Chapter 26
The room smelled of antiseptic and the faint traces of the flowers I had brought earlier. The steady rhythm of the heart monitor was the only sound breaking the suffocating silence. Kylie lay in the hospital bed, her face pale, her body still.
She had been unconscious for days.
I had been sitting beside her ever since, refusing to leave. Her mother, too, had barely left her side, though I had convinced her to rest whenever she could. Every moment without her awake felt like torture.
I brushed a strand of hair from her face. She looked so fragile. So different from the fiery woman who had once stood up to me, who had driven me insane with her stubbornness.N
“You need to wake up,” I murmured, squeezing her hand gently. “You’ve slept long enough, Kylie.“N
She didn’t move.
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. My body ached from exhaustion, but I couldn’t bring myself to rest. Not while she was like this.
Everything had been chaos since the night I found her.
Jayson had gotten to Fiona before she could take our baby. He had received an intel about it and went immediately. For the first time, I owed him. He had protected Angelo when I wasn’t there. Fiona had been arrested, dragged straight to prison where she belonged.N
Jack and Yanna hadn’t been as lucky. I had fought my brother–actually fought him. Fists thrown, blood spilled. All of my bottled–up hatred for what he had done finally erupted. He had betrayed me, lied to me, and tried to destroy the life I had built.
Jack had always been reckless, but I never thought he’d sink this low. When I confronted him, he acted as if it was nothing. As if ruining me was just a game.
“You ruined everything.” Jack spat, blood dripping from his mouth as he wiped it with the back of his hand.
“I ruined everything?” I repeated, voice deadly calm. “You did this to yourself, Jack. You lied about the child being yours. You used Yanna as a pawn. And now that it’s falling apart, you want to blame me?”
Jack lunged at me again, but I caught his arm mid–swing and shoved him back.
“You were never going to win,” I said coldly. “Because you never deserved it.“N
Jack had always been our father’s favorite, yet now he was nothing.
Yanna screamed as security dragged them both away.
Their fate had been sealed.
I should have felt relieved. Should have felt some sort of victory. But I didn’t. Because Kylie was still fighting for her life. While there was chaos, Yanna shot her… and now I might lose her.
After that, our company was in shambles. My father blamed everyone–Jack, Yanna, Kylie…even me.§]
It didn’t matter. I was done listening to him. Our last conversation had been short and brutal.
“You’re a disgrace,” my father seethed. “Ruining this family for a woman-“N
“Kylie is my family,” I cut him off. “Not you.”
His eyes narrowed. “If you walk out that door, you’ll never be a Smith again.”
! didn’t hesitate. “Then I guess I never was.”
I left everything behind. The company. The fortune. The name. I had been prepared for it. I had built something of my own long before this moment–an empire that was mine alone.
And I didn’t care about any of it. The only thing that mattered was her.
I was back in the present, still gripping Kylie’s hand, when her mother reentered the room.N
She sat down on the opposite side of the bed, her eyes weary. She had been crying.
“She’ll wake up soon,” I told her, more for myself than for her.
Her mother gave me a sad smile. “I hope so.“}
We sat in silence for a long time.”
Angelo was safe in the nursery. I had spent hours just watching him sleep, memorizing every tiny feature. He looked like her. He had her nose, her soft lips. But his eyes…when he opened them, I could see myself staring back.N
I had already made sure everything was taken care of before Kylie woke up.
The threats were gone. The people who had tried to hurt us were either in jail or stripped of their power. Fiona. Jack. Yanna. They were nothing now.”
All that was left was for Kylie to open her eyes.
I swallowed hard, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Come back to me, Kylie.“N
As if she had heard me, her fingers twitched.
I froze. Then–her eyelashes fluttered.
My breath caught. “Kylie?”
She shifted slightly, a soft whimper leaving her lips. And then…her eyes slowly opened.
.
D
As if she had heard me, her fingers twitched.
I froze. Then her eyelashes fluttered.
My breath caught. “Kylie?”
She shifted slightly, a soft whimper leaving her lips. And then…her eyes slowly opened.
For a moment, she just stared at the ceiling, dazed. Then her gaze landed on me. I exhaled sharply, relief crashing through me.N “You’re awake,” I whispered.
She blinked, her lips parting slightly. Her voice was hoarse, weak.
“…Ryan?”
I nodded, gripping her hand tighter. “I’m here.”
She tried to sit up, wincing at the effort.
“Take it easy,” I said immediately, adjusting her pillow. “You’ve been out for days.”
Her brows furrowed, confusion flashing in her tired eyes. “What…happened?”
I hesitated. “You were shot. But you’re safe now.”
Her eyes widened slightly. Then she gasped, her hand flying to her stomach.
“The baby-”
caught her wrist gently. “He’s fine. Angelo is safe.”
Her shoulders sagged in relief.
Tears welled in her eyes. She let out a shaky breath. “I thought I lost him.”
I shook my head. “You didn’t. And you never will.“N
Her fingers tightened around mine. I reached out, brushing my knuckles against her cheek. “You scared the hell out of me.”
She let out a weak chuckle. “Guess we’re even.”
I wanted to say so much. Wanted to tell her how much I missed her, how much I loved her. But I couldn’t find the words. Instead, I just held her hand like I never wanted to let go.
Because I didn’t. She was awake. She was alive. And I wasn’t going to lose her again.
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