Forbidden Love: Fate (Zac and Ivy Trilogy Book 1) (16 page)

The phone continues ringing. I grit my teeth
with worry and turn to Nancy.

Nancy only nods at me, her lips trembling,
another set of fresh tears streaming down her wrinkled cheeks. I
can’t help but place my hand on Nancy’s trembling one again. I give
her hand another tight squeeze then, to reassure her, while I
listen to the ringtone on the other end, waiting for Ivy to pick
up.

It’s so sad to see a seventy-five-year-old
lady crying. Her silent tears really hurt me, and at that moment, I
just want to hug her. I don’t get to act out my thoughts, though,
because Ivy picks up the phone then.

“Ivy, it’s Zac—” I hurriedly say, but she
immediately cuts me off.

“Zac, what are you doing calling my phone? I
told you I don’t want to hear from you.”

Damn!
She cuts off the call.

I grit my teeth and curse. I see Nancy and
make my apology. “I’m sorry, but Ivy’s not picking up.”

I try again. This time it takes her a bit
longer to pick up.

“What do you want, Zac?” she yells the
second she picks up her phone again. “Didn’t I tell you not to
interfere—”

“Just be quiet for a second, Ivy,” I shout
back, interrupting her midsentence. “Come to the hospital quick.
Moon has fainted.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

IVY

The Beginning of Something New

Oh God, please let Moon be okay,
I
pray, holding my phone tight against my chest. I’m in a taxi
heading to Dunedin Hospital. Zac called just moments ago as Sam’s
lesson was about to start. Moon has been admitted into hospital
because of low blood glucose.

I start blaming myself. Why didn’t I take
good care of Moon? I should be the one to pick her up from school,
not Gigi. I should be with Moon right now, not with Sam, teaching
him algebra.

As the taxi nears the hospital, I rush out.
My heart is in my throat as I search for the receptionist. Just as
I’m about to approach one, I hear my name being called.

“Ivy!”

I swivel around to see Zac.

“This way.” Zac gestures, leading me to an
elevator.

I follow behind him, my steps fast. My face
is pale and body is shaking. Zac holds on to my hand as we ride the
elevator to the fifth floor, where the children’s ward is
situated.

If we were in a different situation, I would
have flicked his hand away from mine already and told him off for
holding my hand without my permission like this, but because I’m in
this state, I ignore his handholding, focusing instead on reducing
the trembling quake that has settled in my body.

I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm
myself down, but my body just won’t stop shaking like a leaf in
winter.

“Don’t worry, Ivy.” Zac reassures me
quietly, his hand gripping mine as if to comfort me further.
“Moon’s been admitted in already. We should know the results
soon.”

I numbly nod. Those words are so kind that I
suddenly find myself trembling even more. Zac seems to know my
condition has worsened, and he immediately turns to me, his hand
gripping mine tighter.

“Ivy, what’s wrong. Tell me?” he asks, his
tone very caring.

“Zac. I can’t… I can’t…” I can’t speak. I
can feel my legs caving in.

What’s wrong with me? Why am I so weak? Why
must I be like this in front of Zac? Why am I showing Zac my weak
side?

But Zac doesn’t seem to think like this.

The elevator door dings open just as my body
decides to collapse with fear. Zac catches me in time and leads me
out to sit on a chair in the hallway.

I feel lightheaded and my body feels like
lead. My eyes frantically scatter everywhere, searching for
something, for someone, but I can’t register anything. I feel sick.
Fear, it’s fear that’s making me sick.

“Ivy.” I hear my name being called.

It’s Zac, but I don’t look at him. I’m too
nervous, too scared of this whole situation. Instead, I try to calm
my heart, but it continuously thumps, and now I feel myself about
to break down.

Zac tilts my chin up so I’m now facing him.
He’s crouching on the floor in front of me. His face is on level
with mine. Placing his hands on either of my cheeks, he draws me
close and looks into my eyes.

“Ivy, look at me,” he demands, though his
voice is soft and gentle.

I tear my gaze away from the floor and look
into his emerald irises. They are light, a nice green color that
sparks. A little tear escapes from the corner of my eye. And that’s
when I do break down. I shake my head and collapse into his
arms.

