Chapter 20 #2
His jaw clenched.
“I’m literally lying in a hospital bed, and she doesn’t care at all?”
“Don’t you get it?” Xavier blurted out in exasperation. “She probably doesn’t love you anymore.”
The room instantly went silent again.
Xavier, apparently unaware of the danger to his own life, continued talking.
“She didn’t even stay when you were sick and hospitalized. Why would she want to talk to you on the phone?”
Elias froze.
The anger on his face disappeared almost immediately.
His body went rigid, and the look in his eyes shifted so suddenly it felt like Xavier had physically punched him in the chest with a brick.
Cassian immediately smacked Xavier hard on the shoulder.
“Can you watch your mouth for once?” Cassian hissed at him. “He already ended up in the hospital because of her, and now you’re saying things like that? Do you want him stuck here for the next year?”
Xavier winced and rubbed his shoulder before letting out a long sigh.
“Fine,” he muttered reluctantly. “I’ll shut up.”
Suddenly, Xavier’s phone rang.
The sound cut through the tense atmosphere.
He pulled out his phone and answered casually at first, but within seconds, his expression changed completely.
His eyes widened.
“What?”
Cassian immediately looked over. “What happened?”
Xavier quickly hung up before looking between Cassian and Elias, his voice coming out shocked and breathless.
“Zoe is awake.”
Silence.
Then all three men moved at once.
Elias immediately shoved the blanket off himself and got out of bed while Cassian and Xavier rushed toward the door.
Since Zoe was staying in the same hospital, the three of them practically stormed down the hall toward her ward.
The moment they neared the room, they saw Maverick standing outside the door in the corridor.
The second he noticed them approaching, his expression darkened.
Before any of them could get closer to Zoe’s room, Maverick stepped directly into their path, blocking the entrance with his body.
His cold eyes swept across all three men.
“What exactly are you trying to do?” he asked sharply.
“Zoe is awake?” Elias questioned immediately, his voice tense with urgency.
Before Maverick could even respond, Elias grabbed his shoulder tightly.
“Is she alright? What does she need? We’ll get it for her. Did you call the doctor yet? Has he checked on Zoe?”
For a brief second, surprise flashed through Maverick’s eyes at the flood of worried questions.
But it disappeared just as quickly.
His expression hardened again.
“That’s none of your business,” Maverick said coldly. “Leave.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Cassian stepped forward with a frown. “Maverick, we all care about Zoe.”
“Then make him leave.” Maverick pointed directly at Elias without hesitation. “I don’t want him anywhere near her.”
Elias’s patience snapped instantly.
He shoved a hand against Maverick’s chest, forcing him back half a step.
“Have you lost your mind?” Elias growled. “I care about her too. Move out of the way and let me see her.”
Maverick’s eyes flashed with anger.
He immediately shoved Elias back just as hard, his hand slamming against Elias’s shoulder.
“You’re not going anywhere near her,” Maverick snapped furiously. “I already told you I don’t want you close to Zoe.”
His jaw tightened dangerously.
“Why do you even want to see her?” he continued bitterly. “So you can manipulate her into not punishing your wife for what she did to us?”
Elias stared at him in disbelief.
“Do you seriously think I’d manipulate her?” he shot back sharply. “Have you completely lost your mind? I already told you Amara had nothing to do with the accident, but you’re still clinging to that story.”
His voice rose.
“Have you even asked Zoe what actually happened?”
“I don’t need to ask her anything!” Maverick barked back. “I was in the car with her. I know it wasn’t her fault.”
He roughly slammed his palm against Elias’s chest again, pushing him backward.
“Leave right now,” Maverick growled loudly. “I don’t want you anywhere near Zoe.”
His furious voice echoed through the hospital corridor.
But just then, a soft voice came from inside the room.
“…Elias?”
Everyone froze.
Even through the weakness and roughness in her voice, it was clearly Zoe.
A second later, her voice came again from inside the room.
“Maverick… let him come in. What are you doing?”
Maverick’s jaw clenched tightly.
He shot Elias one final hard warning look before finally stepping aside.
The moment the doctors finished their checkup and left the room, the atmosphere quieted slightly.
Elias immediately stepped toward Zoe’s bed, but Maverick instantly grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back.
“Don’t get close to her.”
Zoe looked between them in confusion from the hospital bed.
Her face still looked pale, and her voice remained weak.
“What is going on?” she asked softly. “What are you doing? Aren’t you two best friends? What happened now?”
Maverick’s expression turned dark immediately.
He looked at Zoe before pointing toward Elias angrily.
