Millionaire Girlfriend

Ten hours had passed.

Ashley was still lying in a hospital bed, unable to rest while Clara’s surgery was still underway. A bullet had grazed her arm, but she barely paid attention to the pain. The pain in her heart was far worse.

She had also refused any medication that might make her fall asleep.

She didn’t want to miss the moment when someone came to tell her whether Clara had made it.

“Drink this,” a feminine voice said.

Ashley looked up and saw Regina, Clara’s mother, holding out a small drinkable yogurt.

Her expression was as calm and reserved as usual, but Ashley could tell she was worried too.

After all, her daughter was fighting for her life, and there was a high chance she might not make it.

Regina had been waiting in Ashley’s room since the beginning instead of staying in the hallway outside the operating room with the rest of the family.

Ashley understood why.

She was there to support her.

Regina knew how much Clara loved Ashley, and she knew how much Ashley loved her daughter.

That was why she had stayed by Ashley’s side, knowing that Ashley had no one else to support her through this.

Ashley slowly took the yogurt and sipped it, even though she had no appetite.

Bzzzz.

Regina’s phone suddenly vibrated.

Ashley instinctively looked toward it, trying to see the message, but she couldn’t make out anything from where she was sitting.

“The surgery was successful,” Regina said directly, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Ashley felt a wave of relief wash over her.

“She’s alive…”

She tried to get out of bed, but the movement immediately reminded her of the injury in her arm.

Regina quickly stepped forward and helped her stand.

“Thank you,” Ashley said quietly.

They then made their way to Clara’s room.

The sight that greeted Ashley nearly broke her heart.

Clara was lying unconscious on the hospital bed.

A thick bandage covered her neck and arm, while an oxygen mask helped her breathe.

But what hurt Ashley the most was the sound of the machines surrounding her.

The steady beeping was a constant reminder that Clara was still in critical condition.

Her life was hanging by a thread.

She could still die at any moment.

Tears immediately filled Ashley’s eyes.

She quickly lowered her head and wiped them away, forcing herself to stay quiet. The rest of Clara’s family was already there.

Her father, Clovis.

Her brother, Carl.

Her cousins, Catherine and Sarah.

And her grandmother, Barbara.

“The surgery was successful, but Clara is still in critical condition,” Clovis explained. “The doctors said she needs to remain under observation. The next forty-eight hours will be extremely important. They need to see whether her condition improves or gets worse.”

A few minutes later, the doctors asked everyone to leave the room.

Only one person was allowed to stay with Clara.

Naturally, Regina remained behind.

Even though Ashley was Clara’s fiancée, she was still a patient herself and needed medical attention because of the gunshot wound to her arm.

Fortunately, the hospital belonged to Regina.

She had made sure Ashley’s room was right next to Clara’s, allowing her to visit her daughter whenever she wanted without causing a disturbance.

Outside the room, the atmosphere was tense.

“I still can’t believe they actually did this,” Carl said, his voice filled with anger.

“Who’s responsible for all of this?” Sarah asked. She had arrived later than the others and had only recently learned what had happened.

“Those damn bastards, Dylan and Lucinda,” Carl spat angrily.

“The police don’t have enough evidence to prove they were behind it yet,” he continued. “But it’s pretty obvious, especially since one of the attackers had connections to Lucinda’s cousin.”

“Dad, we have to do something,” Carl said, turning toward his father.

“And what exactly do you want to do?” Barbara cut in. “Wait until we know whether Clara is going to survive before you do something stupid.”

Carl clenched his jaw but didn’t answer.

Then Sarah noticed Ashley standing quietly nearby, staring into space.

“Ashley, are you okay?” she asked.

Ashley wanted to say no.

She wanted to tell her that it was a stupid question because obviously she wasn’t okay.

But Sarah wasn’t asking to annoy her.

She genuinely cared.

And Sarah had always been kind to her.

“Yeah… I’ll be okay,” Ashley answered quietly.

Barbara looked at her for a moment.

