Chapter.6
1333 Words
Chapter 6– Shattered Promises
The golden corridor spun around Ava, the chandeliers above blurring into fractured stars. The assistant’s words rang in her ears like a cruel echo: There’s been an accident.
Her legs weakened. Her breath hitched. Ethan.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head as though denial could rewrite reality. “No, that’s not possible.”
The assistant’s gaze darted nervously between her and Liam. “He collapsed outside the ballroom. Paramedics are already here. They’re taking him to St. Jude’s.”
Ava’s heart lurched violently. “Collapsed?” Her voice cracked, fragile as glass. “From what?”
“They don’t know yet,” the assistant said, her hands trembling. “But it didn’t look good.”
Before Ava could process the words, Liam’s arm curled protectively around her waist. His warmth was steady, grounding, but at that moment, it felt like fire licking too close to her skin.
“I’m coming with him,” Ava breathed, her mind already racing ahead. “Take me to him.”
The assistant nodded, already motioning toward the elevators.
But Liam’s hand tightened, halting her. “Ava.” His voice was low, urgent. “You don’t have to go. Not after what just happened.”
Her eyes snapped at his, filled with turmoil. “He’s Ethan, Liam. Whatever happened between us… I can’t just leave him.”
His jaw flexed, his dark gaze stormy with conflict. “You’ll only break yourself if you go back. He saw us. He—”
“Stop,” Ava cut in, her voice sharp with desperation. “You don’t understand. Ethan—he was my choice before you, my anchor. And if he’s lying in a hospital bed, I have to be there.”
Liam’s lips parted as if to argue, but the anguish in her eyes silenced him. He stepped back, fists curling at his sides.
“Then go,” he muttered, his voice rough. “But don’t forget what you told me tonight.”
Her throat tightened. I love you. The words she had given him in the shadows still pulsed between them, raw and undeniable.
She tore her gaze away before the weight of his stare shattered her resolve. Following the assistant, she rushed toward the elevators, her heels clicking like gunshots across marble floors.
The ride to the hospital was a blur. Ava sat in the back of Ethan’s sleek black car, her hands trembling in her lap. The city outside was streaked in neon smears—New York alive and glittering, indifferent to the storm in her chest.
Her mind spiraled. Ethan’s cold eyes when he saw her with Liam. His voice, fractured with fury. The way he had turned from her, saying don’t bother choosing at all.
And now—an accident.
What if those were the last words I ever heard from him?
Tears pricked her eyes. She pressed her hands together, whispering a prayer she wasn’t sure she believed in. Not for herself. For him.
At St. Jude’s, the sharp scent of antiseptic wrapped around her the moment she stepped through the sliding doors. Fluorescent lights flickered above sterile white walls, and the hum of medical machines echoed faintly down the corridors.
“Miss Carter?” A doctor in scrubs approached, his face drawn with professional concern. “You’re with Mr. Ethan Blackwell?”
“Yes.” Ava’s voice wavered. “How is he?”
The doctor hesitated. “He collapsed from acute exhaustion compounded by stress. His vitals are unstable, but we’ve stabilized him for now. He’ll need rest, monitoring, and likely a lifestyle change.”
Relief and guilt slammed into Ava in equal measure. He wasn’t gone—but the thought of how close it had come made her knees weak.
“Can I see him?” she whispered.
The doctor nodded. “He’s still unconscious, but yes. Room 304.”
Her steps faltered as she approached the door, her heart pounding like a drum. When she pushed it open, the sight stole her breath.
Ethan lay against white pillows, his skin pale against the sheets. The man who had always seemed invincible, untouchable, looked fragile now—his dark hair damp with sweat, his strong jaw slack in sleep. Tubes and monitors tethered him, the rhythmic beep of his heart monitor the only proof he was still there.
Tears blurred Ava’s vision as she stepped closer. “Ethan,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I’m here.”
Her hand hovered over his, then finally rested on his fingers. They were cold, limp, nothing like the commanding grip she knew.
Her chest ached with a guilt too heavy to bear. What if seeing me with Liam pushed him to this? What if my betrayal broke him?
“I’m so sorry,” she choked out, pressing her forehead against their joined hands. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I never wanted this.”
Her sobs filled the sterile room, soft but shattering.
And yet, beneath the guilt, another voice whispered—a dangerous truth she couldn’t silence.
But you love Liam.
Her tears spilled harder, torn between the man she had promised her future to and the man who made her heart race like wildfire.
The door creaked softly, pulling her from her torment.
Ava’s head shot up, expecting the doctor. Instead, Liam stood in the doorway, his dark eyes locked on her.
Her chest tightened. “Liam… what are you doing here?”
He stepped inside, his leather jacket clutched loosely in his hand. His presence filled the sterile room with heat, raw and unsettling.
“You think I’d let you face this alone?” His voice was low, aching.
Her throat worked. “You shouldn’t be here. If Ethan wakes up—”
“Then he’ll know I don’t run from the truth,” Liam cut in, his gaze fierce. “You love me, Ava. You said it. And I can’t stand back while you break yourself over a man who never gave you what you truly need.”
Her breath caught. His words pierced straight through her defenses.
But as she glanced at Ethan’s still form, tethered to machines, the guilt came roaring back. “This isn’t the time, Liam. Can’t you see? He needs me right now.”
Liam’s jaw tightened. He moved closer, his presence overwhelming. “And when he’s better? What then? Will you go back to living the lie, pretending you don’t burn for me?”
Her pulse thundered. His nearness, his voice, the raw hunger in his eyes—it pulled at her like a tide she couldn’t resist.
“Liam,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Please—don’t make me choose here. Not like this.”
For a moment, pain flashed across his face, stripping away the arrogance, leaving only the wounded boy who had always lived in his brother’s shadow.
He reached for her hand, his thumb brushing over her trembling knuckles. “I can’t lose you to him, Ava. Not again. Not when I know you’re mine.”
Her chest ached so violently it felt like breaking. Torn between loyalty and desire, love and betrayal, she could only stare at him, lost in the storm he stirred.
And then—
Ethan groaned.
Both their heads snapped toward the bed as his eyes fluttered, lids heavy with exhaustion. The steady beep of the monitor quickened. His lips parted, voice rough, hoarse.
“Ava…”
She rushed to him, clutching his hand. “Ethan, I’m here. You’re okay. You’re safe.”
But his gaze flickered weakly, drifting past her—straight to Liam.
And even through his haze of pain, his expression darkened.
“You,” he rasped, his voice edged with venom. “Get out.”
The air in the room froze. Liam’s jaw clenched, his body tense, but his eyes never left Ava’s.
And in that charged silence, she realized—whatever came next, nothing would ever be the same again.
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