The ground shifted beneath me. My knees buckled and I nearly collapsed—until someone caught me from behind. I fell briefly against Darien’s chest. For a heartbeat, I almost let myself lean into his warmth.
But the moment I realized, I shoved him away.
"Don’t touch me. All of this… everything that’s happening is because of you. You’re the reason we’re here."
Darien dropped to his knees right there in the corridor.
"Ellie, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I was blinded by desperation. The Eugene Family didn’t go bankrupt, but we were hanging by a thread. If the Daelan Family hadn’t stepped in, we wouldn’t have lasted another week. That’s why I agreed to everything, but the truth is—I never stopped loving you."
"Don’t justify it," I snapped. "None of that excuses what you did—to me, to my family. You’re not just weak, Darien. You’re cruel."
Still kneeling, he reached for my hand, clutching it with trembling fingers. "Let me make it up to you, Ellie. Give me a chance to fix everything."
"You had your chances every step of the way. But you didn’t stop. You chose this path. And now that I’ve uncovered the truth, you’re scrambling for redemption? That’s not remorse. That’s cowardice."
"I don’t want anything more to do with you. I want you out of my life for good." I turned away, not even sparing him a glance.
He opened his mouth, as if to speak again—but then, a commotion erupted down the hall.
"Darien! Darien!" Austin came running, his voice echoing through the corridor, loud enough to draw sharp glares from nearby doctors.
"This is a hospital," one of them scolded. "Keep your voice down."
However, Austin couldn't care less. He charged forward, yanked Darien to his feet and shot me a nasty glare. "You’ve got time to play around with her? My sister’s about to jump off a building for you!"
Darien’s face drained of color. "What did you just say?"
No matter what happened between them, I did not care anymore. The operating room doors swung open again and my mother was wheeled out, still unconscious.
"She’s on the roof right now!" Austin shouted.
Darien instantly pulled out his phone and dialed. The line picked up almost immediately.
"Darien…" came Vienna’s voice, soft and trembling.
"Vienna, don’t do anything stupid! I’m coming right now. Just wait—anything you want, I’ll agree to it, okay?"