Orion's POV

What am I supposed to do? Nobody gives you a manual on how to handle things like this.

Chloe had taken a bullet for me tonight. She had risked her life again, to save mine. Could I really abandon her now, knowing she might wake up alone, confused, and in pain?

And yet, how could I stay here when Holly is missing and Ava could be in danger?

Rose’s voice cracked as she whispered, “Please, Mr Miller. I need your help to find them quickly. They’re your family.”

I clenched my fists, the weight of the decision crushing me. Stay by the side of the woman who just risked her life for me, or go out into the night to find the woman I couldn’t live without?

The moment dragged, every second feeling like an eternity.

Before I could answer, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the waiting room. A security guard appeared, his face grim as he turned to face Rose.

“Ma'am,” he said, addressing her directly. “The camera caught a disturbance in the parking lot earlier this afternoon. Two unidentified men were seen leaving in a black SUV—one of them was carrying what looked like a body.”

The room seemed to tilt as the words sank in. My chest tightened, and my vision blurred with red-hot fury.

I thought Ava hired some security to stand watch right outside Holly's private room? What the heck were they doing when she was being rolled away?

Rose’s hands flew to her mouth as she let out a strangled sob. “Oh God... Holly!”

I didn’t wait for an explanation. My feet were already moving, my mind a storm of rage and fear.

But just as I got close to the door, a nurse's voice rang out. “Sir! The surgery was successful, Ms Chloe is awake and she asked to see you immediately.”

And just like that, I found myself faced with a choice I couldn’t escape.

Stay and honor the woman who saved my life, or chase after the woman who was my life.

The weight of everything crashed down on me like a tsunami. My fists clenched at my sides as I turned toward the nurse who had stopped me.

“Sir,” she repeated, her tone urgent but calm, “She’s awake and asking for you. She’s agitated and thrashing around. We really need you to see her before she causes more harm to herself.”

I felt like I was being torn apart. My mind screamed at me to go with Rose, to search for Holly and Ava. But my body betrayed me. My feet moved as if on autopilot, carrying me down the sterile hallway toward Chloe’s room.

What the hell am I doing?

When I stepped inside, the chaos was an eyesore. Chloe was standing on the hospital bed, her good arm flailing as a nurse tried to calm her down. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were wild. The IV tube dangled dangerously close to being yanked out.

“I want to see him! I need to see him now!” she shouted, her voice cracking with desperation.

Her eyes locked on mine the moment I entered, and just like that, her entire demeanor shifted. The rage, the panic, all of it melted away. Her eyes softened, filling with relief, and she opened her arms wide, beckoning me.

“Orion,” she breathed, tears streaming down her face.

I took a deep breath and strode toward her, my jaw tightening with every step. Ignoring her open arms, I gently guided her back onto the bed, her gesture to hug me hanging in the air like a question I refused to answer.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, my voice clipped but steady.

Chloe’s lips quivered, and she grabbed my hand with her uninjured one, holding on like I was her lifeline. “It’s... unbearable,” she whimpered, her head falling dramatically against my shoulder. “The pain... it’s excruciating. But it doesn’t matter, Orion. None of it matters because I’d do it again. For you. I’d take a hundred bullets for you.”

My teeth clenched as I resisted the urge to pull away. Her shoulder was neatly bandaged, and she didn’t seem to be in any real agony, yet her words were laced with a deliberate mix of vulnerability and manipulation.

“Chloe,” I said, my tone firm as I shifted slightly to dislodge her head from my shoulder. “You need to rest. I have something urgent I need to—”

Her grip tightened, her nails digging into my skin as tears welled in her eyes again. “Is this what I get for saving you? For putting myself in harm’s way so you could live?” she cried, her voice rising. “Go ahead then, Orion. Leave. Just leave me here. Alone.”

The tears fell freely now, her sobs racking her body. I knew what she was doing. She was pulling every emotional string, manipulating me into staying. And damn it, it was working.

“I didn’t ask you to do this, Chloe,” I said softly, trying to keep the frustration from seeping into my voice.

“But I did,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Because I love you, Orion. And I’ll always protect you, no matter what it costs me.”

Her words hit me like a hammer to the chest, and for a moment, I was frozen. Love? Was that what this was? Or was it something darker—an obsession she couldn’t let go of?

I didn't argue further. I gave in, not because I'm not aware of what she's doing, but because she got hurt trying to protect me.

Minutes ticked by as I sat there, her head still resting on my shoulder, her grip unwavering. The weight of her words, of her actions, pressed down on me, suffocating me.

Eventually, the effects of the drugs kicked in. Her breathing slowed, her grip loosened, and she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

I carefully disentangled myself from her, my body stiff as I stood and tucked her in. The clock on the wall read nearly 4 a.m. My mind screamed at me to leave, to focus on finding Holly and Ava.

I stepped out into the hallway, my fingers already dialing Rose’s number. The phone rang once, twice, and then—

I froze.

Standing in the dimly lit hallway, I saw something that made my blood turn to ice. My breath caught, my body locking in place as the sight before me sank in.

What am I supposed to do now?

The phone slipped from my hand, clattering to the floor as the weight of it all hit me like a cargo train.