“Zac. I’m a bad aunty,” I sob into his
shoulder. “I didn’t look after Moon. It was my duty to look after
her, but I wasn’t there for her.”

Zac hugs me in return and pats me on the
back. His fingers thread through my hair in an attempt to make me
feel better. And in a way, I do feel a little better. I look up at
him when he whispers softly in my ears.

“It’s okay, Ivy. You didn’t do anything
wrong. These things happen.”

“But… but…” I shake my head, trying to find
fault with myself. I’m wrong. I know I’m wrong, so why is he
defending me? I should have been there when that happened, not some
stranger like Zac. “I wasn’t there for her when she needed me
most.” I correct him. “I should have been the one to call the
ambulance.”

“It’s okay,” Zac soothes me. I only sob
harder as he pats me gently on my shoulder. “Just let it all out.
But once you’re done, you have to be strong. You’re the strength of
your family. Don’t let them see you being weak.”

I only nod as more tears continue to stream.
I’ve never been so afraid of losing someone before. Five years ago,
when the accident took place, I was still young, but now I
understand more. I’m a grownup now. I don’t want to experience
anything dramatic like that ever again.

When I calm down enough, I pull back.
There’s a dark patch on the right shoulder of his shirt that has
become visible when I lift my face away from his chest.

Oh God, what have I done? I’ve destroyed his
shirt. I have to buy him a new one.

That’s what I’m thinking, but Zac, though,
he’s oblivious to all this. He’s too focused on my distressed state
at present to acknowledge the slobbery mess on his shirt. He simply
brushes my last remaining tears off my cheeks.

I close my eyes, relishing the feel of his
thumb moving against my skin. All thoughts of buying Zac a new
shirt fly out of my mind as my heart suddenly starts pounding. It’s
a different kind of pounding than the one before. This one is a
nice pounding sound, the pounding made via that small skin-to-skin
contact between Zac’s fingertips and my cheeks.

Oh, Zac. What are you doing to me? You’re
trying to make it harder for me not to like you, not to befriend
you.

“Let’s go,” I hear Zac say. I open my eyes
to see his hand fully extended in my direction.

I look at his extended hand for a few
seconds, not sure if I should take it. Taking it would signify
we’re friends, but in reality, we are not. We were born as destined
enemies. His brother is the one that killed my family. I should
hate him. I should deny that hand.

“Come on, Ivy. I’ll help you up.” With his
gentle persuasion, he cuts through my last remaining shred of
resistance. I take his extended hand, and he hoists me up. Hand in
hand, we walk to meet Clare and Gigi.

Clare and Gigi are seated in the family
lounge of the children’s clinic; their worried faces are displayed
fully for all to see. I rush up to them. When Clare sees me, she
gets up and hugs me. She sobs loudly in my arms.

“Ivy, Moon… I’m a bad mother,” she says in
broken sentences. “I didn’t look after her. I should’ve taken care
of her more.”

“It’s okay. She’s in good care now.” I pat
her back and realize I’m saying almost the exact same thing Zac
said to me just moments before.

I glance at Zac on the other side. He’s
standing there awkwardly. I smile at him.

Maybe Zac is right. I am the strength of
this family. I shouldn’t act weak in front of them. If I do, who’s
the standing pillar of the family? We’ll all be one crying,
crumpling mess.

Clare lets me go and slumps back in her
chair, her eyes frantically scanning at the door every few seconds,
waiting for the doctor to come out of the emergency room. I go to
Gigi and hold her hands. She only nods at me and turns to look at
the door too.

A few moments pass in solid silence.
Everyone is deep in their own thoughts. Clare must be thinking
about how bad of a mother she is, whereas Gigi must be thinking
about Moon’s condition. My thoughts are half messed up with Moon’s
condition and Zac’s presence.

Once or twice, I can’t help but stare at
that perfect form standing next to Clare, leaning back against the
wall. His hair is disheveled, a black mess. There are dark shadows
underneath his eyes, as if he hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since
the last time I saw him. His eyes catch mine, and I flick my gaze
to stare at the linoleum square floor instead. A few seconds pass,
and I hear footsteps. Then two black boots enter my line of
vision.

“Cold?” that deep voice asks in
sincerity.

