Everlastingly Loving You - Chapter 120

“How did the surgery go?” Louis asked, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor.

Mia was happy to announce the surgery went well.

“It went perfectly well, we’re looking at anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks of recovery.”

“We’ll also be monitoring his condition throughout the following weeks,” she added.

“We’ll inform you if anything happens and there’s also the possibility he might recover more quickly.”

“It’s only a possibility, of course, but we’ll find out more over time.”

Louis thanked her before slumping down on a chair.

Marcus’ family was on their way to the hospital already – he never imagined meeting them this way, but that wasn’t his main focus either.

He was relieved the surgery went well, that Marcus would recover even if it’d take weeks.

He held Marcus’ hands, ‘You wake up.’

‘You wake up, and you come back to me,’ he mumbled.

‘Okay?’ He held Marcus’ hand.

He heard the door open.

An elder-looking woman entered, looking regal and elegant.

Louis turned to face her.

“You must be Marcus’ mother,” Louis acknowledged.

She took one look at Marcus and one look at him and scoffed.

“And you must be the man that ruined my son’s life,” she said, a look of disgust on her face and a hint of scorn in her tone before she started insulting him and all he’d done to her son.

__

“Where does she get off speaking to you that way?” Sophia asked over the phone.

Louis had filled her in on what’d happened, how Marcus’ mother, also known as Countess Eleanor of Cenia had insulted him the minute she laid eyes on him and blamed him for what happened to her son.

Marcus had already told him prior that his parents and him weren’t as close as they were after he came out, but he never realized they were unsupportive of his sexuality. He’d just thought they weren’t too close.

How could he have known? He’d never established a close relationship with his father, even when he was alive.

He didn’t remember much of his mother – the late queen – either.

“It was hatred at first sight,” Louis scoffed.

She had forbidden him to come anywhere near Marcus’ suite, much less step into the room and as she put it, corrupt her son even more than he already did.

Sophia gritted her teeth, Louis could feel her radiating anger from the screen.

She began, “If only I was there, then I’d–”

“I saw your interview,” Louis interrupted. He’d handle it. Sure, she was a countess, and Marcus’ mother.

But one thing he was talented at was winning people over.

Something he excelled better at compared to his sister.

She couldn’t care what others had to say.

At most times, she was fearless.

Her ability to do anything she wanted whenever she wanted was a valuable trait she possessed.

She knew what she deserved, and she refused to take anything less than it.

It was inspiring.

It was moments like these he wished he could stand up to someone like she did – although he’d prefer to do it less violently.

“You did?”

“I did,” Louis confirmed.

“What did Nicholas say about it?” He asked curiously.

“He told me he was proud,” Sophia answered, before moving on.

“What’s she like?”

“This Eleanor chick, what’s she like?”

“Is she beside Marcus 24/7?”

“Is she keeping an eye on him like a hawk?”

“What’s she like overall?”

Louis cringed.

“She hasn’t left Marcus’ suite since she came. It’s like she’s guarding the damn thing,” Louis said.

“I can’t see him,” he said dejectedly.

“And since I’m not a family member of his, or his spouse or significant other…”

“What am I going to do?”

“Simple.”

“You fight for him,” Sophia answered.

“If you really do care, you fight.”

“Fight for him until you can’t fight anymore.”

“If he’s that worth it, of course… because at the end it proves itself worth it.”

Louis blinked, he was baffled.

“That’s… actually pretty solid advice.”

“I know,” Sophia said before she muted herself.

“I’ve got to go somewhere, so I’m hanging up.”

“Best of luck, Louis,” she hung up afterwards, not giving her brother the time to wish her goodbye.

“Soph–”

He was left with silence.

He placed his phone in his pocket.

“She’s right.”

“I have to fight.”

“For him,” he inhaled and exhaled.

He decided to do it later seeing as Eleanor hadn’t any time to spend with her son.

He waited.

And waited.

And waited, until Eleanor exited her son’s suite to talk to a doctor and get an update as to what was her son’s condition.

