Chapter 10: The Breaking Point

The sound of the ambulance sirens was deafening, but all I could hear was the ragged, struggling sound of Lucian’s breathing.

I rode in the back of the ambulance, my hands still covered in his blood. I was holding his hand so tightly my knuckles were white, terrified that if I let go, he would slip away from me forever.

"Stay with me," I begged, tears streaming down my face. "Please, Lucian. Don't leave me."

The paramedics were working frantically, cutting his expensive suit away to get to the wound. There was so much blood. It was everywhere.

"Miss, you need to let go of his hand so we can work," one of the paramedics said gently.

"No," I sobbed, shaking my head. "I'm not leaving him."

"Seraphina," a weak, raspy voice whispered.

I gasped, looking down. Lucian's eyes were barely open, his gray irises clouded with pain.

"I'm here," I cried, leaning closer. "I'm right here."

"You're... bleeding," he choked out, his gaze dropping to a small cut on my arm.

Are you for real right now? I thought, a hysterical sob escaping my lips. You are dying, and you are still worried about a scratch on my arm?

"I'm fine," I whispered, pressing a kiss to his bloody knuckles. "Just stay awake. Please."

The ambulance screeched to a halt at the hospital. The doors flew open, and a team of doctors swarmed us. They pulled Lucian onto a gurney and rushed him through the emergency doors. I ran after them, but a nurse stopped me.

"I'm sorry, Miss, you can't go in there. You have to wait in the waiting room."

"Please," I begged, trying to push past her. "That's my husband. I have to be with him!"

"He's in surgery," the nurse said firmly, guiding me toward a row of plastic chairs. "The doctors are doing everything they can. You need to sit down."

I collapsed into a chair. The hospital waiting room was cold, sterile, and smelled of antiseptic. The adrenaline had finally worn off, leaving me completely shattered. I looked down at my hands, at Lucian's blood drying under my fingernails.

I pulled my knees to my chest and cried. I cried for Julian's betrayal, I cried for my family's debts, and I cried because I had finally found a man who made me feel alive, and he was slipping away from me.

Time lost all meaning. Hours passed. I must have dozed off, because I woke up to a doctor standing in front of me.

"Mrs. Black?" the doctor asked.

I jumped up, my heart in my throat. "Is he okay?"

"He's out of surgery," the doctor said, a small smile on his face. "The glass missed his major arteries. He lost a lot of blood, but he's stable. He's asking for you."

I almost collapsed with relief. I thanked the doctor and ran down the hallway to the private VIP room.

I pushed the door open. Lucian was lying in the hospital bed, his chest wrapped in thick white bandages. His face was pale, and he looked exhausted, but his eyes were open.

"You look like hell," I whispered, a fresh wave of tears filling my eyes.

He let out a weak, hoarse chuckle. "You should see the other guy."

I walked over to the bed and carefully sat on the edge of the mattress. I reached out, gently cupping his face in my hands. His skin was cool.

"I thought I lost you," I breathed.

"I told you, little angel," he murmured, leaning into my touch. "I don't break that easily."

I leaned down, pressing a soft, tender kiss to his lips. It wasn't demanding or possessive. It was gentle. It was full of all the fear and love I felt for him.

"I heard you," he whispered against my lips.

My heart stopped. I pulled back, looking at him. "Heard what?"

"At the explosion," he said, his gray eyes locking onto mine. "You said you were falling in love with me."

I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. I looked down, suddenly embarrassed. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"Say it again," he commanded softly.

"Lucian—"

"Say it again, Seraphina," he said, his hand reaching up to grasp the back of my neck, pulling me closer.

I looked into his eyes. The cold, ruthless CEO was gone. This was the man underneath. The man who was vulnerable. The man who was mine.

"I'm falling in love with you," I whispered. "I don't know how it happened. I know it's crazy. But I am."

Lucian stared at me for a long moment. He didn't say it back. But the way he looked at me... it was enough.

He pulled me down, crashing his lips against mine. The kiss was fierce and desperate, a celebration of the fact that we were both still alive. I melted into him, careful not to hurt his shoulder, my fingers tangling in his dark hair.

"I'm going to keep you safe," he whispered against my lips. "Elena will never touch you again."

"I'm not worried about her," I said. "I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine," he said, his eyes closing as exhaustion took over. "Just... stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere," I promised.

I rested my head on the edge of the bed, holding his hand as he drifted off to sleep. For the first time in days, I felt safe.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of voices outside the door.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. Lucian was still asleep.

The door opened, and I expected a nurse.

Instead, a tall, blonde woman walked in. She was wearing a crisp, grey suit and holding a large manila envelope. She looked at me with pure contempt.

"Who are you?" I asked, standing up.

"I'm Helena, Lucian's lawyer," the woman said sharply. She walked past me, completely ignoring Lucian on the bed, and dropped the envelope on the table.

"What is that?" I asked.

Helena turned to me, a cruel smile on her face.

"That," she said, pointing at the envelope, "is a court order. The board of directors has officially declared Lucian unfit to run the company due to his recent near-death experience."

I gasped. "What? They can't do that!"

"They can," Helena said. "And they have. Because of the explosion, they're calling him unstable. They've appointed a temporary CEO to take over until Lucian is cleared by a team of psychiatrists."

Lucian stirred in the bed. "Helena," he groaned, his voice thick with pain. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Helena turned to him, her expression cold. "Just delivering the news, Mr. Black. Oh, and one more thing."

She pulled a second document out of her briefcase.

"The board has also reviewed your marriage contract. They feel your wife is a... liability. She's too inexperienced. They want her gone."

My blood ran cold.

"Get out," Lucian snarled, trying to sit up.

"Fine," Helena said, turning toward the door. "But the new CEO will be here in an hour to enforce the new rules. Oh, and Lucian? They've appointed Vivienne as the temporary CEO. She's very excited to see you."