Chapter 80
Everything around me was muffled, distant, as if I were trapped beneath thick layers of water. My body ached–dull, throbbing pain spreading through my limbs, my chest, my head. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to exist.”
Slowly, my eyes fluttered open, the harsh fluorescent lights above making me squint. The unfamiliar white ceiling, the quiet hum of machines–I was in a hospital.
And then I felt it.
A presence.
The air around me thickened, suffocating me, pressing down on my lungs.§
A hand touched mine.
I jerked back instinctively, my body recoiling before my mind even registered who it was.}]
“Mara.”
My breath hitched.
A B E § 2 2 2 ? £ 3 ° ° × £ £ £ < £ 3
Lucien.
I saw his face–the sharp lines, the dark eyes staring at
Because all I could feel was terror.
with something I couldn’t place. Guilt? Regret? No. It didn’t matter.}
A choked sound left my throat as I scrambled backward, my body shaking violently. “No–No, no, no!” My voice broke, raw with panic.}
The memories came rushing back like a dam breaking.
The balcony. The bungee jumping. The blood.§
My babies.
A scream tore from
frail, useless body.
my lips
as my body trembled uncontrollably. I wanted to run. I wanted to disappear. But I was trapped. Stuck in this
Lucien reached for me. “Mara, stop. You’re safe-“}
“Don’t touch me!” I sobbed, twisting away from his grasp.
I could barely breathe. My chest felt tight, my vision blurred. I could hear the machines beeping frantically as my pulse skyrocketed.}
“Mara, please–“>
The door burst open.
“Get away from her!”
The voice was firm, filled with authority.
Suddenly, I felt someone shove Lucien aside. Warm arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a firm embrace. My body tensed–but then, as if my instincts knew better than my mind, I melted into the touch.
Rozen.
My fingers clutched his shirt, my body still trembling, but the fear–the paralyzing terror–had eased just slightly.
! buried my face into his chest, breathing in the scent of him, grounding myself in his warmth.
Lucien’s voice was cold. Let her go.”>
Rozen didn’t move. His grip on me tightened instead.
“You’ve done enough,” Rozen said, his voice laced with barely restrained anger. “Look at her, Lucien. She’s terrified of you.”
Lucien scoffed, stepping closer. “I’m her husband.“}
Rozen’s jaw clenched. “And yet, you’re the reason she’s like this.”
Before Lucien could reply, the doctor rushed in, a clipboard in hand, concern etched across his face. His eyes flicked between Lucien and me before settling on Rozen.}
“You need to leave,” the doctor said firmly, looking at Lucien.
Lucien’s expression darkened. “That’s ridiculous. I’m her husband-”
“Which means nothing if your presence causes her distress.” The doctor’s voice was sharp, professional. “She can’t afford to be under this kind of stress right now. If you care about her well–being, you’ll leave.“N
Lucien clenched his fists, his body rigid with frustration. His gaze flickered to me–his wife, his possession–but I couldn’t even look at him.D
I felt too numb.
Too exhausted.
Then, the world around me spun again. My head throbbed, the panic weighing down on me like an anchor.
I heard Rozen curse under his breath before everything faded to black.
The next time I woke up, the air around me felt different.
No suffocating presence.
No cold hands reaching for me.
Instead, there was warmth. A steady presence by my side.N
I turned my head slowly, my body weak, my mind still heavy with exhaustion.N
Rozen.
He was seated beside me, his expression unreadable, but there was something in his eyes–something gentle, something protective.
“You’re awake,” he said quietly.
I swallowed, my throat dry, my body sore. “How…?“N
Rozen exhaled, running a hand through his hair as if the weight of the past few days had worn him down.
“It started with my hiking footage,” he murmured, his voice low but tense. “I was going through the videos I took–just normal scenery shots. Then I saw you.”
A shudder ran through me as memories of that day flooded back. The mountain. Vanessa’s cruel words. The way my world crumbled in a single moment.
Rozen’s voice darkened. “You were with Vanessa. At first, I thought I had caught some random conversation in the background. But then…” He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Then I saw what she did.”
I didn’t speak. I couldn’t.
“I saw her throw herself off that cliff,” he continued, his voice sharp like a blade. “She made it look so real–her little gasp, the way she flailed her arms. But I watched it over and over again, and it was obvious. She jumped.”
I felt my chest tighten, my throat constricting.N
“I didn’t know what to do at first,” he admitted. “But then I saw the news. Your name.”
His fists clenched against his knees. “Mara Hugh, CEO’s wife, hospitalized after an incident involving her husband,” he repeated bitterly. “They said you were accused of pushing Vanessa. That you lost your babies. That Lucien-” His voice cut off, his eyes flashing with barely contained rage.
“I knew I had to find you,” Rozen said, inhaling sharply. “So I tracked you down. But when I got here, I heard the doctors talking.”
He swallowed hard.
“They said you were losing too much blood.“§
I felt my body stiffen.
His voice dropped to a whisper. “They said you might not make it.“>
A tear slipped down my cheek.
“I didn’t think,” Rozen admitted. “I told them to take as much of my blood as they needed. Whatever it took to save you.“>
I broke.
Everything I had been holding back–fear, grief, the unbearable weight of everything I had endured–crashed over me all at once.§
A sob tore from my lips, my body trembling.
Rozen moved closer, his hand resting over mine.
“Mara,” he murmured, his voice softer now. “You’re safe.”
Safe.
The word felt foreign.
I had forgotten what it meant to feel safe.”
I shook my head, tears falling freely now. “Please,” I whispered. “Please, don’t let him take me. Please… help me, Rozen.”
His fingers tightened over mine, his eyes dark and resolute.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he promised. “Not if I have anything to do with it.”
