Chapter 5 - The Fragile Heartbeats
At eight that evening, Daniel Hayes’s clinic in Gold Coast was dimly lit, the waiting room empty except for the soft hum of the radiator.
Elena sat on the examination table in a soft blue paper gown, her knees drawn up toward her chest as she stared out the rain-streaked window.
Daniel walked in carrying a warm blanket and a glass of electrolyte water, pulling a rolling stool beside her.
"Your blood pressure is spiking again, Elena," Daniel said gently, placing the blanket over her cold feet. "Emotional shock is the worst thing for twins in the first trimester. You need strict bed rest."
"Where am I supposed to rest, Daniel?" Elena asked, a tear rolling down her lip. "My things are still at the townhouse. Every corner of that place smells like him."
The clinic's front bell chimed softly, followed by heavy, purposeful footsteps down the carpeted hallway.
Elena froze, clutching the paper gown tighter around her neck as Adrian appeared in the doorway of the examination room.
He looked completely undone—his hair wild from the storm, his expensive tie discarded, his knuckles raw and red from the freezing cold.
"Daniel, please," Elena begged, turning her face toward the wall. "I told you not to let him in."
"I didn't let him in," Daniel said, looking at Adrian with stern disapproval. "He owns thirty percent of the medical park's mortgage. But that doesn't mean he gets to disturb my patient."
Adrian didn't look at the doctor; he kept his eyes pinned to Elena’s bowed head, dropping to both knees right on the linoleum floor beside her bed.
The billionaire whose name terrified city aldermen was kneeling in the dirt of his own remorse, resting his forehead against the metal railing of the examination table.
"I know about Julian Vance," Adrian said, his voice trembling with an agonizing humility.
"I know about your brother's watch. I know about David's letter. And I know Victor Sterling orchestrated the surveillance photos to tear us apart."
Elena’s head snapped toward him, her breath hitching in her chest as she took in his broken posture.
"You... you found out?"
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"Victor is gone. The settlement papers are ashes in my fireplace," Adrian said, lifting his head to look directly into her tearful eyes.
"I don't expect you to forgive me tonight, Elena. I don't even expect you to let me sleep under the same roof. But please, let me take care of you. Let me protect our babies."