“What happened,” he said bitterly, “is that he married the damn woman who hit your car and put you in this fucking hospital bed.”
Zoe’s face instantly went white.
Her lips parted slightly in shock before her eyes slowly shifted toward Elias.
“You married… Amara?” she whispered.
Elias nodded once.
“Yes.”
Cassian suddenly frowned deeply beside them.
“Wait,” he interrupted sharply.
Everyone looked toward him.
Cassian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Zoe.
“How did you know the person who hit your car was Amara?” he asked slowly. “You remember who you collided with?”
His expression became suspicious.
“How is that even possible? The cars were coming from opposite directions. You wouldn’t have been able to clearly see who was driving.”
Zoe froze.
A flicker of guilt crossed her face for the briefest second.
Maverick noticed it immediately.
His brows slowly furrowed.
“…Zoe?”
Zoe lowered her eyes nervously and twisted the hospital blanket tightly in her fingers.
Then, after a long silence, she finally spoke quietly.
“Actually… that accident…”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“It was my fault.”
The room fell completely silent.
Shock spread across everyone’s faces instantly.
Zoe lowered her eyes shakily, her fingers twisting tightly around the hospital blanket.
For a few seconds, she stayed silent as if gathering the courage to speak.
Then, quietly, she confessed, “I liked Elias.”
The room remained deathly still.
Tears slowly filled her eyes as she continued in a trembling voice.
“That night… at the party…” Her throat tightened slightly. “I overheard everyone talking about how Elias liked Amara too… and that he was planning to confess to her and ask her to be his girlfriend.”
Her breathing became uneven.
“When I saw Amara’s car on the road later, my mind was completely distracted.” Zoe’s voice cracked softly. “The only thing I could think about was that Elias was going to propose to her.”
She lowered her head further in shame.
“I don’t even fully remember what happened after that. My mind just went blank… and then I lost control of the car and crashed into Amara’s.”
Silence swallowed the room whole.
Zoe slowly lifted her tear-filled eyes toward Elias.
“I’m sorry, Elias,” she whispered hoarsely. “I never meant to hurt Amara. I really didn’t. I just… lost control for a moment.”
Maverick had gone completely rigid beside the bed.
Disbelief was written all over his face.
He immediately strode toward Zoe and bent down beside her, his brows tightly furrowed.
“Zoe, are you sure?” he asked tensely. “How is that even possible?”
His expression looked shaken and confused.
“Are you lying to protect Elias and Amara?”
Zoe immediately shook her head.
“No.” Her voice trembled harder now. “I’m the one who owes both Amara and you an apology.”
Maverick stared at her silently, unable to process her words.
Even Elias looked tense.
His eyes remained fixed on Zoe for several seconds before he finally spoke quietly.
“It’s good that you’re awake now.”
Zoe gave a weak nod.
A sad smile appeared faintly on her pale face.
“I hope you and Amara live a happy life together,” she said softly. “And I’ll tell the police everything that happened. I’ll accept whatever punishment comes for the accident.”
“Zoe—”
Maverick immediately frowned and moved closer to her bed.
His face looked troubled.
“You just woke up from a coma. Why are you already talking about punishment and police?”
Before he could continue, Zoe slowly reached up and held his hand weakly.
A sad expression appeared in her eyes as she whispered, “I know you love me.”
Her fingers tightened around his hand slightly.
“But the accident was my fault, brother. I hurt you… and I hurt Amara badly too because of my carelessness.”
“I don’t care,” Maverick said instantly.
His voice rose emotionally as he pointed at himself.
“Look at me. I’m completely fine now.”
Zoe looked at him quietly for a moment before whispering softly, “I know.”
Maverick’s jaw tightened.
Unable to meet her eyes anymore, he turned his head away.
His gaze landed on Elias.
For the first time since the accident, when their eyes met, Elias didn’t see hatred in Maverick’s expression.
The anger and resentment that had been there for months had finally weakened.
Neither of them spoke.
But the silence between them no longer felt as hostile as before.
After a long moment, Maverick finally straightened and looked toward everyone else in the room.
“Everyone out,” he said firmly. “Zoe needs rest.”
No one argued.
One by one, they quietly walked out of the hospital room.
***
Elias stepped out of the elevator in a daze, only to find himself standing outside Amara’s apartment.
He stared at the door silently, his chest rising and falling unevenly. His mind was still spinning, Zoe’s words echoing endlessly in his head.
A moment later, he pulled out his phone and called Amara.
The call rang once.
Twice.
No answer.