Chapter 12 - VIGIL IN THE DARK|
At 5:00 A.M., Adrian walked back into St. Catherine Medical Center.
He had showered and changed into a clean black sweater at his security office. The blood was gone from his skin, but the hollow shadow in his eyes had permanently settled into his features.
He pushed open the door to ICU Room 3.
The room was quiet. The ventilator hummed its steady rhythm: Hiss-click... hiss-click...
Adrian pulled a wooden chair right beside Elena's bed. He sat down, took her cold, frail hand in his, and held it tightly against his chest.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his gold wedding ring—the ring he had removed six months ago and left buried in his office desk. He slipped it back onto his left ring finger.
Then he raised Elena's hand and kissed her platinum band.
"It's done, Elena," Adrian whispered into the dim room. "Julian is in federal custody. Thorne is ruined. Your ledgers destroyed them all."
Her gray eyes remained closed, her chest rising and falling only with the machine's aid.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Madison:
Adrian, please! I'm sorry! My manager said you canceled my apartment lease! Where am I supposed to go? Please talk to me!
Adrian didn't feel anger. He felt absolute nothingness. He blocked the number, deleted the contact, and powered off his phone entirely.
May you like
He leaned his forehead against the edge of Elena's mattress, holding her cold fingers, feeling her weak pulse against his skin.
"I don't care about Vale Meridian," Adrian wept softly into the quiet room. "I don't care about the houses or the money. Just open your eyes, Elena. Please... just give me a chance to be the man you deserved."
