Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18-Chapter 410: Just Him

My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I approached them. The three of them were engaged in such an intense conversation that, at first, they did not recognize my presence. Diana’s voice was the first that came to me. Her voice was shaky, as if she was barely holding herself together.

"The doctor said that there’s no change in his condition. Anthony is still unresponsive, although it’s been months, and this whole thing with the snipers is only making it worse..." Diana said.

I came to a stop as my mind struggled to process her words. My heartbeat grew even faster in my chest, and for a moment I thought that perhaps I had misheard my own sister. What did she mean when she said that Anthony is still unresponsive?

Diana already knew that Bradon had taken Anthony’s place, and that meant that the man who was shot was none other than Bradon. Yet how was it possible that Anthony was the one who was unresponsive? Nothing made sense to me at that moment. It felt like I was missing a very key piece to the puzzle that I was trying my best to complete.

"My poor son. My dear darling. I just don’t understand how something like this could have happened," Mrs. Vulkan replied, and I could tell that she was not talking about Bradon.

"When is he going to come out of his coma? How can the doctor be so clueless about this?" Diana complained, as she looked even more restless than before.

A coma?

The air around me seemed to freeze when I heard that word. I was too shocked to process what Diana was saying because it felt so hard to believe. Although it would explain everything, I still struggled to believe that, all this time, while Bradon had taken his place, Anthony had been in a coma. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"What did you just say?" I said as I came to stand very close to them.

The three of them turned with a look of surprise on their faces when they saw me. Diana’s face was as white as a sheet, while Bradon’s parents looked away with an awkward look on their faces. I did not give them a chance to make up excuses or to give me a false explanation.

"Answer me now. What did you just say? What are you saying about Anthony?" I asked, as I felt something very similar to anger burning in my veins. I realized that everyone had been lying to me all this time - everyone, including Bradon. No matter how many times I had asked for the truth, no one had offered me any explanation. All I wanted was to know that Anthony was fine and to be there for him if he needed me.

Instead of answering my question, Anthony’s parents glared at me before turning on their heels and quickly walking away as if they were embarrassed. Diana took a step towards me with a conflicted look on her face, as if she was trying to pick the right words. However, I could tell by the look on her face that I had not misheard anything, and that made my heart sink even more than before.

"I’m sorry that you had to find out like this. Anthony has been in a coma for months now," Diana revealed before letting out a long sigh.

I blinked my eyes rapidly, as if it could clear away the shock that I felt. However, I knew that this was not the time to be worrying only about Anthony. Although the truth about his condition shocked me, I knew that there was someone else that I needed to pay attention to right at that moment, and there could be no more delays.

"Where is he?" I asked in a breathless whisper - the first question that came to my mind.

"You mean Anthony?" Diana asked.

"No. Where is Bradon?" I asked in a shaky voice.

Now that I knew for sure about Anthony’s condition, I knew without a doubt that the man who had been shot was Bradon. Fear crept into my mind and numbed my senses, and I had never felt so cold before in my life. Just the thought and the idea of losing Bradon forever and never being able to see him again scared the life out of me.

"Where is Bradon? Is he still alive?" I asked, barely able to voice each word.

"I’m actually not sure about what happened to him. Everything about him is like a deep, dark secret that no one dares to talk about," Diana replied with a dark look on her face.

The tiny flicker of hope that I felt quickly extinguished. It seemed like Diana had no good news to share with me, and I was still at a loss as to what exactly had happened to Bradon and the condition that he was in.

"Someone has to know!" I yelled, before realizing that I had completely lost it. In fact, it felt like a miracle that I was able to hold on for so long without losing my mind completely.

I ran my fingers through my hair and began pulling at it as I looked around the busy hospital lobby. Everyone seemed busy with their tasks and going on with their lives as if Bradon didn’t matter. My inability to find any real answers drove me mad with frustration.

I began dialing Bradon’s number on my mobile phone, although I didn’t harbor much hope that he would pick up. The line never connected, but a cold, level voice calling my name made me turn around and forget about everything else.

It felt like the world melted away along with my worries when I heard his familiar voice calling my name and when I sensed his presence close to me. I turned around, and there he was, as if he had materialized out of thin air - the person that I had been praying so hard to see.

Ironically, the person that I had worked so hard to get away from was the person that I was now willing to sacrifice everything to see just one last time.