Chapter 16 #2
That only made Amara even angrier.
She twisted her wrists sharply, trying to pull free from his grip, but Elias refused to let her go.
“Have you forgotten already?” she snapped, her voice shaking with anger. “The day before you left for Australia… at that business party in Phantom Club—you lied to me. You said you’d be late because of work, but you were actually bringing Bianca inside with you!”
Her chest rose and fell heavily with emotion.
“And then,” she continued bitterly, “you left me alone for three fucking months after telling me you were going on a business trip.”
Her eyes locked onto his.
“But Bianca was with you, wasn’t she? You were just having your vacation in Australia with her.”
Elias immediately tried to interrupt.
“I already explained this to you,” he said quickly. “What happened at the party was a coincidence. She just happened to arrive at the same time as me—I didn’t bring her as my partner. And as for Australia… yes, Bianca was there, but there was a reason for that.”
Amara let out a sharp laugh filled with disbelief.
“Oh, I know there was a reason,” she snapped mockingly. “The reason is currently lying in this bed in front of me pretending he’s innocent after nearly ending up in another woman’s vagina.”
Her words came out colder and harsher with every second.
“So don’t even try to fool me.”
She yanked harder against his hold again.
“Let go of me.”
Her face twisted with disgust as she glared at him.
“I don’t want to be anywhere near you. You make me sick.”
The moment those words left her mouth, Elias went still.
Completely still.
For the first time since she entered the room, something that looked dangerously close to fear flashed across his face.
Because he suddenly realized she wasn’t simply angry anymore.
She genuinely looked disgusted by him.
And the thought of Amara looking at him that way made something inside him die completely—like it had been torn out by the roots, leaving nothing behind but a cold, unbearable hollow.
Elias clenched his eyes shut tightly for a moment, his jaw tense as if he was forcing himself to make a difficult decision.
Then he finally opened his eyes and looked directly at Amara.
“It wasn’t a business trip,” he admitted quietly.
Amara immediately narrowed her eyes at him.
“Clearly,” she said coldly. “Like I said, I’m not stu—”
Before she could finish, Elias cut her off firmly.
“It wasn’t a business trip,” he repeated, “but I wasn’t there with Bianca on a vacation either.”
His grip around her wrists loosened slightly as he stared at her seriously.
“I’m not having an affair with Bianca.”
Amara immediately opened her mouth to argue back, but Elias continued before she could interrupt him.
“I was there because of Zoe.”
Amara froze slightly.
Confusion instantly appeared on her face.
“...What?”
Elias looked tense now, almost like he was struggling to figure out how to explain everything properly.
His fingers slowly released one of her wrists while the other hand remained around her waist to keep her from moving away.
After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke again in a low voice.
“After Zoe got into that car accident with your car… she slipped into a coma.”
Amara’s body instantly went still. Her eyes widened in shock.
“What?”
She had known Zoe had been in an accident on the same day as her.
But she had never known—
It was the same accident.
For a second, her breathing became uneven.
Elias immediately noticed the change in her expression. His gaze softened slightly.
Still holding her wrists with one hand, he slowly lifted his other hand to her face and gently cupped her cheek.
“Don’t,” he muttered quietly when he saw panic and guilt appearing in her eyes. “Don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault.”
Amara stayed silent, her mind visibly spinning.
Elias took a slow breath before continuing.
“After the accident, Zoe never woke up.” His voice lowered further. “She slipped into a coma.”
His expression darkened slightly as he continued explaining.
“Maverick was in the same car with her that night. He injured his spine badly.”
Amara listened quietly while Elias spoke.
“You know they don’t really have anyone,” he continued tiredly. “It’s just Zoe and Maverick. No parents. No family.”
His jaw tightened.
“So when both of them got hurt, everything became a mess.”
He looked away briefly before continuing.
Amara’s eyes widened slightly.
Elias exhaled slowly.
“The doctors actually declared Zoe dead at one point,” he said, his voice roughening. “So when I heard that she’s slipped into a coma, I lied to Maverick.”
Amara frowned immediately.
“I told him Zoe was already dead.”
The room fell silent.
Amara stared at him in disbelief.
Elias clenched his jaw tightly before continuing.
“If I had told him she was still alive, he never would’ve focused on recovering,” he said, frustration cutting across his face. “He would’ve destroyed himself trying to treat her instead of focusing on standing on his own two feet again.”
