Falling in Love : I love you, Today and Forever

"And I will never agree to it, not in this lifetime, not in the next, and definitely after that either. You get that in your mind, Jared." Jonathan's angry voice blared through the speakers in the dark.

A day had passed since Oliver received the pieces of evidence from Jonathan, and from the time he had returned home, he had shut himself in his room, playing the video he had never seen on a loop. It held all the information he already knew as well as the ones he did not, including the proof depicting Jonathan's innocence in the matter.

A frown marred his face and he removed his glasses before rubbing his eyes. "What am I missing? Why do I...." Oliver mused and played the video again, leaning closer toward the screen to find anything he might have missed out on previously. But in vain.

Oliver saw the same content again and could not find anything substantial to make him doubt the video's authenticity. Furthermore, it was not fabricated; Oliver had to accept the video and deem Jonathan innocent this time.

'But why am I still suspicious of the old Carter? Why do I feel that I am still overlooking something and that Jonathan is playing games behind me?' Oliver could not get this thought out of his mind, and in his confusion, he even forgot that he had been awake for almost an entire day.

The faint rays of the sun that had somehow managed to force themselves through the curtain gaps were still insufficient to get the man out of his work; neither did his fatigue slowly creep in on him.

Oliver leaned back when the soreness in his neck hit and stared at the ceiling momentarily. "Jonathan Carter, I hope you are innocent, and this is the truth. I do not want Noah to suffer due to your crimes. He is a good kid." He mumbled and left his room after conjecturing for a long time.

"Aria, Ivy..." Oliver sighed, and only when the sunlight hit his eyes, straining him in the meanwhile, he noticed the time. 'Have I been in my room all this time? What the hell happened, and how long was I inside?'

"Aria, Ivy...where are you?" Oliver called for them again, and when he did not receive any response, his frown returned to his face. "Did they leave without informing me?"

Oliver did not call Aria, considering her work; instead, he dialed Ivy's number immediately.

"Hey, Dad? Did you finally get out of your room? I was wondering how long it would be before you left the room out of your will without me dragging you out. What's wrong, Dad? What happened?" Ivy queried, her worry evident in her tone and Oliver rubbed his forehead, trying to eliminate the stress and fatigue that was finally presenting itself before him.

"I was just cooped up with work. I'm fine, Ivy." Oliver did not elaborate and, instead, changed the topic of the conversation. "Where are you, and where is Aria? Did you leave for work already?"

"Dad..." Ivy sighed and looked at Joshua was busy on his phone. On sensing a gaze on him, he raised his head and met her eyes as he smiled at her, his love for her evident in his gaze. He raised his brows at her, silently enquiring if anything was and Ivy shook her head in response.

"You were busy and I was unable to inform you, Dad." Ivy started and kept her eyes on Joshua who was still smiling at her.

"What happened, Ivy? What's wrong?" Oliver did not miss how serious Ivy had turned all of a sudden and his heart jumped to his throat in worry. "Are you alright? Is Aria alright?"

"Umm, Dad, calm down. We are fine. It's Grandpa Carter."

Oliver blinked a few times in confusion and leaned against the kitchen counter, his brows furrowing further. "What happened to him?"

"He had a heart attack last night and we are at the hospital. I tried to inform you regarding this matter. But you did not answer us when I called you or even opened the door. So, I was unable to relay this matter to you." Ivy mumbled and averted her gaze away from Joshua when she saw one of the doctors getting off the elevators before he vanished inside a ward.

Oliver went mum and Ivy did not hear a word from him for a long time. "Dad, are you there?"

No answer.

"Dad, can you hear me?"

Again, no answer. She checked her phone and noticed the call to be still connected.

"Dad?"

"How is he now?" She finally heard and it took a few moments for Ivy to decipher what she was being asked.

"He is out of danger, but yet to wake up."

"I see." Oliver thought about the situation and smiled to himself, considering how ironic it was. But he did not say a word to Ivy.

"Where is Aria? Is she with you?"

"No, Dad. She left with Noah and considering how lethargic she looked, I presume Noah must have taken her to his home. They left not long ago." Ivy did not hide anything from him and conveyed the matter as it was.

"Hmm, okay. Are you alone at the hospital?"

"No, Dad. I am with Joshua and we are waiting for Noah's parents to arrive. We'll leave once they reach."

"Okay. I'll freshen up and come over as soon as I can. In the meanwhile..." Oliver stopped all of a sudden and thought about the words that were about to escape his lips.

"Dad, what's wrong? Do you have something to tell me?" Ivy frowned slightly and Joshua's lips perked up immediately on hearing her. He looked at her questioningly and Ivy shook her head immediately.

"It's just..." Oliver closed his eyes and swallowed all that he wanted to tell her. "It's nothing. Just be careful and keep an eye around you. You never know what might happen and when."

Ivy did not even have the chance to question him regarding his words before the call was disconnected, leaving her to stare at Joshua blankly.