“What do you mean, 4 to 8 weeks?”

“Ma’am, we’ll know more once time passes, we can’t say for sure that your son–”

“Don’t you ma’am me,” Eleanor snapped.

Louis decided to interfere.

“Eleanor,” he called.

Eleanor whipped around.

Had Louis not been a prince she would’ve immediately corrected him.

“What?” She barked.

“Can’t you see I’m talking to someone here, where are your manners, boy?” She glared at him.

“Did Julia not teach you anything?” She asked, her brow raised.

Louis knew for a fact only Julia’s close friends called her Julia. No one else did.

“Yes, yes, no one but her close friends call her Julia.”

“We go way back, your grandmother and I,” she said to Louis.

“Does your grandmother know of this?” She asked.

She scoffed, “Of course she does, she knows everything, why do I bother asking.”

Louis remained silent.

Oddly, it made sense, Eleanor and grandmere as friends.

Grandmere was likely this hostile around Marcus as well.

He began, “Your son.”

“You should be glad the surgery went well.”

“Of course I am!” She exclaimed, wondering what was the point he was trying to make.

“And at best he’ll recover in a month or two,” Louis nodded, a small smile forming on his face.

Eleanor scowled.

“A month or two isn’t fast enough,” she said to him.

‘I don’t have that much time to wait,’ she mumbled impatiently.

__

Nicholas popped open a bottle of champagne Don Perignon.

He poured his girlfriend a glass of champagne before pouring himself one.

Sophia grinned, this was the perfect way to celebrate how the interview.

Others would’ve thought it went catastrophically, but it hadn’t gone that horribly.

It hadn’t gone perfectly to plan, but when did things ever go ever in her favour?

Never was the answer. Except for how things went with Nicholas. She couldn’t get over that part quite yet.

Not when she’d been able to date the man she loved with all her heart.

Now if only she’d be able to tell him.

She thought of love as more than three words whispered at night time when he was asleep.

She always shared how she felt by actions more than she did words.

“Cheers,” she said

Her and Nicholas clinked glasses.

“So…”

“We never had a discussion as to whether or not we’re going to make us – our relationship – public,” Sophia said.

Nicholas chuckled, “I wouldn’t mind the whole world knowing I have the privilege to have you as my wonderful girlfriend.”

Sophia grinned.

“Well, I suppose we could make some arrangements.”

“I take it you agree?” Nicholas asked.

Sophia nodded, “Of course, why wouldn’t I want everyone to know you’re mine?”

Nicholas took a sip from his glass of champagne, he gave Sophia an enticing look.

Sophia smirked in return.

A voice inside her told him, ‘The way you look at him’s just…’

‘Girl, mount him already.’

A fiery blush formed on her cheeks.

What the hell did she just hear?

It wasn’t her that’d thought that. It was someone else.

She wondered what or who exactly was the voice that kept talking to her and giving her advice on Nicholas.

‘You’ll know in time,’ she heard.

‘So she can read my mind,’ Sophia thought to herself.

She scoffed, choking on the champagne.

She coughed before clearing her throat.

“Ahem.”

Nicholas was peering over her worriedly.

Sophia decided to tell him.

She said suddenly, “I have no idea if you’ll find this interesting, but…”

“I have this sort of voice in my head, giving me advice as to what I should do about our relationship,” she said to him.

“And lately, I’ve been having weird dreams of my doppelganger and a man.”

“I have no idea if it’s you, but his face is practically blurred during every dream.”

“And they come and go so sometimes I sleep fine, some other times, I have these strange dreams that I can’t seem to explain,” she admitted.

She scoffed, “I sound ridiculous, don’t I?”

“I sound like a mentally deranged lunatic that should be living in a psych ward rather than a palace,” she added.

Nicholas listened to her intently.

He didn’t react in a way that kept her from going on, he was just… way too calm.

But what surprised Ms Sophia Windsor most of all was not when Nicholas looked taken aback and surprised.

But when he responded with, “You do too?”