The Heiress' Husband

The world came back to Raelynn in fragments.

A sharp, artificial scent. The steady beep of a machine. A dull, pressing ache in her skull.

Her eyelids felt heavy, her limbs like dead weight. She forced a slow inhale, wincing at the stiffness in her ribs. Her mind was sluggish, fighting through the haze of unconsciousness.

Where was she?

She struggled to piece it together. The sterile air. The rough fabric of the sheets beneath her fingertips. The distant murmur of voices in the hallway.

A hospital.

She was in a hospital.

She tried to rack her brain for what happened. Her head hurt. She groaned.

Then, suddenly, a face appeared above hers. Close. Too close. Big, bright blue eyes and wide, toothy grin—one front tooth missing.

"My friend, you're awake!"

Raelynn flinched as the child's excited scream sent a sharp pain through her skull. She groaned again , reaching for her head.

"Oops!" The girl clapped her hands over her mouth, her expression panicked. "Sorry! I didn't mean to yell."

Raelynn blinked, trying to focus. "Who…?" Her throat was dry, the word barely making it out.

"Oh! You need water! I can do that. Hold on." The girl scrambled off her chair, nearly knocking it over in her rush to pour a glass. She handed it over carefully, watching as Raelynn took a slow sip.

Raelynn exhaled, setting the glass down. "Thanks."

"You're welcome!" The girl beamed, plopping down on her chair.

Raelynn stared at her. Baby blue dress, white sweater, tiny feet swinging beneath the chair. "Who are you?"

"I'm Isabella! But you can call me Isa." She grinned wider. "And we're friends."

Raelynn raised a brow. "We are?"

Isabella nodded eagerly. "Mhm! I decided while you were sleeping."

"That's definitely… not how friendships work."

"It is now."

Raelynn let out a tired chuckle. "And when exactly did we meet?"

"Well, I saw you two days ago. You were sleeping. Then I came back the next day, and you were still sleeping. And the day after that. And the day after that." Isabella counted on her fingers. "So I figured we were friends now."

Raelynn shook her head. "And i don't think that's how time works either."

Isabella giggled. "You're funny. I like you."

Raelynn sighed. "Where are your parents?"

"My daddy's busy. My granny is here, but she's in another room. She's sick, but Daddy says it's nothing to worry about." Isabella's voice dropped to a whisper. "I think he's lying."

Raelynn hesitated. "Why do you think that?"

"Because when grown-ups say 'nothing to worry about,' it usually means something big is happening."

That… was actually a solid point. But she wasn't about to let this six year old feel sad over something she couldn't control.

"But you know what, Isa? Maybe your daddy Is right. Maybe there's nothing to worry about."

Isabella's face perked up and she smiled. Raelynn felt Warmth In her chest.

After a moment of silence, "Isa, have you seen an auntie about my age, darker than I am, with an afro?"

Isabella perked up. "Miss Nessa?"

Raelynn exhaled in relief. "Yes. Have you seen her?"

"She came by a lot. She told me to let you rest, but I like talking, so…" Isabella shrugged.

Raelynn snorted. "I can tell."

Before Isabella could respond, the door burst open.

"Isabella!"

A woman rushed in, breathless. "How many times have I told you not to run off?"

Isabella giggled, jumping off the chair. "Oops! Gotta go! I'll check on you again, okay?"

Before Raelynn could answer, Isabella dashed out, the woman chasing after her.

Raelynn exhaled, sinking into the pillows. The antiseptic scent was still too strong, and the distant hum of hospital machines filled the silence. Her fingers twitched against the blanket, tracing the folds absentmindedly. How long had she been here? Four days, Isabella had said. It felt both too short and too long.

She turned her head slightly, wincing at the dull throb in her skull. Her body ached, but it was nothing compared to the unease curling in her stomach. Something was off—something beyond the pain, beyond the hospital walls.

A few minutes later, the door opened again, and this time, a doctor walked in, followed by Nessa.

"Miss Lancaster, good to see you awake," the doctor said, flipping through her chart. "How are you feeling?"

Raelynn considered her answer, "Like I got hit by a truck."

The doctor chuckled. "Well, that's understandable. You suffered a concussion and some bruising, but thankfully, no fractures. You'll need to take it easy for a few days."

Raelynn exhaled. "Noted."

The doctor checked her IV and ran a few tests before nodding. "I'll have a nurse bring you something light to eat."

"Thanks, Doc."

Once he left, Raelynn exhaled, sinking into the pillows.

Her body ached, but the pain was nothing compared to the unease curling in her stomach.

Raelynn barely had time to process before arms wrapped around her, squeezing tight.

