All Chapters of Rented Husband : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Chapter Thirty-OneThe hospital was a blur of white lights and sterile walls.We'd broken at least seven traffic laws getting here. Bella had driven, thank God, because I couldn't stop shaking long enough to hold the steering wheel. Her car smelled like coffee and panic, and neither of us had said a word the entire ride. There was nothing to say. Adrian was hurt. That was all that mattered.I burst through the emergency room doors first, Bella right behind me."Adrian Whitmore," I gasped at the reception desk. "We're here for Adrian Whitmore. He was in an accident."The nurse behind the desk, middle-aged, tired-eyed, clearly overworked typed something into her computer. "I'm not showing a patient under that name.""What?" My heart stopped. "That can't be right. We got a call. He was in an accident.""Let me check again." She typed slower this time, her brow furrowing. "I'm sorry, ma'am. There's no Adrian Whitmore in our system."I felt the floor tilt beneath me. Bella grabbed my arm.

Chapter Thirty-ThreeSylvia’s POV The doctor's words echoed in my ears."Stable. Critical but stable. We've managed to stop the internal bleeding, but he's in a coma. We don't know when he'll wake up. It should be anytime soon."Stable. The word should have brought relief. But all I felt was a hollow ache in my chest. Adrian was alive. But he wasn't awake. He wasn't here. He wasn't looking at me with those warm eyes, telling me everything was going to be okay.I didn't hear the rest of what the doctor said. Something about monitoring, about tests, about waiting. William asked questions, calm, controlled, businesslike. Romano nodded along, his jaw tight. Bella stayed by my side, her hand never leaving mine.And then, somehow, I was walking. Down a corridor. Past nurses and doctors and beeping machines. Past waiting rooms filled with tired faces and anxious eyes. Past vending machines and water coolers and posters about hand hygiene. Until I found a bathroom.I pushed through the door

Chapter Thirty-Five"Sylvia?" Bella called after me. "Sylvia, where are you going?"I didn't answer. I just kept walking. Past the nurses' station. Past the waiting room. Past the elevator that would take me down, away from all of this.And then I stopped.Because I realized where my feet had carried me.Adrian's room.The door was closed. But I could see light spilling from beneath it. He was awake. He was alone. And I needed answers.I pushed open the door.Adrian was sitting up in bed, his face still pale, his arms still marked with tubes and wires. He looked fragile. Broken. But the moment he saw me, something flickered in his eyes. Relief. Fear. Guilt. All of it, tangled together."Sylvia." His voice was hoarse. "You came back.""I didn't come back." I closed the door behind me, my heart pounding. "I came for answers."He nodded slowly, his jaw tight. "I owe you that.""You owe me more than that." I walked toward him, stopping at the foot of his bed. "You owe me the truth. The wh

Chapter Thirty-SevenThe hotel room was too quiet.I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands clenched in my lap, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. Bella was in the chair by the window, her knees pulled up to her chest, her eyes fixed on the door. Romano stood by the window, his back to us, his shoulders tense.No one spoke.But I couldn't take the silence anymore."Who gave you the orders?"Romano didn't turn. "What?""You heard me." I stood up, my voice shaking. "You said you were acting on orders. Whose orders?"He was quiet for a long moment. Then he turned to face me, his expression heavy."Adrian's."The word hit me like a physical blow. "What?""He called me. Right before I found you at the hospital. He told me to get you out. No matter what. Even if it meant leaving him behind."I stared at him, my mind reeling. "He told you to leave him? To leave him in a burning building?""He knew I would argue. He knew I would refuse. So he made me promise." Romano's voic

Chapter Thirty-NineSylvia’s POV The morning light came through the windows differently here.Softer. Slower. Like the sun itself had decided to take its time. I woke to the smell of coffee drifting up the stairs, and for a moment, just a moment, I forgot everything. Forgot the threats. Forgot the fire. Forgot the secrets and lies and the man who wanted us dead.I just lay there, watching the dust motes dance in the sunlight, and let myself pretend that this was just a normal morning. In a normal house. With normal people.I got dressed slowly, jeans, a sweater I'd borrowed from Bella, my hair loose around my shoulders. I didn't bother with makeup. I didn't bother with anything. For the first time in weeks, I didn't feel like I had to be ready for a fight.When I walked downstairs, I found Romano in the kitchen.He was standing at the stove, a spatula in his hand, flipping pancakes with the kind of focus he usually reserved for business deals. He was wearing an old t-shirt and sweatp