamp filtered into the room, enveloping him. The redhead's beautiful eyes took a while to fully focus on the CEO, but when they did, they found Dereck in a peaceful sleep, his head tilted slightly to the side.

Evelyn, still under the haze of the medication, watched Dereck's features with enchantment, noticing the unmistakable serenity that his face conveyed while he slept. Unconsciously, her heart began to race unexpectedly, a strange and sudden phenomenon that made her feel her eyelashes flutter involuntarily.

A wave of unknown emotions, intensified by the vulnerable state she was in, began to fill her, bringing to the surface feelings she didn't know she was capable of harboring for him.

"Why is my heart racing so?" she muttered under her breath as she looked at him tenderly.

As she observed Dereck, Evelyn felt a deep connection forming between them, something that transcended the usual understanding of friendship or care. It was as if, in that moment of weakness and total exposure, an invisible bridge was erected, connecting their hearts and souls.

The silence of the room, broken only by Dereck's rhythmic breathing, seemed to be the only witness to this awakening of a mysterious connection between Evelyn and Dereck.

With an almost inaudible sigh, Evelyn closed her eyes for a moment, trying to understand the emotions that flooded her. When she opened them again, Dereck was watching her with a half smile, his eyes full of a silent understanding.

Dereck, noticing that Evelyn had woken up, took her hands with a gentleness she had never felt from him before. This simple act triggered a flurry of intense and new emotions within Evelyn that, until then, she hadn't known were possible to feel.

A feeling of warmth ran through her entire body, leaving her curious and vulnerable at the same time.

"How are you feeling, Evelyn?" Dereck's voice broke the silence, filled with a softness that Evelyn thought he wasn't capable of. Still under the effect of the emotions his touch had awakened, she replied in a hesitant whisper, "I'm fine, Mr. Norton. Have you been here long?"

Dereck smiled, a smile full of hidden meanings, before answering.

"I've been here a while. I stayed here watching you sleep."

This revelation made Evelyn's heart beat faster, a mixture of apprehension and fascination washing over her. Thoughts and questions flooded her mind, but the words seemed to get lost before they were even formed.

In the silence that followed, the two found themselves locked in an intense and prolonged gaze, as if each were trying to read the other's deepest thoughts without saying a word. The seconds passed feeling more like hours, in a silent exchange that seemed to converse with the emotions awakened within them.

"You can go home. I'll be fine," she articulated, breaking her fixed gaze on Dereck.

He was immediately disappointed. She hadn't exactly reciprocated his amorous insinuations. But trying to feign normalcy, Dereck replied.

"Alright. I'm going home." He turned slowly, walking towards the door. "I brought your purse," he added before even leaving the room.

Dereck left the room carrying an aura of deep sadness, his shoulders slumped and his gaze lost in the void. Every step seemed to echo not only through the silent corridor, but also through the emptiness in his heart. The feeling was that everything he felt for Evelyn was destined to remain a guarded secret, with no hope of being reciprocated. Leaning against the cold wall of the corridor, the memories began to flow uncontrollably.

Like a film, scenes of Evelyn smiling danced in his mind.

The chill of the wall was nothing compared to the coldness he felt inside at the thought that his feelings for her might never be reciprocated.

However, there, in the solitude of that corridor, something within Dereck began to change. The feeling of despair began to give way to a glimmer of hope.

"What if I don't have to live in this silence?" he asked himself. The thought of living without even trying now seemed more frightening than the possibility of a broken heart. At that moment, he knew that something had to change, that he had to change.

Attention my loves, like and comment on each chapter. Leave your votes and gifts to help the author climb the rankings and get the work more widely circulated, gaining more readers. Be a part of this chain.

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***