I hang around with Luke long enough to have lunch with him before going back to the apartment. When i arrive, Ivan, Ben and Nick are in the foyer and are just about to leave.

I think about what Angelo told me earlier about why they are here and wonder what the conclusion of their discussion is, did they agree with him or talk him out of the annulment.

But despite my inner turmoil, i give them my best smile and try to be as polite as possible as we exchange greetings. They in turn, don't exhibit any awkwardness or ill feelings towards me. Ivan even asks me when i will come by the house again for a visit.

"By the way, tell this guy to get a hair cut, please" Ivan utters, motioning to Angelo's sort of ragged look.

I chuckle in response.

Angelo does look...different, the hair making him appear older even. He has allowed it to keep growing, including his beard and moustache, but i find myself getting increasingly attracted to his new look. But i am not going to tell him that, atleast for now.

He walks forward with Nick until they are standing with us.

As everyone walks out of the apartment, i linger by the door until Angelo sees me, then walks back towards me.

"I am going out for a while too, i will see you later" he murmurs.

"I thought you and i were going to talk" I say softly, looking up at him expectantly.

"I know, and we will, but later" he says simply, half turning away, as if i am delaying him.

I have been anxious all day....I don't think i can wait any longer, how can he?

"But i want to talk now!" I say indignantly.

"We will, but i need to be somewhere else right now, I can't be late" he says with finality.

"Where are you even going that's so important?" I mutter.

His right eyebrow lifts up abit in opposition to my assertiveness, but i hold my ground and fold my arms over my chest.

He asked me where i was going earlier and i told him, not that it would have even made a difference if I hadn't, because he always knows where i am, thanks to his security team.

"I have a......thing to takecare of" he says, surpressing a smirk.

He clears his throat and his face becomes serious again.

"A thing, what thing?"

"Hey, are you coming or what?" Nick asks, as he peers his head through the open door of the elevator.

Angelo straightens up.

"Something i need to take care of. We will talk later,i promise" he says over his shoulder and entes the lift without looking back.

What can be more important than discussing our relationship? He is so annoying.

I walk back into the apartment, wondering how to keep my self busy for the rest of the afternoon while i wait for him.

*

Hours later, and Angelo returns home. It's somewhere past 8pm now after having left home shortly after lunch, so i am now I am more mad, feeling like we are already an old bickering couple.

When he walks into the room, i am having dinner in the kitchen, after just having given up on waiting for him to come back so we could eat together.

"Hey" he murmurs, standing opposite me.

"Hi" I respond, briefly looking up at him and then down at my plate again.

He stays quiet for a while and i wonder what he is thinking or looking at, but i don't look up at him.

He moves around the room and returns to the counter with a bottle of wine, along with two glasses. After pouring some into the glasses, he slides one towards me and sits down opposite me.

Honestly, i feel sulky after he neglected me all afternoon, i almost don't want to talk to him.

He left me all alone when he knew we had an important discussion but instead he opted to go wherever it was he went to.

"I went to see your mom" he says out of the blue and i look up at him, shocked.

"Why? Is something wrong?" I ask faintly, starting to feel worried.

"She is fine. Everything is fine" he says slowly.

"But she and i have gotten off on a wrong foot and it bothers me. I wanted to see if we could find some way to meet half way, seeing that we have a common interest." He says, taking a sip of his wine.

My heart melts at his words and i feel bad for being angry at him all afternoon for not being here.

"Why didn't you just tell me that you were going there in the first place, i could have come with?" I wonder.

"Why the secrecy?" I add.

"Because you would have fussed about it and spent the whole afternoon stressing over it" he says immediately.

True.

"What did you talk about?"

"Really?" He frowns.

"I mean..I know what, but what exactly did you say to each other, how did it go?"

He sighs.

Closing his eyes, he rolls his shoulders around and stretches his neck from side to side.

He looks visibly tired and now that i think about it, he has barely gotten enough rest lately. He is always busy doing something and i can't help but feel like he needs a break as soon as possible.

And i feel even worse for not being abit more considerate towards him lately.

"She really doesn't like me" he says finally and takes the remainder of his drink down in one take.

I am sorry he feels that way.

"She will come around" I say, meeting his eye, and we just stay like that for a few seconds.

"Why have you decided to have the annulment now?" I address the elephant in the room after some silence.

"Because.....because i want to salvage our relationship. I don't want to lose you Marianne." He says softly.

"You are not" I whisper back, feeling bad for having made him feel that way.

"It feels like i am. Everyday, you are pushing me further and further away from you and i don't want to wait until it's too late to do something about it." His elbows are resting on the counter top, and he drops his head in his hands, running his fingers through his hair, which tumbles forward again after his fingers pass.

He looks so tired.

I am right here and i am not going anywhere, that's what i have wanted to tell him since morning if only he had let me.

I stand up and walk to his side.

But his phone rings and we both look at it on the counter where it is placed next to him.

It's Ben.

He frowns and cuts the call.

"I will call him back in the morning" he says.

I nod, feeling earger to embrace him.

But his phone rings again immediately he puts it down and this time, it's Lora.

"Maybe it's something important" I murmur.

