The news hit him like a physical blow.
Sadie’s desperate call for help replayed like a ghost in his mind, gripping him with a newfound panic.
“Is it serious?” His voice quavered despite his best efforts to remain composed.
Samuel’s eyes held a grave light as he responded, “Her injuries are quite severe. The doctors are still evaluating her condition.”
Restlessness took over-Noah grabbed his coat and hurried out of the office without a second thought.
“Get the car ready!” he bellowed, the command sharp in the quiet of the hallway, his mind a whirlwind of regret and confusion.
What the hell was he thinking, hanging up on her like that? Why had he been so cruel?
And if-God forbid-something were to happen to her, how would he ever forgive himself?
An unfamiliar fear, cold and suffocating, clenched around his heart. Samuel watched from the doorway as Noah disappeared down the hallway.
It was painfully clear to him that despite Noah’s own denials, he harbored deep feelings for Sadie. Yet, Noah was blind to his own heart, trapped in a stubborn lie he had crafted around himself. Samuel shook his head sadly.
If Sadie were to truly walk away, Noah’s regret would be immense. Behind the wheel, Noah drove with mechanical precision to the city hospital, his face set in a stoic, impenetrable mask.
Yet, the sweat gathering on his palms as they gripped the steering wheel betrayed the chaos roiling inside him.
Meanwhile, in the hospital room, after Kyla had left, Sadie finally allowed the tears she had been holding back to fall.
She was shattered, unable to fathom how Noah could have become so callous, wishing death upon her and their unborn child.
“Sadie…” As Alex walked back in, a sharp pang clenched his heart at the sight of her misery.
He tenderly offered her a tissue, his touch gentle. “There’s more to life than this heartache. You’re not trapped by a single choice.”
Sadie’s head bowed low, and from her lips escaped a frail, whispery admission. “I don’t want him anymore. I just want this ache in my heart to fade away.”
Alex hesitated, his words catching in his throat. “Well…”
He trailed off, the weight of his thoughts manifesting in a heavy sigh. Slowly, he reached out, drawing Sadie into a tender embrace, his hand patting her back with a steady, comforting rhythm.
“Sadie, there’s no need to pretend you’re not hurting,” he murmured gently.
The warmth from his embrace seemed to dissolve the barriers Sadie had built around her emotions, and tears cascaded down her cheeks, each drop heavier than the last.
In that vulnerable moment, the door to the hospital room slammed open with a jarring bang.
“Sadie! How are you?” The urgency in Noah’s voice was palpable, his words laced with a tremor that betrayed his concern.
Caught in the midst of her tears, Sadie froze, her sobs suspended.
Noah’s tone shifted suddenly, the warmth seeping out to leave a chill. “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded, his eyes narrowing into a frosty glare as they swept across Alex’s comforting hold on Sadie, fixating on Alex’s arms encircling her.
That sight struck Noah like a thorn, his gaze stinging with betrayal and a burgeoning rage flaring within him.
Alex let Sadie go and turned to confront Noah.
Despite their history of close friendship, Alex’s anger was palpable, fueled by Noah’s absence when Sadie faced her darkest hours. “So you finally decided to show up?” Alex’s tone was icy, each word dripping with contempt and unspoken accusations.
With rage simmering in his eyes, Noah marched toward him, his steps like a predator closing in.
His formidable presence loomed over Alex, his eyes piercing with an unyielding intensity.
“Sadie is my wife,” he yelled, his voice a blend of command and raw emotion. “Keep your hands off her!”
Unfazed, Alex held his ground, his retort sharp and biting. “Is that your definition of a husband? Because last I checked, Sadie was-” He stopped short, his voice choked with a mix of sorrow and anger clouded Alex’s face. Regaining his composure, he said, “Listen, Noah, if you’re not going to look out for her, stay the hell out of her way. You don’t deserve her!”
Every word struck deep, making it harder for Noah to keep himself together. The anger building inside him erupted, shattering his once calm exterior.
With a roar, Noah threw a punch at Alex. “And you think you deserve her? Dream on, Alex. You really think you can take her from me? Go ahead and try-I’ll rip you apart!”
Jealousy and rage roiled within Noah, untamed and ferocious, threatening to consume him entirely.
Alex, taken aback, barely had time to brace himself before the punch landed. His head whipped to the side, and a thin line of blood traced down from the corner of his mouth.
Calmly, Alex wiped the blood away, his gaze steady and unflinching, a silent promise of retaliation gleaming in his eyes.
