Chapter 8 - THE AWAKENING
The days following the attack were a whirlwind of activity.
Ethan was moved to a high-security hospital wing,
where only I was allowed to visit him.
His recovery was nothing short of miraculous.
He was speaking in full sentences now,
his voice returning to its deep,
commanding tone.
He was walking with the help of a cane,
his strength returning with every passing hour.
“You saved my life,”
he said one afternoon,
watching me from his hospital bed.
“Twice.”
“I just did what I had to do,”
I replied,
feeling a flush of heat in my cheeks.
“No,”
he said,
reaching out to take my hand.
“You could have taken the money and run.”
“You could have let Jason win.”
“But you stayed.”
“Why?”
I looked into those blue eyes and saw the vulnerability beneath the power.
“Because I know what it’s like to be sold,
Ethan.”
“And I didn't want you to be the prize for a monster.”
He pulled me closer,
his gaze intense.
“I know everything,”
he said.
“The debts,
the threats,
your father.”
“It’s all being handled.”
“Your father will never touch a cent of Thornton money again.”
“And your debts are paid.”
“You're free,
Elara.”
The name sounded like music when he said it.
“Free?”
I asked,
my heart sinking.
“Does that mean the marriage is over?”
He looked away,
his jaw tightening.
“The contract was for a year.”
“I can have it annulled.”
“You can go back to your life.”
I felt a sharp pang of grief at the thought of leaving him.
I had spent every second of the last month fighting for him.
He had become the center of my world.
“Is that what you want?”
I asked,
my voice trembling.
He looked back at me,
his eyes filled with a raw,
unspoken emotion.
“I want what’s best for you,”
he whispered.
“But I think I’d be lost without my shield.”
The room was silent,
the only sound the hum of the hospital machines.
“I’m not going anywhere,”
I said,
leaning in to press my forehead against his.
“Not until Jason is caught.”
“And not until you can walk me down a hallway without a cane.”
He laughed,
a warm,
May you like
rich sound that made my heart soar.
“Then I guess we better get to work.”
