Chapter 112
ELENA
When
m Derek D
finally emerged back into the waiting room, my breath caught in my thre
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He looked pale Worn. His shirt was wrinkled, his sleeve rolled hallway up, and there was a small bandage on the inside of his arm. But it wasn’t just his appearance that stopped me It was hislence.
1 stood from my chair, my legs unsteady beneath me, and rushed to meet him.
“Thank you,” I breathed, unable to keep the emotion from my voice. “This could save Aiden’s life. I can’t thank you enough, I
But he didn’t smile. Didn’t say he was happy to help. Didn’t tell meat was nothing.
He just stared at me, expression unreadable. His eyes were glassy, his mouth set in a hard line. My words faltered and trailed off, swallowed by the quiet hum of the hospital
“Derek?” asked softly.
He looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time.
Then finally, he spoke.
“Elena,” he said, voice low and strained. “I’m going to ask you something. And I need you to be completely honest with me.
Iknew.
Even before he finished the sentence, I knew what he was about to say. My heart thudded painfully against my ribs, my stomach knotting up so tightly 1 could barely breathe.
I nodded. “Okay.”
His throat bobbed with a swallow. His voice broke when he said it
“Is Alden my son?”
The work tilted.
I felt the question crack through me like lightning splitting a tree. Everything inside me screamed to run, to deflect, to protect myself—but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.
I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, the sound of footsteps approached.
DEREK
Anew doctor stepped into the waiting room, a clipboard in hand and a purposeful look on his face. He glanced between us before settling on Elena.
“Ms. Hart? I’m Dr. Parnell the pediatric specialist on call. Can we speak privately for a moment?”
Elena swallowed and looked at me.
“You can speak to both of us,” she said. “This is Aiden’s father.”
Her voice was quiet, but the words rang in my ears like a bell tolling through tog
Aiden’s Father.
Thadn’t even had time to absorb the confirmation before the doctor nodded, already diving into the report.
“your son’s condition is still critical, but…” he gave a small smile, the’s begun responding to the t stabilizing, and his color’s improving.”
transfusion. His vitals are
Chapter 112
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My heart clenched
“You were the donor?” he asked.
I nodded.
“How are you feeling? Any dizziness? Nausea?”
“No,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I’m fine.”
“That’s good. Because we’d like to do another draw as soon as possible. We should wait a minimum of 30 minutes, and you need to make sure you’re property reliydrating and getting calories. Preferably some with iron.”
The nurse returned just then with a tray and a tired but encouraging smile. She handed me a bottle of electrolyte water, a high- protein granola bar, and a foll–wrapped sandwich that I didn’t ever look at before tearing into it. I wasn’t hungry–couldn’t remember the last time I’d been–but I chewed methodically, fording myself to follow orders
For Aiden
Elena had settled into the chair beside me again. We weren’t talking. We didn’t need to. The silence between us was full of too many things—shock, worry, disbelief. Gratitude. Regret. Maybe even hope.
I caught her glancing sideways at me more than once. When I finally turned to look at her, she didn’t look away.
“I didn’t know,” I said quietly.
She nodded,
her mouth tightening “Yeah
I wanted to ask her everything. Why she hadn’t told me. How she’d kept this from me. Whether Logan knew. Whether he’d always known.
But the words wouldn’t come out right now. They were too big. Too sharp
Instead, leaned forward, elbows on my knees, and stared at the floor.
Chapter 113