Sadie, her heart pounding with shock at the sudden violence, stepped in hurriedly. Her voice, though firm, trembled slightly as she said, “Noah, stop it right now!”
Noah, however, seemed unfazed by her plea. He turned to face her, his smile cold and mocking. “What? Scared for your lover?” he sneered.
“What bullshit are you even saying?” Sadie snapped back, disbelief filling her. She couldn’t believe the once-dignified man she knew could descend into such pettiness.
Seizing the moment, Alex grabbed Noah’s collar and pulled him close. “If you have a problem, take it up with me. Leave Sadie out of this,” he hissed, venom seeping through his clenched teeth. This only served to stoke the fires of Noah’s fury further.
The air between the two men crackled, charged with hostility, their stares locked in a ferocious battle of wills.
Amidst the escalating tension, Sadie felt a crushing wave of helplessness wash over her. Her voice, weary yet resolute, broke through the standoff. “I was in a car accident, and Alex saved my life. He’s my savior.”
Then, bitterness flared within her as she recalled Noah’s callous indifference during her time of crisis.
With a surge of emotion, her voice rose in volume, her words sharp with bitterness. “You can’t even appreciate what Alex did for me, and here you are, throwing punches as if you wish he hadn’t saved me! Noah, is that what you think? That I should have died instead?”
Sadie’s words were laced with an agonizing sorrow, each syllable cutting through Noah’s heart.
Noah stood motionless, stunned. His grip on reality seemed to loosen, just as his grip on Alex did. He let go, turning to face Sadie, emotions swirling in his eyes. He felt an urgent need to explain himself. “That’s not what I meant. The moment I heard about your accident, I-“
But Sadie sharply interrupted him, her voice thick with biting sarcasm. “So I should be grateful?”
Her eyes squeezed shut, as if trying to block out the painful memories that came rushing back. She recalled her desperate call for help during the car accident, amplifying the pain that still lingered.
Drawing a shaky breath, Sadie opened her eyes and fixed them on Noah, her voice quivering with a mix of grief and resentment. “Right after my accident, I reached out to you first. I begged for your help, for you to save me. And how did you respond?” Her words were like a cold gust, chilling the space between them. “You accused me of disturbing your precious time with Kyla.” The hurt in her voice was clear, and she paused, struggling to regain her composure.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Sadie continued, her tone steady but filled with unrestrained anguish. “While I was facing the most dangerous moment of my life, you cut off my only lifeline. And now, here you are, pretending to care, as if nothing happened. Do you even realize how ridiculous that is?”
Each accusation hit Noah like a dagger. A sinking feeling gripped him-something important was slipping through his fingers.
“Sadie, please understand, it wasn’t like that,” Noah pleaded, his voice breaking. “At that time, Kyla was…” His voice cracked, his regrets choking the words before they could escape.
Kyla had had a heart attack, and he needed to be there for her, to hold her hand so she couldn’t remove the oxygen mask-but it didn’t have to be him. At the same time, Sadie was on the verge of death, her life hanging by a thread, and he was the one who could have saved her.
Noah’s forehead glistened with cold sweat as the weight of his mistake began to settle in.
Filled with regret, Noah’s voice faltered, his words tumbling out in a desperate plea for redemption. “If only I’d known about the accident, I would have been there to save you.”
But Sadie’s face remained stoic, her voice cutting through the air like ice. “There’s no room for what-ifs here. The reality is what it is. You should go. I need to rest.”
Fear gripped Noah, a fear that leaving might sever their bond forever. Resolute, he positioned himself at Sadie’s bedside, his voice steady but soft. “I’ll stay right here. I’ll take care of you.”
As he spoke, a delicate fragrance lingered around him-unmistakably Kyla’s perfume-adding an unspoken tension to the air.
Sadie’s stomach roiled with unease. She was deeply unsettled by the thought that Noah, after spending time with Kyla, had the audacity to feign concern for her.
With a sharp twist of her body, she faced away and snapped, “Get the hell out of here!”
Alex wasted no time stepping in. He firmly grasped Noah’s arm, pulling him aside while his voice carried a stern warning. “Sadie just regained consciousness after the accident. If you actually care about her, don’t make this harder on her right now!”
Noah’s brow furrowed deeply, his face a mask of impassivity as he settled into a chair beside the bed, simmering silently. Alex’s words felt like a deliberate taunt, stoking the embers of resentment within him.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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