Were you mine?

Chapter 59 The truth about her

Jake stayed beside their aunt's hospital bed, his hand enveloping her frail, trembling one.She was struggling to breathe again. Her breaths were shallow and rapid. The doctors had managed to stabilize her fifteen minutes ago, but then, her condition was deteriorating again."Shh, it's okay. Just breathe slowly," Jake murmured, his voice steady, trying to mask his own rising fear. "In and out, nice and easy.Remember how you taught us to swim? Blow your bubbles. You can do it! ”Her eyes darted around the room, wild with panic, but she focused on Jake, gripping his hand as if it were her lifeline. "Jake... Jake, I can't..." she gasped, struggling to catch her breath.

"I'm right here. Just focus on me," he said softly, squeezing her hand reassuringly.Suddenly, her eyes cleared, and she tried to push herself up. Her eyes fluttered and she suddenly sat up with a jolt. She ripped off her oxygen mask, her breath was labored but her eyes were sharp with an unexplained urgency. "Jake," she rasped, "listen to me. My time's up. I can't hold on till Lea gets here."

Jake's eyes widened in panic. "No, no, you can't go. Please, don't say that. You need to try. You need to fight. You can't..." Just then she started coughing and vomited a large chunk of blood. Jake's eyes widened with fear. He reached out with a towel as the nurse tried to push her back to her bed and inject her with some sedatives. But she grasped Jake's hand tighter, her grip surprisingly strong. "Jake, you have to pass the message to Lea. I don't think I can wait for her.I can feel it,boy,my time is running out. Tell her to forgive me, alright? "

" Forgive you? She loves you to the moon and back. You were her parents. Both her and mine. We are whatever we are because of you... ”

" No! No! You don't understand!" She pushed the doctor and nurses away who were trying to work past Jake. She reached out for Jake's hand again, "I raised her in poverty, even though...." She took a deep breath, " even though she was ...."She shook her head, her breath coming in ragged gasps. " Jake, there's something you need to tell her. A secret I've kept buried in my heart all these years." Her eyes bore into his, pleading and intense. "Lea... she's an heiress.She didn't deserve the life I gave her. "

Jake's mind reeled. "What? An heiress? What are you talking about?"

"Her parents... they were rich, Jake.They had empires. My cousin, Lea's father. He was a great guy and was able to take his father's empire to places. But those places didn't do him or his family any good. " her voice dropped into a whisper, growing weaker but she struggled to finish her narration. Her eyes bored into Jake's, filled with a desperation. "Lea's parents were loaded.They left her a fortune, but I never claimed it on her behalf even though I was her legal guardian. I was scared. Scared the bastards who murdered her family would come after her if they knew she was still alive."

Jake's heart heaved unevenly, his mind racing. "You mean… all this time, Lea's been living in poverty... and you were protecting her? This is crazy. It doesn't even make any sense. " She nodded weakly, her breath coming in shallow gasps. "I didn't want those monsters to find her. I thought keeping her poor and hidden would keep her safe. But now… I can't leave this body without telling her the truth. She deserves to know who she really is. And you would be there to protect her. She has you. She will be safe. I was just a nobody.Tell her, Jake. Tell her not to hate me. Tell her I was helpless.Tell her to claim her birthright, but be careful. Those killers, they might still be out there."Jake stared at her, shock rendering him speechless.

Tears filled her eyes, and she squeezed his hand with the last of her strength. "I was trying to protect her. Her family... they were murdered. If those killers knew Lea was alive, they'd come after her. I thought... if I kept her hidden, kept her poor, they'd never find her." She kept repeating herself, murmuring as her eyes darted here and there, disoriented. Her hands kept flopping as her body slowly went limp.

Jake's throat tightened his eyes brimmed with tears, and he nodded, his voice choked. "I will. I promise. But why didn't you ever talk to her about it? "

A sad smile touched her lips. "I don't know. I didn't want to trouble her little head. I wanted her to grow up without having to bear the burden of the past.She was just a baby when they gave me her custody.Please, Jake... protect her.When she tries to claim her place ,it won't be easy for her to be a Sully! "

Her hand fell from Jake's hand as the name hit him like a jab at his heart. The door burst open and Lea and Phill rushed inside. Their Aunt laid one last glance at Lea's tear streaked face and then closed her eyes forever. A lingering smile was all that was left on her peaceful face. The machies went crazy and Lea cried out loud. Phill caught her as she jumped too high for her own good , out of shock. The doctors rushed over to try and revive her. But this time, nothing yielded any result. She was gone. But she had gone with a smile, knowing that her burden was passed on to safe hands. Lea fell over her lifeless body and sobbed uncontrollably. Phill turned to talk to the doctors but all Jake could do was stand and watch as everything unfolded in front him. It was as if life was dealing one wild card after another. First the revelation about his birth and now, Lea's. The worst part was yet to come, in the form of the reckoning.