Chapter 219: Ian is critical.

Hearing those words, Elena’s heart stumbled. She instinctively pressed a hand against her abdomen, fear gripping her at the thought of what might happen to her babies.

’Elias, please come quickly. Otherwise, I won’t be able to protect our children.’

Just as despair was about to consume her, a black SUV suddenly came rushing down the deserted road.

Elena’s eyes widened. Hope flashed in her eyes.

"Elias."

She believed Elias had finally come for her.

The three kidnappers noticed the approaching SUV as well. They immediately raised their guns and opened fire.

Bang-Bang-Bang

Elena ducked behind the seat, her heart jumping into her throat.

Bullets slammed into the SUV.

The driver swerved violently to avoid the gunfire. The vehicle nearly lost balance and tipped over before the driver regained control and brought it to a sudden stop in the middle of the road.

The windows rolled down. Bullets flew from inside the SUV.

The kidnappers fired back.

Elena didn’t dare lift her head to see what was happening outside.

A bullet struck the front windshield. The glass shattered with a loud crack, and broken shards scattered across the seats.

Elena curled herself into a ball, shielding her head with her arms. She had no idea how long the gunfire continued.

After what felt like an eternity, it finally stopped.

Silence descended.

It was so quiet that Elena could hear her own frantic heartbeat.

Footsteps approached the car.

Her body stiffened. She thought the kidnappers had come to kill her. She hugged herself helplessly, tears streaming down her face.

Then the car door opened.

"Are you okay?" The concerned voice reached her ears.

Slowly, Elena lifted her head.

A man in a black suit was standing outside.

She recognized him immediately.

He was one of Elias’s guards.

"You..."

"We received an SOS message," the man said. "So we rushed here to rescue you."

He extended his hand toward her.

"You are safe now. The kidnappers have been dealt with. I’ll take you out of here."

Elena stared at his hand for a moment before taking it. She carefully stepped out of the car.

The moment she looked around, she froze.

Blood covered the road. Several bodies lay motionless across the ground.

Elena gasped. Her legs went weak. Her stomach churned violently, and she doubled over, vomiting.

"I’m sorry," the guard said quietly. "You had to see all this."

When the retching finally stopped, Elena remained breathless.

The guard handed her a bottle of water.

She took it and rinsed her mouth before drinking several gulps. Then she looked up at him.

"Thanks."

Suddenly, she remembered Elias.

’Maybe he still thinks the kidnappers have me. Maybe Cedric is hurting him.’

The thought of Elias being in danger twisted her insides with fear.

"How is Elias?" she asked anxiously. "Is he out of danger?"

"We haven’t contacted him yet," the guard replied. "But don’t worry. He’ll be fine. First, I need to get you somewhere safe. Please come with me."

Elena shook her head. "I want to know if he’s okay." She reached toward him, urgency filling her voice. "Give me your phone."

"But, Madam, staying here any longer isn’t safe."

"I need to know if he is okay," she insisted.

The guard let out a deep sigh before handing her his phone.

Elena immediately dialed Elias’s number.

Neither of them noticed that one of the kidnappers was still alive.

The man lay several feet away, barely moving. Pain wracked his body. Blood seeped from the bullet wound in his stomach as he slowly pushed himself up.

Gritting his teeth, he reached behind his back and pulled out a knife. His eyes burned with hatred as he looked toward the man and Elena.

The call connected.

"Hello?" Elena said. "Elias, it’s me."

"Elena. Are you okay?"

"Yes. The guards came to rescue me. The kidnappers are dead now. Don’t sign anything. Don’t agree to Cedric’s demands."

Then she turned. Her eyes widened in horror.

The injured kidnapper was staggering toward the guard from behind, the knife raised high above his head.

"Watch out," Elena screamed.

The guard spun around to see the kidnapper lunging at him. He reacted instantly, kicking him hard in the chest.

The kidnapper’s body flew backward and crashed onto the road several feet away. He coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth.

The knife slipped from his hand and landed a short distance away.

The guard grabbed it. Before the kidnapper could recover, the guard rushed toward him and slit his throat.

Elena froze. Her face went pale.

The scene had shocked her.

"What’s happening there?" Elias’s voice came through the phone. "Elena, talk to me."

"I am..."

Before she could finish, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted from the other end of the phone.

BOOM

The sound tore through the call. Then the line went dead.

Elena’s entire body went numb.

"Elias..." Her voice broke into a desperate shriek.

But there was no answer.

"Elias..."

Nothing.

"No..." Her vision blurred. Her knees gave way.

She collapsed to the ground, the phone slipping from her hand. The last thing she heard was the faint echo of her own voice calling his name.

