But now he understood.
The moment she walked into that operation theatre alone was the moment she stopped believing they would last forever.
Chapter 19
The morning sun spilled through the windshield, warm light falling across Elias’s face as he drove toward Amara’s apartment. His gaze briefly shifted to the bouquet of lilies resting on the passenger seat before returning to the road ahead.
His hands were tight around the steering wheel, knuckles pale with tension. Exhaustion was clear on his face after staying awake the entire night, but none of it compared to the nervous pounding in his chest at the thought of seeing Amara again.
He had changed out of last night’s clothes into a fresh black shirt and dark pants. There was no tie around his neck, and his suit jacket lay tossed beneath the bouquet. His breathing was heavy and uneven, his thoughts consumed by Amara.
Just then, his phone started ringing.
Elias stiffened instantly, irritation flashing across his face at the interruption. For a second, he almost ignored it, but then his eyes flicked toward the screen and saw Xavier’s name.
Taking a slow breath, he pressed the pickup button on the car screen.
Xavier’s tense voice came through immediately.
“Maverick is trying to forcefully move Zoe out of the hospital. He already removed some of her medical equipment. I tried talking to him, but he’s completely lost his damn mind.”
Elias’s jaw tightened.
His eyes dropped to the flowers on the passenger seat, and something painful flickered across his expression. His chest felt heavy, but in the end, his grip tightened around the steering wheel as he abruptly turned the car around.
The tires screeched lightly against the road.
It didn’t take long for him to reach the hospital.
The moment Elias stormed into the corridor, his sharp eyes immediately landed on Maverick standing near Zoe’s room. Nurses stood nearby nervously, not daring to interfere.
As soon as Maverick spotted him, he started marching toward him without hesitation.
Elias came to a stop in the middle of the hallway, his face cold and unreadable. He stood there with deadly calmness, one hand slipping into his pocket as he stared at Maverick without emotion.
Maverick stopped right in front of him, fury burning in his eyes.
“You,” he snapped, raising a finger in Elias’s face. “I’m taking Zoe with me. You have no fucking right to stop me.”
“Maverick—”
Xavier quickly stepped between them, grabbing Maverick by the shoulder and trying to push him back before things escalated further.
“You’re not thinking about Zoe’s condition,” Xavier said firmly. “She was just transferred here from Australia. She can’t handle another transfer right now. It’ll affect her health.”
He glanced toward Elias before looking back at Maverick.
“Elias did the right thing for her. You need to understand that.”
Maverick shoved Xavier’s hand off his shoulder aggressively and took another step toward Elias.
“You’re nothing but a selfish and arrogant bastard,” he spat coldly. “I’m not leaving my sister with you.”
His chest rose sharply with anger as he jabbed a finger toward himself.
“She’s my sister. I can take care of my own family perfectly fine.”
Then his eyes darkened dangerously.
