Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder
Chapter 1187 - 98 : What You Have Is Irreplaceable

Chapter 1187: Chapter 98 : What You Have Is Irreplaceable

*Daphne*

I burst out of the room, nearly stumbling into a nurse who was passing by. I mumbled an apology before moving down the hallway and slumping down to the floor against a wall, tears filling my eyes as I replayed the last minute in my head over and over.

I had never switched emotions so quickly, and it was causing my head to pound painfully. When I walked in and saw Rion’s deep gray eyes open, I was ecstatic. It took everything I had not to throw my arms around his neck and squeeze him to me. I feared that I would never be able to look into those glowing orbs again or hear his deep, comforting voice ever again.

The relief had been too brief when Rion turned to lock gazes with me. The hate that had been there was unmistakable. The look of overwhelming contempt made me feel as if I had been slapped by him.

I shook my head hard. I would have rather been slapped than looked at that way by him.

I leaned my head back against the wall, trying to catch my breath. I looked up as light footsteps approached me. Eva was heading toward me with a look of concern dancing in her gray eyes.

“You okay?” she asked as she got close to me. Although judging by her pinched face, it was clear that she knew the answer. She sighed and slid down the wall next to me, her hands resting lightly on her knees.

I tried to answer but my throat suddenly felt tight. I just looked down at the shiny white floor.

“The doctor confirmed that Rion has amnesia,” she said quietly.

I drew in a sharp breath, but I nodded slowly. I had figured as much, but it scared me to have it confirmed verbally. The tears that had built up in my eyes started to trail down my cheeks as I shook with sobs.

“Daphne,” Eva said quietly before she put her arm around my shoulders.

I tried to speak, but the grief I was feeling was just too strong. In a way, the Rion that I knew had died. My Rion, who would caress my cheek and kiss my forehead, no longer existed.

My Rion, who would wrap his arms around my waist and paint me pretty pictures of our future together, was no longer around.

My sobs only grew louder as the painful realization hit me that even if Rion was alive, my Rion was gone.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Eva said.

She kept one hand behind my shoulders and used the other to grab my arm so she could help me to my feet. She kept her arm around me as she led me back to my own hospital room down the hall. I felt a little dizzy as she helped me sit on the edge of the bed before she sat beside me.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I said, looking down at my clasped hands. My eyes widened as I looked at my sister-in-law. “Eva, I just found out that Rion and I are going to have another child, and he doesn’t even remember that we’re married.”

Eva grimaced as she processed that. She patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry. He’s going to remember you before too long.”

I bit my lower lip and shook my head at her. “Oh, he remembers me,” I assured her, blinking back some fresh tears as I remembered the recognition followed by the hate in Rion’s eyes. “I don’t think I would be this hurt if he didn’t remember me at all. I kind of wish he didn’t remember me at all.”

“Don’t say that,” Eva commanded, but her tone was gentle.

I finally looked up at her. “Did you see the way he looked at me?” I asked, my voice breaking toward the end. I shuddered. “He may not remember everything, but he definitely remembers that he hates me and my family. It was so clear in his eyes. If looks could kill....”

I trailed off, my throat tightening again at the thought.

Eva stood up suddenly from the bed so that she could stand in front of me. She gripped my shoulders and shook me slightly. “Hey, don’t think about that,” she said firmly, but I could tell by the hard set in her jaw that she was concerned as well. “Yes, he did mention your family and how he doesn’t understand how you could be connected, but there’s hope there because of that.”

Despite Eva’s hard grip, I was able to successfully slump my shoulders in defeat. “What do you mean?” I demanded, my voice cracking.

I couldn’t fathom how anything about this situation was hopeful. I thought about Ayla and Selene back home, imagining what it would be like if Rion walked through the door and didn’t recognize them. I imagined how their little faces would fall and they would start to cry.

I didn’t think my heart could handle it.

“Daphne, think about it,” Eva commanded, shaking me a bit so I was looking into her gray eyes that were a little too much like Rion’s for my comfort. “You’re right that Rion might not remember your relationship, but he does remember you.”

“That’s not a good thing,” I argued once again.

“Yes, it is,” Eva said firmly. “Since Rion remembers you, you’re not going to have to start from nothing. This could be what saves his memory.”

I understood what Eva was saying, but it did little in terms of giving me hope. Rion’s contempt for me at that moment was too powerful for him to magically start remembering that he loved me at one point.

I wanted to believe her, to see things the way that she did, but she hadn’t been there when I first learned about Rion’s plan to hand me over to Hestia’s followers to get his baby sister back. He had looked at me as if I was nothing, but the burning rage that swam in his eyes back then made it clear that in his opinion, I had been worse than nothing.