It's pretty late for them to be calling this time, it could be something urgent.

He picks it up.

"Hello" he murmurs into the phone after the third ring.

He listens for a while, then his face contorts a little.

"Calm down, what happened?" He says and that picks my interest.

"Take it easy, i will be right there" he says before cutting the call.

"What's wrong" I ask, concern gripping into me.

"Dad is not ok, he collapsed and they have just taken him to the hospital right now" he says.

Oh.

He walks out of the kitchen and up the stairs, taking them two at a time. In the bedroom i watch him grab a jacket and something out of the drawer before walking out of the room and right passed me at the door.

"I am so sorry" I whisper.

He nods and starts walking down the stairs.

"I can come with you if you want?" I offer, as we walk into the foyer towards the door.

At the door he turns.

"It's late, you stay. I will keep you posted." he says.

"Alright."

The lift doors open and closes, leaving me alone again.

I wonder what happened to Ivan all of a sudden. He seemed fine this afternoon and we even exchanged a friendly conversation.

I hope everything turns out well.

*

Two hours later and there is still no word from Angelo, which worries me even more.

I try to call him but his phone just goes unanswered.

I consider following him, but then again, i don't want to make things worse or create any avoidable problems at such a critical time.

I sigh in fustration and lie down in bed.

After a while, a new message pops up on my phone from him.

to see what happens.

Honestly, i don't think i will rest tonight, while knowing that he is at the hospital all night, worried to death about his father.

But, i guess at some point in the night, my body gives away because i actually do fall asleep.

When i wake up in the morning, the first thing i do is reach for my phone.

No missed calls or new messages from Angelo.

I take that as a good sign.

If things didn't go well, he would have called right?

It's super early but i take a shower and get myself ready for work. After some thought, i decide to pass through the hospital first.

Sam and Elijah are usually here by 7am everyday, but it's only 6:02 am now and neither of them are here, so i decide to drive myself.

Without much thought into which car i am selecting, i grab the first keys my hands touch and head down to the parking lot.

Turns out the keys belong to the white Ashton Martin he drove me to work in. I think i will have no problem driving, but i will have a problem figuring out what all these buttons on the dash board are for. I didn't pay much attention to thag before because i wasn't the one driving, but now that i am, i realise, it's not what I am used to.

After a minutes of familiarising myself with the car, i start the engine and drive to the hospital Angelo wanted to take me to that time that i was sick. I assume that's where him and his family go to.

After arriving, i take a moment to gloat over the fact that i have arrived safe and sound after my first real drive in traffic.

After exiting the car, i wipe my still sweaty palms and take deep calming breathes as i make my way to the reception. I go to one side and approach the man and woman there and ask them about Ivan's admission.

The two are anything but polite. They ask if i am a family member and when i tell them i not quite, they refuse to give me any further information about him and even end up denying admitting him in this hospital.

I try Angelo's phone again and it just rings, much like it did earlier.

I would think i am in the wrong place, but their initial reaction tells me different.

Feeling defeated, i walk out of the building with the intention of going to work early, but as i reach the car, someone from behind me calls my name and i look back, to find Angelo's teenage brother Andre, in the company of an older man, standing two car spaces away from me.

"Hey, sorry, i didn't see you there" I respond when he says i walked right passed them.

"It's alright, i didn't recognize you either, but i did recognize Angelo's car and saw you stop there....leaving?" He asks.

"No..i just arrived actually" I reply.

"Me too....shall we go in together, unless you are waiting for someone" he offers.

"No i am not... let's go" I say hurriedly, changing direction.

"You are alone?" He asks, looking around.

"Yep"

He smiles.

"Does Angelo know you are moving around solo?"

"I don't answer to your brother" I retort.

He looks at me and shakes his head.

"I take that as a no....you are going to get someone fired" he murmurs.

He wouldn't dare would he.

As we pass through the reception, I give the man and woman at the desk a side eye as i walk passed with Andrea by my side.

They definitely recognize me...

Oh yeah, i am a family member after all.

As we exit the lift on the forth floor, the small little happy dance in my head comes to a stop and i wonder if it was the right thing to come without his knowledge.

I notice that this floor is littered with security personnel, and the part were we are walking towards, I definitely would not have had access to if i were alone.

I have been exposed to my fair share of security, thanks to my relationship with Angelo, but this here is on another level.

Andrea must have sensed my hesitation, because he places his hand on my shoulder as we walk through the lobby, with the view of the family on the other side of the glass in what appears to be a waiting room.

Lora is sitting with Alexis and Alana on either side of her on one side of the room along with a man and woman i do not recognize, Ben and Stephanie are sitting on the other side and i am surprised to see that Claire is here too, sitting next to Stephanie on her right side and an unknown woman on her left side.

I recognize Angelo sitting alone near the glass window separating the waiting room from the Lobby where we currently are. His elbows are resting on his thighs and head in his hands while he sits with his back to me.

As we enter the room, i ignore all eyes now on me. I approach Angelo and squat down next to him, my hand resting on his knee.

He looks up at the interruption and stands up upon seeing me.

I stand up too, and pull my jacket closer around myself.