Then darkness consumed her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Elena regained consciousness, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. The sharp smell of antiseptic filled her nostrils. Warm sunlight streamed through the window, falling across the white sheets.

Her hand immediately moved to her stomach.

’My babies...’

"You are awake." A nurse walked over. "You’ve been unconscious the entire night."

Elena pushed herself upright. "My babies... Are they alright?"

The nurse gave her a reassuring smile. "They are fine."

Elena breathed a small sigh of relief. But that relief didn’t last long. She remembered her last phone call with Elias, that deafening explosion.

Panic instantly flooded her face.

"My husband," she said urgently. "Where is he? Tell me he is okay?"

"You mean Mr. Rowan?"

Elena nodded frantically.

The nurse sighed and shook her head.

Elena’s heart sank. Terrible thoughts gripped her heart.

"He is outside the ICU."

Elena’s face drained of color. She barely heard the rest of the sentence. All she could focus on was one word—ICU.

"What? He is in the ICU? What happened to him?"

The nurse shook her head. "You are misunderstanding, ma’am. He is fine. Nothing serious happened to him. He only has a few scratches. But..."

She paused for a moment before revealing, "It’s Dr. Whitmore. He was shot. His condition is serious."

"What?" Elena almost jumped on the bed. "Ian? He was shot?"

The nurse nodded slowly. "He was kidnapped last night. When he was brought to the hospital, he was barely breathing. His heart rate was dangerously low."

Elena covered her mouth.

"The bullet has been taken out," the nurse added. "But he is still not out of danger. His condition is critical. Anything can happen."

Tears slipped down Elena’s cheeks. She knew about the kidnapping.

Those kidnappers had told her about it. But she had never thought Ian would be seriously injured.

She couldn’t stay in the bed. She wanted to check on Evelyn. She wanted to make sure Elias was okay.

Throwing the blanket aside, Elena swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood.

"Ma’am, where are you going?" the nurse asked anxiously. "You just regained consciousness."

"I need to see my husband," Elena replied. "I need to check on Evelyn."

Before the nurse could stop her, Elena walked out of the room. She headed straight to the ICU.

When she reached the waiting area, she finally found Elias.

He was sitting beside Evelyn, one arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

Evelyn was crying so hard that her sobs echoed through the corridor.

"He was injured because of me," she choked out. "He took the bullet that was meant for me. And now he is lying in there, fighting for his life."

Her fingers clenched tightly around Elias’s shirt. "I can’t take this anymore. I want him alive, Elias. Please bring him back to me. Or I can’t face myself."

Elias hugged her tightly. "Everything will be fine. He will be fine."

Elena stood a short distance away, tears streaming down her face.

His hold around Evelyn slackened. She covered her mouth, afraid her sobs would add to Evelyn’s pain.

But Elias noticed her anyway. His arm slowly loosened around Evelyn.

"Elena..." He stood. "What are you doing here?" He walked over to her. "You should be resting."

Elena looked at him.

There were several cuts across his face and neck. Gauze was wrapped around his head, and a thick bandage covered one arm. He was also limping slightly.

"You—you are injured."

Elias hugged her. "It’s nothing. Just minor injuries."

Elena held him tightly for a moment before pulling back. "How is Ian?" she asked quietly.

Elias let out a deep sigh. His face fell. "He is critical," he whispered. "The doctors said he has a fifty-fifty chance of surviving."

Elena gasped. Her tears spilled faster.

Elias glanced toward his sister. "Evelyn has broken down completely. I don’t know how to tell her..."

His head lowered. "I don’t have the strength to face her."

His voice shook. "I’ve never seen her this broken. Not even when she divorced Ian."

Elena stared at him. She had never seen Elias like this before.

He had always been confident, determined, and fearless. He always seemed to know what to do, no matter how difficult the situation was.

But now, he looked helpless, lost, like a man who had run out of answers.

"Elias..."

He looked up at her and forced a faint smile. "Come. Let me take you back to your room. The doctor said you need to rest."

"But I want to stay here with you," Elena said. "Evelyn needs me. Let me stay with her."

"Evelyn is extremely emotional now. She is not in the right state of mind." He gently touched Elena’s shoulder, his gaze persuasive. "Go back to your room and rest. I’ll come later."

"But..."

"Elena, you are carrying twins." His voice softened, but there was an unmistakable firmness beneath it. "Stress is not good for you. Just listen to me."

Elena shook her head. "Even if I go back to my room, I’ll still be stressed. I’ll just lie there worrying about you, Evelyn, and Ian."

She looked at him pleadingly. "Let me stay here with you and Evelyn. Please."

Elias stared at her for a moment. He knew there was no point arguing with her. Finally, he let out a defeated sigh.

"Fine. Stay."