All Chapters of The Disabled CEO is my Husband. : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

The smell of the room, mostly antiseptic and reminiscent of strong artemether lumefantrine, was still not enough to overshadow the smell of smoke that clung to Elise’s hair.The single fluorescent light overhead buzzed, flickering now and then as if even it, too, carried the strain of the night.On the bed, Elise lay unnervingly still. Her lips were parted around the clear mask that fed oxygen into her body. Her skin, usually so full of warmth, looked drained of color against the thin sheets. The monitor, perched on a shaky stand beside her, beeped at slow, irregular intervals while measuring her oxygen saturation, pulse rate, temperature, and blood pressure.Lena Moreau stood a few feet away, wringing her hands together until her nails bit crescents into her palms. Her heart hadn’t slowed since the moment she’d dragged Elise out of the fire, half-conscious. The doctor, a lean man with glasses sliding down his nose, came over to check the readings. His face didn’t reveal much until

On the white sheets where Elise lay, the morning light still managed to cast pale stripes on her face through the blinds. The skin of her face still looked weak and bruised, and her lips dry, but she had regained consciousness after a series of processes the doctors had gone through. It had only been for a while, less than five minutes. But now that Elise slept again, Alejandro sat by her side with much relief, watching the rhythm of the rise and fall of her chest that now moved steadily.The only time he had left her side since they brought her in was when the doctors had ‘forced’ him to leave so they could do their job, but even then, his eyes lingered on her through the window blinds. Now she was much better. Still weak, but visible progress. Alejandro’s hands were clasped and his eyes were fixed on her when her eyelids fluttered open. “Elise,” Alejandro murmured, brushing her hair away from her face.Her eyelids fluttered again, and when her gaze met his, his face lit up to t

The case against Clara Stanton had reached its judgment in less than two weeks.Lucas had stood in court as Alejandro’s representative, barely keeping his composure as the final sentence was pronounced. Not because it was not in their favour. It was. Clara was guilty as it was clear as day. The evidence was enough and Lena’s testimony had sealed it. But somehow, Charles Stanton had managed to manipulate the case in his favour or better put, Clara’s favour, as he took the fall for it.He had managed to convince the court that Clara was merely a minor in the John’s case, and a misguided young woman swayed by psychological instability in the fire incident. And for that reason, the judge hesitated, pitying Clara, who sobbed continuously, as if she had been falsely accused. But judgment had to be passed, and Charles Stanton volunteered himself. Why he did that was unknown. Yet, it was not surprising as he and Margaret had only ever enabled Clara since she was a child.One clear thing w

Days had passed since Elise left. Long, shapeless days and Alejandro could not help but wonder how exactly air was passing through her lungs, knowing that she had left him behind. Because surviving had become a struggle for him.The house remained the same since she left. The faint scent of vanilla still clung to the hallway. Elise’s favorite mug still rested on the kitchen counter, untouched.But the air felt different and it was pressing down on him like a weight on his chest.Alejandro had tried his best to keep his life moving, at least the effort behind it stopped him from going after Elise and keeping to the part of his promise. He went to meetings, read reports, even signed off new contracts. But none of it felt real. The documents were blurry, the numbers meaningless. Sometimes, he’d catch himself staring at his phone for minutes — no messages, no missed calls — yet he couldn’t stop checking.He hadn’t heard from her. Not once.And he knew that was exactly what she wanted.E

The first group session was like the facilitator had explained. It was held in a circular room with large windows and cushions arranged in a semicircle. There were fifteen people in total, eight women and seven men that frustratingly included Alejandro.Elise chose a seat near the window where she distracted herself by studying the pattern of clouds, when a movement came to her left side, making her tense up.She did not need to turn to know who it was, as Alejandro settled onto the cushion beside her. He didn’t look at her, but she felt the deliberate space he was creating, or rather, maintaining.“Good morning, everyone.” The facilitator, a woman named Dr. Reyes with silver-streaked hair and kind eyes, smiled at them. “I’m glad you’re all here. I know it wasn’t easy to come.”Murmurs of agreement rippled through the circle.“It’s our first actual day in this cohort and I’m so excited for the healing that would come through this. I believe you’ve already been handed the brochure t