'Hey' I mouth.

Without saying anything, Angelo wraps his arms around me in a bear hug and holds me like that for a long time.

I sigh a breathe of relief. My fear and uncertainitty vanishing immediately.

He pulls back, his hand at the back of my neck.

"What are you doing here" he asks hoarsely.

"I was worried, i called you a million times, you wouldn't answer." I say faintly.

He frowns and pats his pockets.

"Ben asked to use my phone after his battery died, he hasn't given it back" he murmurs and we both look in the direction of his brother only to find them already looking at us, along with everyone else in the room.

Angelo walks towards him, taking me with him as his hand is clasped with mine.

"My phone" Angelo says to Ben, who in turn looks at his wife sternly.

"I thought you gave it back to him already" he glares at her.

"Sorry, i forgot" she says innocently and gives Angelo his phone back.

The phone was in her hand and on her lap this whole time? i called a couple of times this morning, surely she must have seen my calls, so why not give it back?

The thought crosses my mind, but i hold my tongue. Instead, i bring my left hand to sandwich Angelo's hand that is entertwined with my right hand and watch their eyes follow the action, then i politely greet them.

Angelo takes his phone and turns towards the door, but i tag at his hand softly.

"Let me say hi to your mom and sisters." I utter.

He nods and let's my hand go as he starts checking his phone while he waits for me at the door.

After greeting everyone else that i didn't already geeet, i walk towards Angelo and the two of us walk out into the lobby.

"Where is Sam?" Angelo asks, looking around.

"Probably on his way to the apartment...i came alone." I mumble.

His eye brow goes up disaapprovingly.

"How?"

"I drove your Ashton Martin." I murmur, not knowing how he will react. From what i have seen and heard, men are very possessive with their cars.

"What?" He utters, but a small smile appears on his face.

"Yeah..after i spent about ten minutes trying to figure out what to do with all those buttons on your dash, it looks like a cockpit in there" I grumble.

He chuckles softly, his eyes lightening up a little bit.

"I hope my baby is intact, i don't want to find a single scratch on it or you will be getting it from me" he murmurs and this time i chuckle.

"Your baby???".

"My baby... but you are ok, no problems driving here"? He asks seriously.

I nod, i got really nervous when the traffic started to build up, but i had no choice but to keep going." I grumble.

"Good girl...Looks like it's time i get you your own car now" he murmurs, his finger brushing the side of my face.

"How's your dad doing?"

He frowns, almost as if he was enjoying the distraction of discussing anything but that.

"Doing what he does best, being the center of attention, as you can see."he grumbles, motioning to everyone that is sitting on the other side of the clear glass in the waiting room.

"Angelo!!" I reproach, but he smiles and bites his lip as he looks down thoughtfully.

"He is alive, the operation went ok. Right now he is 'stable but critical'. That's what they said. We just have to wait and see now" he says, finally looking up.

I don't know what to say to him.

"This is his fourth you know. The first attack was eight years ago, then another three years ago, and then two in less than two months, though the last one wasn't so bad, he literally walked it off" he laughs without humor

"To the honest, the doctors are surprised he is survived to this day. The fact that he is alive is a miracle...but it sucks, you know.....the anticipation, fear, panick that we all have to go through.....not knowing to to expect Every. Single. Time." He says slowly and i grip his hand tighter.

"Wow, dad is fighting for his life, and you two are out here acting like you are on a date?" I turn around to check the source of the angry voice and find Alexis standing next to us.

Angelo turns too, his arm going around my shoulders and pulling me into his side.

"Did you want something?" he asks, his voice soft but his face clearly angry.

"I don't understand why she is here. How dare......."

He steps closer, easily towering over her in an intimidating manner.

"You are treading on very thin ice Lexy, don't test me" Angelo growls at her.

I look around and notice that everyone in the waiting room is now watching us closely. I presume Lexy must have made her intentions known to everyone before coming out here.

I don't want to cause any problems.

"Hey, i should go, or i will be late for work" I say, trying to get his intention.

Angelo breaks eye contact with her and briefly glances in the direction of the waiting room before ushering me away.

With an arm around my waist, Angelo leads me outside. The walk to the car park is long and quiet, since we use a different exit but i still make mention of the incidence i had at the reception when i arrived alone and Angelo explains that it's part of protocal for a prominent figure like his father not to give away information to just anybody.

As we approach the car, he looks at it critically and proceeds to bend down to check it more closely for any scratches or bumps.

I laugh at his ridiculousness.

When he straightens up again, i push him a little.

"Stop!!! It's alright" I protest.

He laughs too and turns towards me.

"I will call you later if anything changes" he says softly.

"You said that last night and went MIA" I frown.

"It won't happen again" he murmurs, suddenly trapping me between himself and the door.

"I guess i will see you later" I say, noticing that all around us, the parking lot is now filling up with vehicles and people are moving around all around us.

He nods.

I expect that to be the end of it, but then i feel his lips on mine.

It catches me off guard, especially that we are in a public car park.

His mouth lingers on mine and it quickly becomes evident that it's not a peck on the lips that he is going for, so i kiss him back, just as eargerly.