Twice in a lifetime

Selena Lockwood

It's been five days since Lyra has been in the hospital.

Those five days were hell for me. I'm pretty sure my whole physique says that. But right now, I don't care.

My colleagues have been giving me looks of sympathy.

After that day, I haven't seen Lucian pretty much anywhere. Heard that he's in Italy for some project and I couldn't be more relieved.

These 5 days, I have been planning ways to murder him in my mind.

"Selena, dear. Are you going to be here soon? Lyra is in a lot of pain. She's distressed." I heard the voice on the other side of the phone.

It was Julia. I had to call her to inform her about my current situation.

My voice broke as I spoke. "Julia, I.. I can't come over there right now. They didn't let me leave."

"Oh... Don't stress over it. We are here. You can visit us once you are done." Julia responds. I could hear my daughter screaming in the background. "Mommy!!"

"Julia...wh—whats going on there?" I asked with a shaky breath.

"They are putting a cast on her. She's in a lot of pain. Don't cry. We are here. Take care, honey. I'm gonna hang up, okay?"

"Okay... I will be there soon. Tell my baby that I will be there soon." I said. Julia responded positively and hung up.

As soon I entered, Lyra clung to me, and that was my breaking point. I burst out in tears. Every time I look at her, I'm taken back to the day she was born. That day, I swore to protect her from everything. But I failed.

I dont think I slept properly for the past few nights. It's always a run from hospital to office.

Mason and Bella stayed with me at night. They made sure that I'm okay. I was pretty much surviving the day with a granola bar.

Right now, I'm doing the one thing I'm good at.

Coding.

I was pretty engrossed in it that I didn't notice the door opened.

"You can't stay in there the whole time. You look like shit." Dante blurted out.

"Yes, I can." I rolled my eyes and went back to work.

"It's lunchtime."

"I'm aware." I chirped out.

"Sel, please. Talk to me. You can't stay bottled up all the time. I don't think you know this, but you are a strong woman, Selena, and an even greater mom." He asserted me like the gentleman he is.

I kept staring at him. He did, too.

"Um... I came here to invite you for lunch. We are all going out. I'm not taking no for an answer. If you don't wish to go. I'm gonna carry you." His eyes lit up with a playful glint.

"I guess I don't have choice here." I sighed.

"Nope...so are you gonna..." He started.

"Yeah, give me two minutes. I will wrap up everything. I will meet you at the entrance." I stood up, and he left.

I had a habit of keeping a to-do list. It started up when I was in middle school, and well, I still do it. I feel at ease when I know that I have control over the things happening in my life.

I closed the book but accidentally knocked it off my desk, causing several papers to spill out and create a mess.

I crouched down and picked them up, and one of them was a handwritten note by a certain someone I once adored.