"Rae."

A shuddering breath.

A trembling sob against her shoulder.

Raelynn froze.

Nessa was crying.

That realization alone hit harder than anything else. Nessa never cried. Not like this.

Raelynn blinked, overwhelmed.

"…Nessa?"

Her friend pulled back slightly, cupping Raelynn's face with shaking hands.

"You scared me," Nessa whispered, voice thick.

Raelynn opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Nessa exhaled sharply, brushing away stray tears with the back of her hand. "Four days, Rae. You were out for four days. I thought—" Her voice broke.

Raelynn swallowed hard.

Four days.

Nessa clenched her jaw, eyes flashing. "I swear to God, I was ready to kill someone."

That elicited a weak chuckle out of Raelynn. "I don't doubt it."

Nessa sniffed. "How do you feel?"

Raelynn considered. "As i said, like I got hit by a truck."

Nessa snorted. "Well, you did take a pretty nasty fall."

Raelynn's expression darkened just slightly.

Right. The event. The fight. The betrayal.

Something ugly coiled in her chest.

Nessa sighed, pulling herself together.

"Look, I have news. Not about the hospital, no one knows you're here. But…" She hesitated. "It's about Jake."

Raelynn's stomach twisted. "Just say it."

Nessa exhaled. "He and Stella are official.."

Silence.

Raelynn opened her mouth, then shut it.

She blinked once. Twice.

Then she laughed.

Nessa frowned. "Raelynn…"

"No, it's funny," Raelynn interrupted. "It's hilarious, actually." She leaned back against the pillow. "I was unconscious for four days. And in that time, my boyfriend, sorry, ex-boyfriend, decided to go public with the woman he cheated on me with."

Nessa winced. "I…"

"No, really," Raelynn cut in with a dry laugh. "It's telenovela worthy. He cheats. I almost die. He celebrates by making it social media official."

Nessa ran a hand over her face. "Rae…"

"Did he even come to see me at all?" Raelynn laughed again when Nessa didnt respond. the silence was all the answer she needed.

Raelynn smirked. "I bet the caption was something dramatic, right? 'Finally with the love of my life' or 'Some things are just meant to be'?"

Nessa sighed. "Close. He posted a picture of them at dinner. She was wearing his jacket."

Raelynn scoffed. "Of course she was."

"The caption said, 'No more hiding. Just us.' he's trying to paint the narrative that you guys broke up a while ago and you're the crazy ex that refused to move on."

Raelynn let out a humorless laugh. "Wow. It gets worse. He really went all in."

Nessa hesitated before adding, "The comments were… bad."

Raelynn raised a brow. "Define bad."

"A lot of people dragged him. Some even mentioned you. They said it was cold of him to move on so fast."

Raelynn smirked. "So, not everyone's completely blind."

"Nope. But Stella's been responding to some of the comments."

Raelynn tensed. "What did she say?"

Nessa hesitated. "She said… she never meant for things to happen this way, but sometimes, love can't be denied."

Raelynn clenched her jaw. "Love?"

"She also implied that you and Jake were already over before anything happened between them."

Raelynn's grip on the hospital blanket tightened. "Oh, that lying, manipulative—"

"Rae."

Raelynn inhaled sharply, forcing a smile. "It's fine."

"It's not fine." Nessa said, with the same cajoling tone one would use on a 2 year old that fell and hurt their knee..

"Then what do you want me to do?" Raelynn snapped. "Throw a fit? Hunt them down and scream in their faces? I'm not giving them that satisfaction."

Nessa's gaze softened. "I just don't want you to bottle this up."

Raelynn let out a slow breath. "I'm not. I just… I don't have the energy to care right now."

Nessa studied her for a long moment. "Okay," she finally said.

Nessa reached for her hand. "I know this is a lot…"

"Oh, I'm fine," Raelynn said lightly. "In fact, I'm great."

"Raelynn…"

"Did you bring me something to eat?"

Nessa blinked. "What?"

"I'm hungry."

Nessa studied her. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"Nope. Just food."

A pause. Then, finally, Nessa sighed. "Fine. I'll go get you something."

Raelynn smiled. "Thanks."

As soon as the door shut behind her, Raelynn exhaled slowly.

She thought back to that night. The fight. The betrayal. The way Stella had been right there, like she was waiting.

Had she really tripped? If she did, did Stella's grip that she felt mean the other model tried to help her or was it to make sure she fell?

Raelynn clenched her jaw. Her life was at stake and they just let the whole event unfold.

Stella thought the whole situation was a game? Raelynn would make sure Stella lost.