Chapter 22

A dull pain brought me back to reality, although I couldn't pinpoint its exact location. I heard a steady beeping sound behind me. So I was still alive. My eyes felt heavy, but I tried to open them. The bright daylight blinded me for a moment, and it took some time for my vision to clear.

I found myself in a hospital room. Several cables and tubes connected me to a large machine behind me. My right arm was in a cast. On my left side, there lay a mop of black hair. Mamoru. He was here with me. How long had I been here?

I hesitantly raised my hand and ran it through his hair. He jolted awake and smiled with relief. "Bunny, you're awake. How are you feeling?" he asked with concern, gently grasping my forearm. My head throbbed as if a truck had run over it. I blinked confusedly, trying to remember what had happened. Eventually, I recalled the red car and the tree coming towards me.

"I think I'm fine, but my head hurts. What are you doing here?" I whispered hoarsely.

"You had a car accident shortly after our conversation yesterday. Setsuna called me when she saw your name in the emergency room. You were incredibly lucky."

Setsuna... yes, I vaguely knew her. She was his colleague, and we had gone out to eat a few times. She was the head of the emergency room or something. So I had been in a car accident.

"What happened?" I murmured.

"The police haven't concluded their investigation yet, but your car was wrapped around a tree. You were really lucky. You only broke your arm and suffered a mild concussion. However, you'll definitely need a new car since yours is completely totaled."

I had to hold back a laugh. "So after four years, your wish finally comes true."

But in an instant, Saphir crossed my mind, and my emerging laughter died down. His girlfriend, Rina, had died in a car accident back then. Did he have something to do with this accident? I swallowed hard. If he was involved in the accident, would he try again since I was still alive?

Mamoru ran his fingers over my chin. "Bunny, what do you remember?"

I pondered and tried to recall as many details as possible. Everything seemed blurry. It took some time to piece the fragments together in my mind. Slowly, a complete picture emerged. But before I could start, the room door swung open. My heart skipped a beat. No! Please, don't let it be true! Damn it! Shit! Mamoru's head turned as well, his hand still resting on mine. Diamond walked straight towards me, completely ignoring Mamoru. He stopped at the foot of my bed and raised an eyebrow skeptically. A cold shiver ran down my spine, and goosebumps covered my body. The oppressive silence filled the room, no one spoke, but the tension in the air was palpable.

"Was it Saphir?" Diamond finally asked, breaking the silence. His dominant personality filled the entire space.

I glanced from a puzzled Mamoru back to Diamond, who was just standing there casually. Although his features were heavily strained, his hands clenched into fists, he appeared calm. I could only imagine what was going on inside him, and it wasn't something good.

"I... I can't say for sure. The only thing I remember is a red car. It overtook me, then kept cutting me off, and eventually, the brakes failed... Suddenly, there was that tree in the curve. The last thing I remember is pressing the button."

Diamond listened attentively to my account and nodded. So he also believed it was Saphir's doing.

"I've already inquired, and your brakes were tampered with. I'm going to kill him!" he hissed angrily.

"Hold on a minute. Can someone please explain what's going on here? Bunny, who is this guy? Why would someone tamper with your brakes?" Mamoru had snapped out of his daze. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat.

"Mamo, this is Diamond Prince... one of my regular customers... at work and now a good friend of mine. Diamond, this is Mamoru... my... partner," I stumbled over the words, hoping desperately that Diamond would play along. Mamoru stood up and extended his hand to Diamond, but Diamond only glanced briefly at Mamoru's hand and pierced me with his dark eyes that I knew all too well. He wanted answers, and he was irritated that he had to wait for them.

"I see you're in good hands. I'll get in touch once I find Saphir," he hissed, turning around.

"Diamond, thank you," I called after him as he left the room. This thank you meant more than just his silence. I was grateful for his visit, for him caring about me, and I knew it.

This whole situation still felt completely unreal to me. Mamoru was still staring after him. I forced myself to breathe evenly. That was a close call. Mamoru sat back down on the chair by my side, his eyes fixed on me.

"A friend?" he asked skeptically after the door had closed.

"Yes, a friend. I know he seems very cold and distant, but he has a good heart, just like Motoki. I've become something like his personal advisor, and he also invited me to Osaka. Do you remember the exhibition I told you about when we were on the phone?" "And who is this Saphir he mentioned?"

Oh, man. Now I had to spill the beans, at least the necessary parts. A queasy feeling settled within me.

"Saphir is his brother," I began and struggled with how much I should tell Mamoru. I could see how worried he was. "... Saphir has severe mental health issues, and Diamond had suspected for some time that he wanted to harm me. That's why I was wearing an S.O.S. bracelet."

Mamoru ran his hand through his hair. He was trying to make sense of it all. "Why would he want to harm you?"

I took hold of his hand. The touch gave me strength, but I kept my gaze straight ahead. I couldn't look into his eyes right now. "His girlfriend died in a car accident a few years ago, and he blamed Diamond for the accident. Since I spent quite a bit of time with Diamond... professionally. We cataloged and sold a part of his father's collection. I also advised him on new acquisitions... Well, anyway, his brother apparently thought I was his girlfriend, and so I became the target of his revenge."

Mamoru looked at me with a mix of concern and horror. "Why didn't you tell me any of this? Why didn't you explain to him that you're not a couple?"

I cupped his cheek with my hand. It gave me some strength, but I kept my gaze fixed ahead. "Because until the last moment, I thought Diamond was just overreacting. I never expected him to actually try to harm me... But he did. But apparently, that didn't matter to Saphir."

Slowly, I turned my head, lifted my hand, and placed it on Mamoru's cheek. Gently, I ran my thumb along it.

"We both messed up and kept things from each other. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the illness," Mamoru said softly and pulled me into his arms. I suddenly felt close to tears and held Mamoru even tighter. His embrace gave me so much. Yes, we both messed up, and my pile of mistakes was much bigger than his.

The door slowly opened again, and a nurse cautiously poked her head into the room. "Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Chiba. I know you're here privately and don't want to be disturbed, but we have an emergency in the cardiac catheterization lab, and we urgently need you. There's no one else available."

Mamoru slowly released his embrace and let out a slightly annoyed groan. "Give me two minutes," he grumbled back. Then he looked at me with love in his eyes and gave me a gentle kiss. "I'll be right back, my Bunny."

That was typical Mamoru. He just couldn't say no. Saving lives was his calling. I watched him as he left the room, the hero in the white coat.

My handbag was on the bedside table in a plastic bag. It was a bit tricky to open it with my left hand, but I managed. This cast was really annoying. After what felt like an eternity, I fumbled with my phone. Using it with my left hand was much more challenging than before, but I managed to unlock it.

Then my mouth dropped open. More than 60 missed calls and 20 messages. Three calls from Motoki, nine from Minako, and the rest were from Seiya.

I opened the messages. Mina and Motoki were inquiring about my well-being, and Seiya was worried. I skimmed through his messages, which grew more and more panicked with each one. My breath caught at his last message.

Talked to Mina. The tour is canceled now! I'm taking the next flight back. Hang in there, darling!

He had canceled the tour and was on his way here! Every fiber of my being screamed that I had to somehow stop him from coming because Mamoru wouldn't leave my side as long as I was here. Except for emergencies like the current one. I propped the phone against the cast and typed a distress call to Mina. Then I dialed Seiya's number... voicemail. His phone was off, which meant he was probably already on the plane. Damn it.