Chapter 179

She stepped inside, and then she saw Christian. He was standing in the corner of the room.

His back rested against the wall with his arms folded loosely across his chest.

His head was slightly lowered, staring at Kylie.

He wasn’t looking at anyone. He was looking at Kylie.

His eyes had been fixed on her for so long that Emilia wasn’t sure he had even noticed them enter.

"Christian."

His eyes moved toward her. He nodded once. "Emilia."

She had never heard his voice sound like that. She walked closer.

Christian’s gaze returned to Kylie.

"What did they say?" Emilia whispered.

"Nothing yet."

Emilia looked at the monitor, then at Kylie. "She just..." She stopped.

Christian swallowed. "She was found unconscious." His jaw exhaled. "That’s all I know."

Emilia turned toward the bed.

She reached for Kylie’s hand.

It was still warm. That helped a little.

"Kylie." Emilia squeezed her fingers. "I’m here, love."

Her mother stood on the other side of the bed.

Adrian remained near the doorway.

Nobody spoke.

The door opened, and a doctor walked inside.

He glanced at the chart. "Family?"

"I’m her sister," Emilia said quickly.

"I’m her mother," Mrs. Hayes added.

The doctor nodded. "We’ve completed the initial assessment."

Emilia immediately straightened. "What happened to her?"

The doctor glanced between them. "She experienced a mild vasovagal syncope."

Emilia frowned. "A what?"

The doctor offered a reassuring expression.

"Vasovagal syncope. Essentially, it’s a temporary fainting episode caused by a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure. It can happen because of pain, fear, emotional distress, dehydration, exhaustion, or a sudden physical reaction. From the look of things, she narrowly escaped drowning."

Emilia stared at him. Her brows pulled together. "But she was found on the floor."

"Yes."

"Before the staircase."

"Correct."

Emilia glanced at Kylie. "Then what was she doing trying to get drowned?"

The room went silent.

The doctor looked at her.

Emilia’s expression tightened.

"She was found unconscious in her apartment. Her clothes were wet. Her hair was wet. She had been in the bathroom." The doctor looked at the chart again. "We did find evidence that she had been submerged in water."

Christian’s head lifted. It was the first time his posture changed.

Emilia’s stomach dropped.

The doctor continued carefully.

"There were signs consistent with water aspiration, although not severe enough to indicate significant lung injury at this point."

Christian pushed away from the wall.

His arms fell to his sides.

"What does that mean?"

The doctor’s gaze moved to him.

"It means she likely inhaled some water. And there were bruise marks on her shoulders, arms, and neck when she first came in."

Emilia stared at Kylie. Her face went pale.

Her mother reached for her arm. "Sweetheart."

Emilia shook her head in shock. She looked at the doctor. "Are you saying someone forced her underwater?"

"We can’t say that medically."

"But you just said she was submerged."

"Yes."

"And she was unconscious downstairs."

"Yes."

"That doesn’t happen because someone accidentally slips in a bathtub."

The doctor remained calm.

"We’re aware of that."

Emilia looked toward the door. Her heart was beating faster. "So someone did this."

The doctor didn’t answer immediately.

"Whether this was an accident, an assault, or another circumstance is something the patient will need to clarify when she wakes. From a medical perspective, our priority is stabilizing her."

Emilia looked at Kylie. Her fingers tightened around her hand. "What about her head?"

"We’ve checked her neurological responses. They’re reassuring."

"And her lungs?"

"Currently stable."

"And the fainting?"

"The syncope was mild."

Emilia frowned again. "How can fainting be mild after something like that?"

The doctor gave a small nod.

"Because the loss of consciousness itself appears to have been brief. She regained enough physiological stability that her body is responding normally to the fluids."

Emilia released a shaky breath. "So she’s going to be okay?"

"Yes." The doctor said it firmly. "With the IV fluids and observation, I expect her to be fine within a short while."

Emilia’s shoulders finally lowered slightly. "Can we stay with her?"

"That would be alright." The doctor looked toward Kylie. "When she wakes up, we’ll ask her what happened."

He paused. "If she believes she was attacked, she can file a police report."

Emilia’s eyes hardened.

The doctor nodded. "That’s her decision. But we can document the injuries and provide whatever medical records are required."

Emilia looked at her mother. "Mom..."

Mrs. Hayes squeezed her shoulder.

Emilia glanced at Christian.

His face had become unreadable, but his hands were different. His fingers were curled tightly, and his knuckles had gone pale.

Emilia could see that he was holding himself together. Barely.

The doctor gave them one last reassuring nod. "She needs rest."

The doctor left. The door clicked shut behind him.

Silence returned.

Emilia looked at Kylie. She had so many questions, but none of them mattered right now.

Kylie was alive, and that was what mattered. She sat beside the bed, and gently brushed a strand of hair away from Kylie’s forehead.

"You scared me."

Kylie didn’t move.

Emilia smiled through the tears gathering in her eyes. "You really scared me." Her voice cracked.

Her mother moved behind her, and Adrian came closer. He rested one hand gently on Emilia’s shoulder.

Christian remained by the wall.

Still, silent, and watching.

....

Nobody noticed when Christian stepped closer.

He did it slowly, and almost reluctantly. Almost after an hour of standing there alone.

He stopped at the foot of the bed.

His eyes moved over Kylie.

He stared at her face, her hair, her hands, the IV, and the small mark near her temple, and the callous red bruises on her neck.

He swallowed.

He had seen Kylie laughing. He had seen her annoyed. He had seen her furious. He had seen her half-asleep in the morning.

He had seen her barefoot in her kitchen with flour on her cheek. He had seen her roll her eyes at him. He had seen her kiss him.

He had seen her push him away. He had seen her walk away from him. He had seen her block him.

But he had never seen her like this.

Quiet, still, and unresponsive. It frightened him more than he wanted anyone to know.

He lowered his gaze. His eyes closed for half a second.

’Please wake up.’ He didn’t say it out loud.

His throat tightened, and he opened his eyes again.

He stepped closer, and his fingers hovered above hers. He stopped before touching her.

She had told him to leave. She had told him to stay away. She had told him that she didn’t want this.

And even now.... Even with her lying unconscious in front of him... He couldn’t bring himself to take something she hadn’t offered.

His hand slowly dropped, and he stepped back.

Emilia watched him. She didn’t say anything.

Neither did Adrian. There were some things that didn’t need to be said.