Semua Bab Bound by a billionaire : Bab 61 - Bab 70

~DANIEL~The call came just as I stepped into my office at the construction site.I almost didn’t answer.But something in my chest twisted, a sharp coil of dread as my phone vibrated in my hand.Unknown number.I picked it up.“Mr. Sutherland?”“Yes” I replied.“There’s been an accident. The woman registered as Jessica Sutherland—she’s at St. Joseph’s General. You need to come. Now” the female voice at the other end of the call said.The phone slipped from my grip.And in that instant, the only thing I could hear….was the sound of my own heart shattering.I ran out of the office, and soon I was driving in high speed in my car and on my way to the hospital.****The emergency room reeked of antiseptic and panic.I shoved through the double doors like a man possessed, the voices of the staff blurring around me as I stormed the front desk.“I need to see Jessica Sutherland. I need to see my wife,” I barked. “She was in an accident…she was just brought in.”The n

~JESSICA~When I woke up again, the world felt like cotton—soft, muted, and distant.Everything ached. My head throbbed like a distant drum, and my limbs felt heavy, like they belonged to someone else. But the first thing I noticed wasn’t the pain.It was warmth.A hand. Holding mine.Firm. Familiar.Daniel.I turned my head slowly, every motion sluggish. He was asleep in the chair beside my bed, head tilted at an awkward angle, his cheek resting on our joined hands. He looked exhausted. His usually put-together hair was a mess, and the faint stubble along his jaw told me he hadn’t shaved in a few days. His suit jacket was crumpled on the floor, and he had a thin hospital blanket wrapped around his shoulders like an afterthought.I studied him through half-lidded eyes.He stayed.He really stayed.My heart swelled with something indescribable. He could have left. He should have. But he didn’t.I remembered his voice….broken, pleading. I’d heard it through th

~JESSICA~ONE WEEK LATERI’d always imagined hospitals as gloomy places full of beeping machines, strange smells, and cranky nurses. And sure, there were moments when that was true……like when Nurse Patel tried to smuggle prune juice into my breakfast tray like it was some kind of treat.But being stuck in a hospital bed for days on end has a way of humbling you. You start to notice the little things. The color of the ceiling tiles. The exact rhythm of the heart monitor. The way Daniel Sutherland hums off-key when he thinks you’re asleep.Yeah. That one I noticed a lot.Recovery was slow. Frustratingly slow. My legs still felt like noodles. Walking across the room felt like I was climbing Everest barefoot. My head still throbbed when I moved too fast, and I wasn’t even allowed to eat solid food for the first few days without someone standing over me like I was a ticking time bomb.And through all of it……every single maddening second—Daniel was there.**I woke

~DANIEL~Later that afternoon, I returned to the crash site.The road was eerily quiet now. The patch of pavement where the truck struck them was still stained, the sidewalk cracked from the impact.I stood there, hands in my pockets, replaying the event in my mind.Gray’s car had been turning left. The truck had come from the far end of the intersection—no reason it shouldn’t have seen them. No sign of skidding. No attempt to brake.It wasn’t panic.It was precision.I looked around, searching for anything the police might have missed. A broken fence. A dropped piece of metal. A skid mark hidden by dirt.That’s when I saw him.An old man sitting on a crate in front of a run-down mechanic shop across the street. He had a cigarette dangling from his lips and grease-stained hands.I crossed the road.“Excuse me,” I said. “Were you here the day of the accident?”He squinted up at me, then nodded slowly. “I was. I'm always at my shop.”My heart jumped.“Did you se

~DANIEL~Why was Crystal so excited tonight?“Thank you,” she said to the bartender as he placed two glasses on the table—one slid toward me, the other toward her.He gave a slight bow and walked away.Crystal picked up her drink and smiled at me—soft, flirtatious, rehearsed.“Cheers to us… being cool again,” she said, raising her glass.I hesitated, then raised mine, clinking it against hers. Our glasses touched like ghosts from the past.“Drink up,” she urged, and took a sip.I took a cautious sip. The whiskey hit sharp and hot on my throat, burning more than usual.“So… you said you’re going back to Canada?” I asked, taking another slow sip. “Starting a new life there?”“I never stopped living there.. I have always been there. It was where I disappeared to after our break up” she said, swirling her drink. “I just came back for one reason.”I raised a brow.“You,” she said with a shrug, eyes glinting under the dim lights. “But you’re taken now. Married. Un