Chapter 126
Chapter 126
AARON
Hospitals have a smell. A sterile, hollow smell that clings to your skin and eats at your nerves. I’d hated it before, but now? Now, it felt personal.
Because my wife-the fiercest, bravest, most infuriatingly stubborn woman I’ve ever known-was lying unconscious in one of these rooms, hooked up to tubes and monitors like her body had forgotten how to fight.
And all I could do was watch.
No boardroom, no empire, no billion-dollar deal had ever made me feel this helpless. I could buy the hospital, burn it down, rebuild it in her name… and it still wouldn’t matter if she didn’t wake up.
62
I sat beside her bed, elbows braced on my knees, my hand locked around hers. I hadn’t let go since I’d pulled her out of that box. Not once. Every time a nurse came in and tried to move me, I gave them a look that made grown men freeze.
They learned fast. Nobody touched my wife without going through me.
Connor was pacing near the window, phone glued to his ear as he coordinated with Jane and the search teams. Rick stood guard outside the door, making sure no one came within ten feet of this room unless I
allowed it.
And me? I was just staring at her.
Venus looked… small. Too pale, lips dry, dark circles under her eyes. My wife was sunshine and fire, a walking storm that could burn you alive with a single glance. Seeing her like this-fragile and weak-it made something ugly and dangerous take root in my chest.
I leaned closer, my thumb brushing lightly over her knuckles. “Baby,” I whispered, my voice breaking, “you’ve got to come back to me. Do you hear me, Venus? You don’t get to leave me. Not now, not ever p>
She didn’t move. Didn’t even twitch.
My jaw clenched until it ached. I lowered my forehead to her hand, eyes squeezed shut, fighting every demon clawing inside my chest.
Gerald thought he’d won. That sick bastard actually thought he could steal her from me, bury her alive, erase her light.
No.
No one takes my wife from me and lives.
Hours crawled by, marked only by the steady beep of the heart monitor and Connor’s low voice as he relayed updates. Gerald was still out there, but his window was closing. We had drones sweeping every road out of
20:29 Wed, Jan 14 M…
Chapter 126
those woods, his photo plastered across every black-market network, every back alley.
He couldn’t hide forever.
And when I found him? God help him.
A knock sounded on the door. Colton cracked it open, peering in. “Jane’s here p>
I didn’t look away from Venus. “Tell her to make it quick p>
Jane slipped in, looking exhausted but wired, her tablet clutched like a lifeline. “Mr. Sinclair,” she started, hesitating when she saw my expression. “We found something p>
I finally turned, my voice flat, lethal. “Talk p>
“Cameras picked him up twenty miles south of the woods. He’s on foot, probably ditched his vehicle. He’s heading toward the state line.” She swallowed hard. “We’ve already got teams closing in p>
62
“Not good enough,” I snapped. “I want him dragged in front of me before sunrise. Alive.” My eyes burned, my voice dropping to a growl. “Do you understand me, Jane? Alive. Because when I’m done with him, there won’t be enough left for the morgue to tag p>
Connor glanced at me, his mouth opening like he wanted to say something, then thought better of it.
Jane just nodded tightly and slipped back out, already barking orders into her headset.
Moments later, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway, stopping just outside the door before it swung
open.
Gianna came in first, her face pale, eyes wide and glistening. She froze at the sight of Venus on the bed, her hand flying to her mouth. Sabine followed closely, visibly shaken but trying to keep it together.
“Oh my God…” Gianna whispered, stumbling forward until she reached the other side of the bed. Her hands trembled as she reached for Venus’s arm but stopped short, like she was afraid to hurt her. “She looks…” Her voice broke. “She looks so small p>
Sabine’s composure cracked as well. She set her tablet down, kneeling beside the bed, her voice soft. “We’ve got you now, Venus. You’re safe. You’re not alone anymore p>
I tightened my grip on Venus’s hand, my voice harsh but low. “She’s not just safe. She’s coming back to me. She doesn’t get a choice p>
Gianna looked up at me, tears spilling freely, but there was a flicker of steel in her gaze. “Then we wait,” she said, determined. “We wait for her to wake up p>
For a long while, the three of us sat there in silence. Me on one side, Gianna on the other, Sabine close by, all of us clinging to the same fragile hope-that she’d open her eyes, that this nightmare would finally break.
And then… it happened.
20:29 Wed, Jan 14 M…
Chapter 126
A faint twitch. A soft, almost imperceptible squeeze around my fingers.
My head snapped toward her, every nerve on fire. “Venus? Baby, do that again p>
Nothing. Just the steady beep of the monitor. But I’d felt it.
She was still in there. Fighting.
62
I leaned closer, pressing my lips to her temple, my voice a fierce, trembling promise. “You hear that, baby? Gerald’s running, but I’m going to end this. The next time I leave this room, it’ll be to bring you his head on a platter. And when you wake up…” My throat tightened, my voice raw. “I’ll be right here, waiting p>
Because my wife wasn’t allowed to die. Not while I was still breathing.
And God help anyone who tried to stand in the way of me getting her whole world back.
AD
Comment
Send gift
No Ads
Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.