All Chapters of The Cost Of Surrender : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Minah did not sleep when she got home.Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the hospital room. Ava’s pale face. Antonio’s rigid posture beside the bed. The way his presence filled space without sound. She had spent years learning how to manage men who tried to control her through volume and intimidation.Antonio did neither.That unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.By the time she returned to the hospital the next morning, the energy had shifted. Nurses whispered in clusters. Security lingered longer than usual near one wing. Minah did not need to ask why.Antonio had not left.She found him seated beside Ava’s bed, jacket folded neatly on the chair, his attention entirely on his daughter. Ava was awake now, her leg elevated in a cast, color slowly returning to her cheeks.“You came back,” Antonio said without looking up.“I said I would,” Minah replied.Ava smiled faintly. “She is the nice doctor.”Minah smiled back, checking vitals, testing responsiveness, watching caref

Minah did not thank Antonio.Not immediately.She stood in the lobby long after Coffee had been escorted out, her pulse still racing, her hands clenched at her sides. She was used to fear wearing a familiar face. Coffee had perfected that. Antonio wore fear differently. Quiet. Controlled. Predictable in a way that was far more dangerous.“You should not have come down here,” Antonio said at last.Minah turned toward him. “You should not have followed me.”His expression did not change. “You were not safe.”“I did not ask for protection.”“No,” he agreed calmly. “You did not.”The truth of that hung between them.Minah exhaled slowly. “You escalated things.”Antonio tilted his head slightly. “He escalated when he followed you to your workplace.”“That is not how the law will see it.”Antonio’s gaze sharpened. “The law does not see everything.”She folded her arms. “That is exactly what concerns me about you.”Something like approval flickered across his face. “Good.”They walked back t

The call came in just before noon. Multi vehicle collision. Highway pileup. Unknown casualties. Minah was already moving before the dispatcher finished speaking. The emergency department shifted instantly, controlled chaos snapping into place as stretchers were rolled out, trauma bays cleared, blood coolers unlocked. By the time the first ambulance arrived, the air smelled like antiseptic and panic. The first patient was a teenage boy, glass embedded in his forearm, blood soaking through the gauze. The second was worse. A woman unconscious, pupils sluggish, chest barely rising. Minah barked orders without hesitation, hands steady even as her heart pounded. She did not feel her phone vibrate. Outside, sirens screamed one after another, a relentless procession of damage and grief. A delivery truck had jackknifed across three lanes. Cars had piled into one another like metal bones breaking on impact. Some victims walked in bleeding. Others did not walk at all. Minah stitched, stab

Antonio took the call as the sun rose. The estate was still, the kind of quiet that existed only in places built for privacy. He stood near the window, phone pressed to his ear, listening as voices from three different time zones filtered through the line. Shipping routes. Regulatory pressure. A delayed transfer in Europe that required his presence. “Yes,” Antonio said calmly. “I will handle it in person.” A pause followed. “Tonight,” he added. When the call ended, he remained where he was, watching the light spill across the grounds. Business required movement. Presence. Authority. Some things could not be delegated. Ava sat at the kitchen island, carefully spreading jam across toast with the concentration of someone determined to do it right. “You’re leaving,” she said without looking up. Antonio turned. “Yes.” “For long.” “Not long,” he replied. “A few days.” Ava frowned. “Can I come.” He crossed the room and knelt beside her. “That depends.” “On what.” “On how you fe