I look up at Zac, unable to decipher his
meaning.

“Your hands are shaking again,” he explains
when he sees my perplexed look. He sits himself next to me and
holds my hand, in front of Clare and Gigi.

I want to scream and tell him to pull his
hand away from mine, but Gigi and Clare don’t seem to notice. I
don’t know whether they’re pretending not to see our hands or not,
but I’m glad because I pretend too. I take in his warmth that he so
kindly offers me. When the doctor comes out of the emergency room,
we all stand up. Zac is still holding my hand.

“You’re all related to Monica Hamilton?” the
doctor asks, looking at all of us.

“I’m a friend of the family,” Zac
responds.

The doctor only nods his head and starts
explaining. “Well, Monica’s fine now. I’ve given her glucagon
injection already. Make sure you monitor her blood glucose well.
Her glucose level was very low when she was brought in. From what
you’ve told me, I believe she skipped her meal during the sports
day and was tiring herself out. That’s why she fainted. I’ve told
the nurse to arrange for a bed in the children’s wing. If one of
you can stay the night with her, that would be great. After
tomorrow, she’ll be fine to leave.” With that said, the doctor
gestures to talk to Clare in private.

Clare goes willingly. I hear him telling her
she must keep a close eye on her daughter. Children who suffer from
diabetes can have many complications later on in life, like kidney
infection, gum disease, glaucoma, and many more.

Clare only nods her head. The doctor advises
her to always let Moon wear her medical alert bracelet, and when
she says we don’t have one, the doctor says he will help her
arrange for one. With that said, the doctor then turns back to us
and allows us to see Moon.

A nurse is present when we walk in. Moon is
wide awake when we go to her. Despite being a little weak, she
still smiles when she sees Zac.

“Zacky,” she cries with her little screechy
voice. “You didn’t come to visit me every day like you
promised.”

“I’m sorry.” Zac lets go of my hand to go
hold Moon’s little ones. “Are you hungry?”

“Mm-hmm.” Moon nods her head tiredly.

“I’ll go buy something for you to eat, then.
You just rest here. What do you want?”

Zac is very caring. Somehow I feel a gob of
emotion welling up inside me, and at that moment, I have the urge
to burst out crying again.

“Hamburger,” Moon says weakly.

Zac only laughs. I think he’s trying to
lighten the atmosphere.

“How about I go buy you a chicken sandwich?
Would you like that?”

“Mm-hmm.” Moon nods and starts looking
around for her mum.

“I’m here, honey.” Clare comes and hugs her
daughter. Gigi goes to kiss Moon’s head.

“Vivi,” she calls out to me when she sees
me. I run and hug her small form.

“I’m sorry, Moon,” I say, but my voice is
starting to break. “I promise I’ll take care of you from now on.
Aunty promises, okay?”

“Mm-hmm.” Again, Moon only nods tiredly and
hugs me.

“Vivi and Zacky will go buy you a sandwich
now. We’ll be right back, okay?” Zac says from behind me.

I look up at him. Does he really want me to
go? But then, of course, I must accompany him. Moon is my niece
after all. It’s not polite to let him run all the errands when this
affair isn’t even related to him in the first place.

I kiss Moon on the cheek and leave to go
with Zac. This time he doesn’t hold my hand as we walk into town to
buy food for Moon.

We walk together, our footsteps in sync with
each other. We both walk in silence.

Zac takes me into the heart of town. I
haven’t been into town since I moved here, apart from the public
library near the octagon, which is four blocks or so away from the
main centre. Zac leads me into Meridian, one of the finest malls in
Dunedin with its grand entrance and earthy décor. Going down to the
ground floor, he leads me into a little café and buys me a
sandwich. He turns to me and speaks for the first time.

“Are you hungry? We should get some takeaway
for Clare and Nancy too.”

I don’t want to bother Zac, but my stomach
responds to his question. He only smiles and leads me into a
Cambodian restaurant.

“I love Cambodian food. I hope you don’t
mind if I buy this for you.”

I nod and take a seat while he goes to put
in our order. In the next few minutes, he comes back to sit beside
me, telling me it will take about a few minutes before the meals
are cooked. Then he places a bottle of apple juice in front of
me.

“Drink this. You must be thirsty.”