Chapter 2: More Family Drama

Elena’s POV

The moment I stepped into the hospital room, the air thickened with tension. Damian’s fingers curled around mine like a lifeline, but his eyes were distant-lost somewhere I couldn’t reach. I squeezed his hand tighter. “Damian, don’t listen to them. They want to take control away from you.”

The man in the sharp suit didn’t even look at me. His cold gaze locked on Damian. “Your family has petitioned for guardianship. They believe it’s in his best interest to be moved to a private facility.”

I swallowed hard. Guardianship. Private facility. Those words felt like shackles tightening around us.

“Why?” Damian’s voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. “Why would they want to take me away?”

I fought back the lump in my throat. “Because they don’t want me near you. They think I’m a threat.”

The man smirked, like he was amused by my defiance. “It’s about protecting his assets. The family wants to make sure the fortune stays in the right hands.”

I looked at Damian, watching the hurt and doubt flicker across his face. “Is that true?” he asked.

I nodded, blinking back tears. “They’re scared of losing everything. But I’m not going to let them win.”

The room felt like it was closing in on us, suffocating and cold. I reached for Damian’s hand again, hoping he could feel my fight.

“Damian,” I whispered, “we have to fight. Together.”

Before he could answer, the door slammed open.

A tall man stepped inside, his presence commanding and ruthless. His sharp eyes didn’t soften as they landed on Damian.

“Damian,” he said, voice cold and clipped, “stop this weakness. You’re the head of Blackwood Enterprises. The company needs you back-now.”

I flinched, watching Damian’s face tighten with confusion and pain. The man didn’t even glance at me.

“You’re wasting time lying in that bed. Get up. Get your head straight. We have a business to run.”

I wanted to scream. To tell him Damian’s life wasn’t a business deal. But I swallowed the words. This was war. And Damian’s father was the enemy.

Damian’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t say a word. I could see the battle raging behind his eyes-the confusion, the pain, the flicker of anger he couldn’t quite grasp yet.

His father paced the room like a predator, eyes sharp and unyielding. “You’re not a child anymore. The company depends on you. We can’t afford weakness-not now.”

I stepped forward, voice firm. “He’s been through hell. He’s not ready for this.”

The man turned to me, his gaze icy. “And you think coddling him will help? He needs to snap out of this coma-induced fog and take control. Or everything we’ve built falls apart.”

I swallowed my fury. “He’s not a machine. He’s a person. And he needs time!”

“Time is a luxury we don’t have,” the father snapped. “If he can’t handle it, someone else will.”

The words hit me like a slap. Someone else. The family was already plotting to replace him, to strip away everything Damian was meant to have.

I looked at Damian, who was staring at the floor, overwhelmed. I squeezed his hand again. “I’m not going anywhere.”

His father’s eyes narrowed. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”

I met his glare without flinching. “Maybe you don’t understand what’s at stake.”

The room fell silent except for the steady beep of the monitors. Outside, the world was closing in, but in that moment, I vowed to fight with everything I had-for Damian, for us.

The door clicked shut behind Damian’s father, leaving a cold silence that pressed down on us. I could still feel his icy gaze lingering in the room, like a shadow refusing to fade.

Damian’s fingers trembled in mine. “Elena… I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t even remember who I am.”

My heart broke at the raw vulnerability in his voice. “You’re not alone. We’ll figure this out together.”

But the truth was, I didn’t know how. The pieces of his memory were scattered, slipping through his grasp like smoke. And the people around us-who were supposed to care-were tearing us apart.

The next hours blurred into a haze of doctors, legal threats, and whispered arguments. Victoria and her crew pushed hard to have Damian moved to a private facility, away from me. They painted me as a manipulative gold digger, someone who’d caused the accident to claim his fortune.

I refused to let them win.

Every time I looked at Damian, I saw the man I loved beneath the confusion and fear. And I clung to that with everything I had.

That night, alone in the dark hospital room, I watched him sleep and whispered, “We’ll get through this. No matter what.”

The phone on the bedside table rang sharply. I snatched it up before it could ring twice.

“Elena,” came a familiar voice, tight with worry. “It’s me. They’re moving faster than we thought. The family’s lawyer is pushing for an emergency hearing tomorrow. You need to be ready.”

I gripped the phone tighter, relief and fear mixing in my chest. “Thanks for the heads up, Mia. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“No time to waste. I’ve already started pulling some strings. But they’re ruthless. We have to be smarter.”

I glanced at Damian, peaceful in sleep but so fragile. My mind raced. If they succeeded, I could lose him forever.

Determined, I whispered, “We’re not giving up. Not now. Not ever.”