Chapter 41: The Hospital Vigil

Hospitals had a way of turning powerful people into helpless ones.

Scarlett sat outside the operating room with rain still drying in her hair and Alexander's blood staining the cuff of her sleeve. Around her, Moretti guards filled the corridor like silent statues. Luca paced near the window with one arm bandaged. Grace spoke quietly with police officers at the far end.

But Scarlett heard none of it clearly.

All she could see was Alexander on the hangar floor, his hand in hers, his voice weak as he told her she should have stayed outside.

He had been shot because of her. Because of her family. Because of a war that began before she was old enough to understand betrayal.

A nurse approached. 'Miss Whitmore, would you like someone to examine your cheek?'

Scarlett shook her head. 'I am fine.'

She was not fine. She was bruised, exhausted, and terrified. But pain in her body felt distant compared to the fear squeezing her chest.

Luca stopped pacing. 'He has survived worse.'

Scarlett looked at him. 'Is that supposed to comfort me?'

'No,' Luca admitted. 'But it is true.'

Grace came closer, her expression careful. 'The evidence release worked. Victor Hale is in custody. Evelyn's confession is everywhere. Richard's lawyers are trying to negotiate surrender terms.'

Scarlett almost laughed. 'Surrender terms. As if this is a business dispute.'

'It is becoming a criminal case very quickly.'

Scarlett looked down at her hands. They were shaking.

Three hours passed before the surgeon finally appeared. Scarlett rose halfway from her wheelchair before remembering her legs could not hold her. Luca steadied the chair without a word.

'He is alive,' the surgeon said.

The corridor exhaled.

Scarlett closed her eyes as tears slipped free.

'The bullet missed the heart but caused significant blood loss. He will need time, but he is stable.'

Stable.

The word felt like sunlight after years underground.

When Scarlett was allowed into his room, Alexander looked pale beneath the white sheets. Machines beeped beside him. His power seemed quiet now, hidden beneath bandages and sleep.

Scarlett rolled to his bedside and took his hand carefully.

'You do not get to leave me after making me love you,' she whispered.

His fingers moved slightly around hers.

It was not a promise.

But it was enough to keep her breathing.