“You should go rest. You look like a ghost,” she said bluntly.

Ashley didn’t respond.

“I’m sure Clara will wake up soon, and when she does, she’ll worry if she sees how exhausted you are,” Catherine added, understanding what her grandmother was really trying to say.

Ashley looked toward Clara’s room one last time before returning to her own.

A little later, a nurse came in and gave her some medication to help her sleep.

Ashley’s mind refused to rest, but her body felt completely different.

Despite her desperate attempts to stay awake, the medication gradually took effect.

Thirty minutes later, Ashley finally fell asleep.

—

Forty-eight hours later.

Clara’s condition still hadn’t improved, but thankfully, it hadn’t gotten any worse either.

The doctors were impressed.

According to them, it took an incredible will to live to survive an injury as severe as Clara’s.

Her body had already begun to give up, but somehow, her mind refused to let go.

Every day, Ashley was allowed to spend two hours in Clara’s room before the doctors asked her to return to her own room.

During those two hours, Ashley would sit beside Clara’s bed, holding her hand and quietly waiting for her to wake up.

Ashley had become so absorbed in everything happening at the hospital that she had completely forgotten to inform her manager about what had happened.

She was supposed to begin filming a new movie in just a few weeks.

Unfortunately, she simply didn’t have the energy or state of mind to think about work.

In the end, she had no choice but to give up the opportunity.

Two weeks later, Clara still hadn’t woken up, while Ashley had already been discharged from the hospital.

Now that Ashley was feeling a little better, she took turns with Regina staying by Clara’s side and watching over her.

Ashley would have preferred to stay with Clara all the time, but Clara’s parents, especially Regina, refused to let her spend every waking moment in the hospital.

Even so, Ashley never missed a single day without visiting Clara.

“So, how is she, Doctor?” Ashley asked impatiently as the doctor performed Clara’s daily examination.

“Her injuries are healing well, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll wake up from the coma,” the doctor explained. “Still, it’s a good sign.”

It was the same explanation he had given her yesterday.

And the day before that.

Ashley was getting tired of hearing the same answer over and over again.

But deep down, she knew it was probably the best answer the doctors could give her.

After all, they weren’t magicians who could perform miracles.

After the doctor left, it was finally Ashley’s turn.

“Here comes video number seventy-two,” she said, pulling out her phone.

It was well known that people in comas could sometimes hear what was happening around them. Hearing a familiar voice could potentially help them reconnect with the world of the living.

That was why Ashley kept talking to Clara, hoping that somehow, Clara could hear her and find her way back.

Ashley then played a video on her phone.

It showed a pool party Clara had organized back when they were in college.

In the video, Ashley was angry with Clara and refused to talk to her.

But Clara had no intention of letting her stay mad.

She suddenly grabbed Ashley and pulled her toward the pool, causing both of them to fall into the water while Ashley was still fully dressed.

In the background, their friends could be heard shouting at Clara to run because Ashley was about to kill her.

Normally, Ashley hated that video.

Clara, on the other hand, loved watching it whenever she was bored.

But today, Ashley couldn’t help but laugh through her tears as she watched it again.

For a moment, it almost felt like Clara was still right there with her.

Ashley replayed the video several times in a row because she knew how much Clara loved it.

Over the past few days, Ashley had also started to appreciate their old videos, even the ones where Clara was acting crazy just to annoy her.

An hour later, Regina returned, and Ashley finally left.

“Ashley’s gone,” Regina said.

That was the first thing she said when she entered the room.

Ashley had been right about happy memories possibly helping someone return to consciousness.

But Regina had another theory.

She believed bad memories might be even more effective.

They could act like nightmares, forcing an unconscious person to fight their way out and return to reality.

And she might have been right.

Ever since Regina had started talking to Clara about unpleasant memories, Clara had begun opening her eyes for a few seconds before closing them again.

The doctors said it was simply an involuntary reflex.

But Regina knew her daughter.

She knew Clara better than anyone.

And deep down, she was certain of one thing.

Clara was going to wake up soon.