His jaw tightened as he exhaled sharply.
“The doctors made it very clear—his injuries were severe. Without proper rehabilitation and treatment, there was a real chance he might never walk again.” His eyes darkened slightly. “I had to make sure both Zoe and Maverick were taken care of.”
He lowered his eyes briefly.
“So I took responsibility for Zoe while Maverick went to Germany for treatment and rehabilitation.”
Amara remained completely silent now.
Elias continued quietly,
“Zoe was being treated in Australia until three months ago, and I handled everything for her.”
His expression became visibly exhausted just remembering it.
“But her condition wasn’t improving,” he admitted. “And it was difficult for me to closely look after her while living here.”
His grip around Amara loosened further.
Finally, he looked back at her seriously.
“So I decided to bring Zoe back to Manhattan.”
He rubbed a hand tiredly across his forehead before continuing.
“I couldn’t keep flying overseas constantly to check on her and take care of her treatment.”
Amara stared at him for a long moment before finally speaking quietly.
“Then… Bianca?”
Her voice still carried suspicion and doubt.
Elias immediately answered.
“Bianca has the same blood type as Zoe.”
Amara blinked in surprise.
Elias nodded slightly.
“She’s been donating blood regularly for Zoe.”
He leaned back against the bed tiredly before continuing.
“Even though I can arrange blood through hospitals, Zoe’s condition requires constant transfusions to keep her organs functioning while she’s in a coma.” His eyes darkened slightly. “And sometimes the supply runs short.”
Amara stayed silent.
“That’s why Bianca was with me in Australia,” Elias explained calmly. “I asked her to help because Zoe needed her blood donations regularly.”
He looked directly into Amara’s eyes.
“She went there to help me bring Zoe back and get her admitted into a hospital here.”
Amara clearly looked shaken by the news.
Until now, she had no idea that her accident had happened at the same time as Zoe’s, or that their cars had collided.
She herself had been so badly injured that it had taken her months to recover, but she had never imagined Zoe had fallen into a coma because of it.
Elias’s hand rose to her face, his fingers sliding under her chin as he gently turned her toward him. His dark eyes locked onto hers, filled with desperation and sincerity.
“I promise I never betrayed you,” he said quietly, his voice rough with emotion. “I never touched Bianca inappropriately. I never cheated on you. I never even held her hand, Amara. Not once.”
His grip on her face tightened slightly as he leaned closer, his forehead nearly brushing hers.
“I swear to you,” he whispered.
His lips brushed softly against the corner of her mouth before he pulled back just enough to look at her again. His thumb stroked lightly against her cheek as his voice turned quieter, almost pleading.
“Can we just go home now?” he murmured. “I don’t like it when you’re not home with me. The house feels empty without you.” His jaw tightened before he admitted in a lower voice, “I miss you.”
Amara stared at him for a second before letting out a dry laugh.
“You weren’t even home most of the time,” she said. “What exactly are you missing?”
Elias frowned immediately.
“You call me so often it’s impossible not to miss you,” he shot back. “You’re on my call list more than Felix!
Amara rolled her eyes and tried to pull herself out of his hold, but his arms immediately tightened around her waist, dragging her closer against his chest.
“There’s seriously something wrong with you,” she snapped. “We’re still divorced.”
Elias looked genuinely offended.
His brows furrowed sharply as frustration flashed across his face. His arms locked tighter around her waist while he stared down at her intensely.
“The only reason I agreed to the divorce was because I thought you’d never actually go through with it,” he snapped. “Don’t you understand? I don’t want to divorce you. I never wanted to divorce you.”
Silence fell heavily between them.
But instead of softening, Amara’s expression changed completely. The shock on her face slowly turned into anger and disappointment.
She stared at him in disbelief.
“So you never even took me seriously?” she asked bitterly. “Even when I told you I wanted a divorce?”
Elias looked caught off guard.
“That’s not what I mea—”
“I knew it,” she cried out, her voice shaking with anger. “You never take me seriously, Elias!”
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as tears of frustration burned in her eyes.
“I have no desire to stay in a marriage where I’m disappointed every single day for the rest of my life.” Her voice cracked slightly, but she forced herself to continue. “You think I have no self-respect. You think I’ll always stay no matter what you do.”
She looked straight into his eyes, her expression trembling with pain and fury.