All Chapters of My Possessive CEO (Can love conquer pain?): Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

“Get down!”The command rips out of me as the second explosion tears through the night.The ground shudders beneath our feet.Maria doesn’t react.Of course she doesn’t.So I grab her—hard—dragging her down just as debris rains across the street behind us. Glass. Metal. Burning fragments of whatever used to be that building.The world is noise.Sirens.Screams.Gunfire—distant now, but still there.And fire.Everywhere.I pull her up again.“Move.”She resists.Just slightly.Enough to slow us down.“Release,” she says flatly.“No.”Her head turns toward the flames.Watching.Too focused.Too calm.“Maria!” I snap, forcing her to look at me.Her eyes meet mine.Empty.Still empty.But there’s something else now—interference.Like something inside her is trying to surface.Fighting through whatever he did to her.Good.That means she’s still in there.“She’s adapting,” I mutter.Or breaking.I don’t know which is worse.Another blast echoes behind us.Closer this time.The building gr

“NO!”The word tears out of me as Maria’s body hits the ground.Again.Not again.I’m already moving before the echo of the gunshot fades—dropping beside her, hands shaking for the first time in years.“Maria—!”Blood.More blood.Too much.My vision narrows, locking onto the spot just below her ribs where the bullet tore through. Fresh. Spreading. Stealing her from me one second at a time.“Who fired?!” I roar.Silence.No one answers.Because whoever did—they’re gone.Or worse—they’re still watching.I shove that thought aside.Focus.Now.“She’s losing blood fast,” one of my men says.“Then stop stating the obvious and do something!” I snap.But I’m already doing it.My hand presses hard against the wound.She gasps—sharp—weak—alive.Good.Stay alive.“You’re not dying here,” I say, voice low, deadly, like I can command it into reality.Her eyes flutter.Barely.“Leon…”There.That voice—that fragile, breaking voice—still hers.“I’m here,” I say immediately. “Stay with me.”

“Flatline in three—”“No.”The word slices through the room before the medic can finish.Monitors scream.A sharp, continuous tone that doesn’t belong to the living.My hand tightens around hers.Cold.Too cold.“Do something!” someone shouts.“I am.”But it’s not enough.It’s not working.It’s not—“Pulse lost,” the medic says, faster now. “We need to—”“No.”Again.Harder.Louder.Because saying it once wasn’t enough.Because if I don’t keep saying it—it becomes real.“She’s coding,” another voice cuts in.“I know what that means.”“Then let us—”“No one takes over.”My voice drops.Dangerous.Final.They freeze.Of course they do.Because they know that tone.They know what happens when I’m pushed too far.But this—This is past that.“She dies if we don’t intervene,” the medic says carefully.I look at her.Really look.Maria.Still.Silent.Gone.No.Not gone.Not allowed.“Tell me what to do,” I say.A beat.Then—“Chest compressions,” he answers quickly. “Now.”I move instantl

“Don’t move.”The command rips out of me the second her body jerks.Too fast.Too sudden.Her eyes snap open.Wide.Terrified.“Maria—”She gasps.Sharp.Violent.Like she’s drowning.Like she just surfaced from something deep and dark—and it’s still pulling her back.“No—no—get away—!”Her hand lashes out blindly.Weak—but desperate.I catch it instantly.“Stop. It’s me.”Her gaze locks onto mine.But there’s no recognition.Only fear.Raw.Unfiltered.“No…” she whispers, shaking her head frantically. “No, you’re not—”Her breathing spirals.Faster.Unstable.Her pulse spikes under my grip.“Easy,” I say, lowering my voice. “You’re safe.”“I’m not safe!” she snaps, her voice breaking. “I’m never safe—!”Her body tries to rise.Pain hits her instantly.She cries out—collapsing back against the bed.“Don’t move,” I repeat, sharper this time.“Don’t tell me what to do!” she chokes out.Her eyes dart around the room.Searching.Panicking.Calculating escape.There isn’t one.And she kn

“Don’t come closer.”The words hit before I even move.Sharp.Immediate.Final.I stop.Not because I have to—Because I see it.The shift.Her body is still.Too still.Her breathing—controlled now, not panicked.And her eyes—They’re not wild anymore.They’re distant.Empty in a different way.“Maria,” I say carefully.She doesn’t respond.Not right away.Her gaze drifts past me—like I’m not even here.Like I’m already gone.“Stay there,” she adds quietly.Not fear this time.Not desperation.Decision.Something inside me tightens.“This isn’t fear,” I say.“No,” she agrees.A beat.“It’s choice.”Silence settles between us.Heavy.Unfamiliar.Because I know fear.I know panic.I know how to fight those.But this—This is something else.“I thought you said you didn’t want me gone,” I say.“I don’t,” she replies softly.“Then what is this?”Her lips press together briefly.Like she’s choosing her words carefully.Like each one matters.“It’s distance.”The word lands wrong.I don’t