《Bound by Deception 》全部章節：第 31 章 - 第 40 章

Lenora’s call came at a time Dakota least expected. In the early afternoon, when the house was quiet enough that she could hear the ticking of the clock in the hallway. She had been folding a few shirts on the bed, mind half-drifting as she replayed her conversation with Elias earlier, when her phone started buzzing violently on the nightstand. She didn’t think anything of it at first. Until she saw the name. Lenora. Her stomach tightened. Lenora rarely called her. They usually exchanged texts, small check-ins, soft reassurances. But a call, this wasn’t normal. This was a warning. Something was wrong. Dakota picked up immediately and said the first thing on her mind before she could stop herself. “Mom? Is everything—” She didn’t get to finish. Lenora’s voice burst through the speaker in a broken whisper. “Dakota… please. Are you there?” Her breath trembled, thin, frantic, and sharp. Dakota’s heart dropped into her stomach. “I’m here,” she said quickly, standing up

Elias arrived at Lenora’s apartment with a storm coiling in his chest, his usual composed demeanor shredded by the knowledge that Dakota had gone out alone into danger. Again. He stepped out of the car, eyes narrowing at the familiar building. Every muscle in his body screamed both anger and fear, the two twisting together until he could barely distinguish them. He didn’t wait for the security detail. He didn’t want a delay, didn’t want anyone slowing him down. He needed her, and he needed to see the situation for himself. As he strode toward the door, his mind raced. Why didn’t she tell me? Why didn’t she wait for me? He could feel his pulse thundering in his ears, matching the sharpness of his thoughts. I told her not to go alone. I told her to stay safe. I trusted her, and she went anyway. He knocked firmly, but the second it happened, the door swung open, and there she was. Dakota. Standing there, shoulders slightly tense, hands clenching and unclenching at her sides, her eyes

Dakota had been sitting by Elias’s side for hours. She hadn’t moved from the chair beside his hospital bed, her hand tightly wrapped around his, her thumb brushing along the back of his hand in a nervous rhythm. The steady beeping of the monitors should have been reassuring, but each pulse felt like a countdown, like the world might collapse if she blinked too long. “Dakota,” Elias murmured, his voice hoarse but steady. “You need to rest.” “No,” she shot back without thinking. “I’m not leaving you here alone. Not after what happened. Not after you almost…” Her voice caught, trembling against her teeth. He tried to pull her hand into his lap, wincing slightly at the movement. “Dakota, stop gripping my hand like it’s going to snap. I’m fine.” “You were shot, Elias. Shot!” Her chest rose and fell rapidly. “I don’t care if you’re alive now, you could have died. And don’t think I’ll just sit here pretending that it doesn’t matter!” He sighed, closing his eyes briefly. “I unders

The hospital room was quiet in a way that felt almost unnatural. The soft hum of machines and the gentle beeping of monitors seemed too sterile to hold the weight of the storm Dakota carried inside her. Every shadow cast on the walls seemed to stretch longer, heavier, pressing against her chest in a way that made it hard to breathe. She had spent the last twenty-four hours watching over Elias, listening to the rhythmic beep of the machines that told her he was alive, but still, the fear hadn’t left her. She still remembered the pool of blood on the floor, the sudden panic in the nurses’ eyes, and the sharp, sterile smell of antiseptic that had clung to her hair and clothes. Dakota sat perched on the edge of the hospital bed, knees bent and tucked close to her chest, her fingers laced tightly with his. She didn’t want to let go—not for a second. The thought of him slipping through her fingers, even in the faintest sense, made her chest tighten and her stomach twist. He had been rec

The moment they stepped inside the penthouse, Serena’s eyes didn’t leave Elias. Her instinct was immediate, protective like she always had been, like she had been programmed to notice the slightest falter in her older brother’s armor. Dakota closed the door softly behind them, letting the tension between the three settle for a heartbeat before it grew any larger. She stayed close to Elias, her fingers lightly brushing the sleeve of his jacket, as if her touch could offer a shield against the worry that seemed to pulse off him in waves. Serena took a cautious step toward him, a frown pulling her brows together. “Elias,” she said, voice low but steady, “you’re hurt. Tell me what happened.” Elias inhaled slowly, his jaw tightening, eyes flicking to Dakota for just a split second before he met Serena’s concerned gaze. He had always hated lying, hated hiding, but he also knew that sometimes, keeping the truth from those he loved was a necessity. Serena’s well-being came first. “I’m… o