Chapter 15
894 Words
*Morning*
Elena's POV
The estate was quiet. No clink of distant cups from the kitchen, or the muted rustle of Nolan’s footsteps as he moved through the corridor.
Elena sat by the tall windows in the east wing, legs curled under her as she read or at least pretended to. Her eyes scanned the page but nothing was understood.
Her body still ached from the new medication Damian had somehow arranged. She hadn’t asked questions. Hadn’t dared to, but the timing was suspicious.
One conversation with Beatrice about options.
One silent dinner with Damian and suddenly, the most cutting edge treatment plan… the one that had been out of reach due to hospital limitations had become available to her overnight.
It wasn't a coincidence.
It was him.
She should have felt grateful.
But instead she became vulnerable. It scared her more than the cancer ever had.
A gentle knock on the door broke her thoughts.
“Elena?” It was Beatrice.
She stood. “Come in.”
The door opened wider, and Beatrice wheeled herself in but she wasn’t alone.
Elena froze.
Behind her stood a woman in dark blue scrubs, soft brown hair tied in a high bun and a wide, warm smile Elena hadn’t seen in months.
“Mel?”
“Elee,” Melanie said, eyes already glassy. “Oh my God”
They both moved at once, arms wrapping tightly around each other.
“You look different,” Mel whispered.
“You look exactly the same,” Elena murmured, blinking away tears. “What are you doing here?”
“I… Beatrice called,” Mel admitted, pulling back slightly. “Said you might like a visit.”
Elena looked to Beatrice, who gave a sly shrug. “You have been too quiet. Figured a bit of familiarity wouldn’t hurt.”
Elena’s throat tightened.
Beatrice wheeled herself out, leaving the two ladies alone
Mel took her hand. “Can we talk? I brought something.”
They sat together near the window. Mel opened her bag and pulled out a sealed envelope, setting it on the table between them.
“I’m still in contact with the oncology board,” she said quietly. “One of the nurses flagged your name when your treatment order changed. Said the authorization was private, but someone very high up pushed it through.”
Elena’s heart dropped.
Mel gave her a long look. “You didn’t request it, did you?”
“No,” Elena said softly.
“I didn’t think so.” Mel hesitated. “But it’s good. The treatment. It’s better than anything the hospital offered before. They didn’t have access until someone donated, anonymously.”
Elena’s fingers tightened around her tea. “Damian.”
Mel’s eyebrows lifted. “The husband you never told me about?”
Elena sighed. “It’s… complicated.”
Mel reached over, squeezing her hand. “I’m not judging. I just wanted you to know someone tried to access your file last week. It is probably Nathan.”
Elena’s stomach twisted.
“He couldn’t get in,” Mel added quickly. “Your file’s locked under private legal protection. But he has been snooping around, Elee. He’s looking for something.”
Silence fell heavy between them.
Damian's POV
Damian had only meant to walk through the east corridor.
He hadn’t expected to hear voices from Elena’s room. He paused when he recognized hers. A soft tone he hadn’t heard before. Not with him.
Then he heard the name.
Nathan
Every muscle in his body went rigid.
He didn’t knock.
And when Mel’s voice said, “He’s looking for something,” he knew exactly what that meant.
Nathan wanted leverage
Damian stepped away silently, pulling out his phone.
“Leo,” he said when the line picked up. “I need additional digital protection on Elena’s records. And put a tail on Nathan Hart.”
Leo paused. “You think he’ll try to hurt her?”
“I think he’s already tried,” Damian said darkly. “Now I want to make sure he never succeeds.”
Elena's POV
Mel stayed for a while longer and their conversation drifted from the hospital to memories. They laughed about old shifts, about how Elena used to hoard tea sachets in her locker and how Mel always caught her.
But even as they laughed, Elena couldn’t stop thinking about what Mel had said.
Nathan had tried to access her records
And it seemed Damian already knew. She could feel it. She saw it in the way Nolan had been around more. The subtle shift in staff patrol. The way the security gate had suddenly required voice verification.
He was protecting her.
And for the first time in a long time, that protection didn’t feel suffocating.
It felt like an armor she hadn't known she needed
After Mel left, Elena stood by the window again, fingers tracing the fog on the glass. Below, she spotted Damian in the courtyard, speaking to Leo.
Their eyes met briefly.
He just nodded once
Veronica’s POV
Veronica Longard closed her compact mirror and turned towards the woman in the room
“You said he has been trying again?”
“Yes,” the woman said. “But still no progress.”
Veronica smiled coldly.
“Then we’ll wait until Elena breaks. Love is just another pressure point. Eventually, even glass shatters.”
- Writer
