“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 strokedlightly 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.”
