*Delores Amelia Brown*

I stepped out of the warm bath, steam lingering in the air.

Despite the sudden afternoon storm, we had arrived at the hotel thirty minutes ago. My first move was to take a long, hot bath.

Reaching for a towel, I patted myself dry and then wrapped myself in the fluffy material before turning to the sink. The oval mirror reflected a woman who had seen better days.

This was the first time I was seeing my neck without the brace. As I raised my hands to touch the bruised and delicate skin—a stark contrast to the paleness of my throat—the painful reminders of Orell's assault came flooding back.

I sucked in a deep breath, wishing I could erase the bruises and the story they told. Orell had marred my life forever, and I couldn't help but curse him silently. Even though he had been arrested and was going to remain in police custody for the remainder of his time here, I felt that punishment wasn’t enough to satisfy my need for revenge. As I brought my hand down, a sense of determination ignited within me to seek the justice I deserved.

"Orell Smith," I said, picking up my neck brace. "You're going to regret messing with me."

Exiting the bathroom, I moved toward my wardrobe and selected some fresh, trendy clothes. I was still in recovery mode but wanted everyone to see that I was fine and capable of taking care of myself. The last thing I needed was someone doting on me.

After applying my medications and fixing the brace back in place, I headed downstairs. The storm was still in full swing, with intense thunderclaps and heavy rain.

As I walked out of the elevator and into the lobby, I found Dayton seated on the couch with a steamy cup of tea and a saucer of pastries. However, the treats did little to lift her mood as she stared at her phone with a troubled expression.

"Hey." I settled down beside her, grabbing a chocolate chip cookie in the process. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, it's just..." she sighed. "I've been trying to reach Arturo since we returned, but none of my calls are going through."

"Have you been to his room?"

"Yeah, it's the first place I went to when we arrived, and he's not there. Neither is Kwame."

My eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Maybe they stepped out?"

"In this weather? Highly doubtful." Dayton brought the phone to her ear again, waiting for a response. "Argh, voicemail again. What the hell is going on?"

Just then, one of the elevator doors flew open, and among the influx of people was Trevor. I waved him over. "Hey, Trev."

The moment his eyes landed on me, he walked over.

"Hey, have you seen Arturo and Kwame?" I asked. "Dayton's been trying to call Arturo, but it keeps going to voicemail."

"Uuh..." He bit his lip, uncertainty covering his face, making me sit up.

"Trevor, what's going on?" Dayton moved closer, equally disturbed. "What are you not telling us?"

He sighed, mumbled something under his breath, then lifted his head. "Look, I wasn't planning on telling you this... but I feel you should know."

"Know what?" Unease crept up my spine. What was happening?

Trevor sat down, wringing his hands. "The hotel just found out that one of their vans was involved in an accident."

"Oh my God, is everyone ok?" Dayton asked.

"I don’t know. All I know is that..." he sucked in a breath. "Kwame and Arturo were on the van."

"What?" I jumped out of my seat, unable to process the information. "How? What?"

"The two of them went out for a location shoot this morning, and I think the storm interfered with their journey back to the hotel."

My head spun, and I had to sit back down on the couch. First Orell's assault, now this? If I didn't know better, I'd say my world was falling apart.

"There has to be something we can do," Dayton said. "We can't just sit here and wait."

Didi waltzed into view, and I quickly moved in his direction. "Hey Didi, wait up!"

The tour guide turned. "Ms. Brown, how can I help you?"

"We need a hotel van right now!"

An expression of alarm touched his features. "What? No! No guests are allowed to leave the building until the storm dies down. New orders from management."

"What about Arturo and the accident?" Dayton asked.

He was startled. "How... how do you know about that?"

"That's not important," I quickly interjected. "What's important is reporting the accident."

"We have, and it's all being handled. Management sent out a rescue team, and they’ve contacted the nearest police station and hospital. An ambulance is currently on the scene, so there's no need to worry. Everything will be fine, it’s all under control."

The moment those words left his mouth, the power went out, plunging the entire lobby into darkness.

"You were saying?" Trevor remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

Didi, ignoring the comment, mumbled a curse before excusing himself to give instructions to the staff at the front desk.

"Come on." Trevor placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Let's wait it out. Hopefully, this storm won't last long."

Reluctantly, we returned to the couch, the sound of the raging storm mocking us in the background. As I perched on the leather furniture, I cupped my head in my hands, trying to ignore the whirlwind of anxiety inside me.

¤¤¤¤¤

2 hours later

The last bit of rain trickled down the terrazzo floor of the hospital's entrance.

I pushed past the glass doors, leading Dayton, Trevor, and some of the hotel staff to the reception. My nerves were on edge, and I forgot about pleasantries. I rapped my knuckles on the counter and asked, "Kwame Asante and Arturo Gonzalez, are they here?"

The elderly nurse at the desk looked up from her clipboard, her eyebrows descending into a frown. "Who's asking?"

"I'm—"

"We’re from the Labadi Beach Hotel." Didi cut in. "We just received word that two of our guests and a driver were brought in here after an accident on the Weija road. We wanted to find out if they’re okay."

She remained quiet for a moment. "You four can go in." The nurse waved a pen at Didi and the other staff members. "But the others stay here."

"What! Why?" I snapped. My friends stepped forward as well.

"Apart from the hotel management and the family members of the patients, no one else is allowed to see them."

"Wha—I—but... I'm his fiancée!" I suddenly sputtered, feeling the sting of everyone’s surprised stares, but I pressed on. "I need to see Kwame! I need to know if my future husband is fine! You have to let me see him."

The nurse appeared confused, unsure whether to believe me.

"Please," Dayton stepped forward. "You’ve got to let her see him. She’s been restless since she got the news."

"Fine," the nurse sighed. "But the rest stay here."

"Thank you," I said, shooting her a grateful smile as she instructed a younger nurse to show us the way to the rooms.

Before I could follow Didi and the others, Dayton grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug. She whispered in my ear, "Video call me when you see Arturo, okay?"

"Sure." I nodded, then turned back to the corridor the young nurse led us through. The strong smell of antiseptic hit me, reminding me that this was my second time in a hospital today. I sighed. If only I could turn back time.

The nurse led us to the last rooms at the end of the corridor, one on the left, the other on the right.

"Mr. Asante returned from the radiology department about an hour ago and is yet to wake up," the nurse told us, and my heart faltered. I was hoping to see him first before Arturo.

"But Mr. Gonzalez is up and doing well. You can go ahead to see him." She pushed open the door to the room on the left.

With a bandage wrapped around his head injury, Arturo sat in bed, eyes glued to the TV. The moment we stepped in, his lips cracked into a smile. "Oh thank God, familiar faces! I was beginning to think you all had forgotten about me."

"How could we?" I laughed, gently pulling him into a hug.

Didi and the hotel management asked a few questions about Arturo’s welfare and how the accident happened. He disclosed that it all happened too fast for him to fully comprehend.

"Thomas tried his best to steer us out of the way," he paused to catch his breath. "But it was too late."

The room was momentarily enveloped in silence.

"The good thing is everyone survived," Didi spoke after a minute. He held up his phone. "We just received word from the other group that Thomas is recuperating steadily despite some bone fractures."

"That’s great. Oh! Dayton asked me to video call her so she could talk to you." I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed her number. It didn’t take long for Dayton to pick up, and she was beyond relieved to see that Arturo was okay.

Trevor soon joined in, and all four of us started a conversation. In the middle of it, the nurse who had brought us in walked into the room. "Sorry to interrupt, but I just came in to let you know that Mr. Asante is awake now."

******