All Chapters of The Cost Of Surrender : Chapter 31 - Chapter 34

The ambulance doors slammed shut with a sound that felt final. Minah flinched as the vehicle lurched forward, the motion sending pain rippling through her body in sharp, unforgiving waves. The ceiling lights above her blurred into white streaks, too bright, too close. Every vibration of the road traveled straight through her bones. “Minah,” a voice said, firm but calm. “Stay with me.” She tried to turn her head and immediately regretted it. Pain bloomed behind her eyes, thick and suffocating, stealing her breath. A groan slipped out before she could stop it. “I know,” the paramedic said quickly. “I know. Don’t move your head.” Hands pressed gently but securely at her temples, holding her still. The smell of antiseptic filled her nose, sharp and grounding, clashing violently with the lingering memory of cologne and broken glass. Her body shook uncontrollably. She couldn’t stop it. Shock, someone said. She caught the word like a lifeline as it floated above her, detached from me

Antonio arrived at the hospital without announcing himself. No sirens. No spectacle. Just quiet authority moving through automatic doors as if the building had learned to recognize him. His men stayed back where he told them to. This was not a moment for intimidation. This was personal. The smell hit him first. Antiseptic and metal and something underneath it he didn’t want to name. He nodded once at the doctor who approached him, already holding a chart, eyes cautious. “She’s alive,” the man said quickly. Antonio didn’t respond. He waited. “Head trauma. Concussion. Lacerations. Extensive bruising. She’ll recover, but—” “But,” Antonio repeated softly. The doctor hesitated. “She was beaten badly.” Antonio closed his eyes for exactly one breath. He had honored her boundary. Pulled his perimeter back. Trusted her strength. Trusted his restraint. Seven minutes. That number had lodged into him like shrapnel. “Can I see her,” Antonio asked. The question was not a request. The