I didn’t want to bring that memory up to Eva, however. She was still healing from her dark past and the crimes that she had committed. I didn’t even want the potential of her blaming herself for Rion’s initial hatred toward me.

I didn’t realize that Eva’s hands were still gripping my shoulders until she squeezed them firmly, causing me to look up at her. “Everything is going to be fine,” she repeated. “What you and my brother have is irreplaceable. Don’t forget that even his previous hatred toward your family has been replaced with a love that is even more powerful.”

I swallowed and just nodded, unwilling to continue this conversation.

I tried to take a deep, calming breath, but it just sounded like I was gasping for air. The strangled sound caused Eva to start rubbing my back in slow, soothing circles.

What was I supposed to do now? Even though Rion hated me now, I was still worried about him. A part of me wanted to go back in there and check on him, make sure that he was physically alright, but I didn’t think my heart could handle it if he gave me another look filled with hatred.

I realized that I missed Ayla and Selene. I longed to hold someone and to have them hold me right back. I needed to get out of this cold and sterile environment and be in my warm home. Normally, home was wherever Rion was, but that just wasn’t the case anymore.

“Would you mind staying here with Rion for a while?” I asked between unmoving lips.

Eva agreed at once, nodding firmly. “Of course, I will,” she said, her tone understanding. She finally dropped her hands from my shoulders but didn’t move away from me. “Are you going to go back to Thorn Forest?”

“Yes,” I said in a low voice. My lower lip found its way between my teeth again before I continued. “I just really need to see my daughters right now.”

“I’m sure they’ve missed their mother as well,” Eva said gently. “And don’t worry about a thing here. I’ll keep an eye on Rion and make sure he’s getting the best care.”

“Thank you, Eva,” I said, really looking her in the eye as I thanked her.

Due to everything that was happening, I hadn’t been able to fully appreciate what she had done. She would have had to drop everything she was doing and rush over here when she heard that I had been admitted to the hospital as well. If she hadn’t come, I wasn’t sure how I would have coped with Rion’s sudden amnesia.

Eva frowned, her lips thinning as she processed the layers behind my tone. “You don’t have to thank me,” she said, waving me off.

“No, I do,” I told her, swallowing thickly. “I’m really glad you’re here. I would be even more of a wreck right now without you here.”

“We’re family,” Eva said simply. Then, she smirked at me. “I knew things were bad when I heard you were admitted to the hospital too. I regretted sending you here alone. It was clear you needed your tough sister-in-law to bail you out.”

The corner of my lips tilted up ever-so-slightly at the jest, but it turned down just as quickly as I thought about returning home without Rion by my side.

This was not how I envisioned things going at all.

Eva caught my disheartened look and patted my shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry about a thing here. You just go home and focus on getting as much rest as you can. I’ll be sure to update you with any news.”

I nodded, forcing on a brave face. I needed to be strong, not just for Ayla and Selene but for the little one currently growing inside of me as well. I tried to think positively, telling myself that the worst was over. I had previously been worried that Rion would never wake up, but now he had. He was awake, and there was a chance that he was going to get his memories back.

I just had to hold on and live for the day that he would hold me in his arms again.

After learning that Eva hadn’t eaten anything all day, I stood up so that we could go down to the hospital’s restaurant, which was located on the first floor. I wasn’t hungry at all, but Eva insisted that I should eat something as well, considering that I was with child.

I gave a deep sigh but followed her out, knowing that she was right. She was acting a lot like her brother, and it pained me as I recalled the way he would make sure I ate when I was pregnant with the twins.

We stepped out of my room just in time to see Doctor Elowen exit Rion’s room with a sense of great urgency surrounding him.

He stopped the first nurse he saw. “Prepare an X-ray for Orion Stormfall immediately,” he ordered firmly.

The little nurse’s eyes widened before she nodded and turned, hurrying down the hall, most likely to gather the necessary supplies.

Eva and I exchanged a wide-eyed glance before we hurried toward the doctor.

“Doctor Elowen,” Eva called as we approached, causing the older man to look up at us.

“Is everything alright?” I asked anxiously.

My heart nearly stopped beating when the doctor gave us both a grim look. “Your husband has expressed that he is unable to feel his legs. I fear that he may be paralyzed from the waist down.”

A gasp flew from both our lips, and I felt the room start to spin. Eva and Doctor Elowen were just barely able to grab a nearby chair for me before I collapsed.