Elsewhere.
Nathaniel drove on, trees shivering in the wind outside the window.
The forecast had called for gusts tonight.
Their shadows stretched long under the dim streetlights.
The dashboard clock rolled from 23:59 to 00:00.
He slammed the brakes without warning.
A brief pause.
Then he wrenched the car around and shot back toward the hospital.
Traffic was thin on the elevated highway this late, and the Aston Martin cut through it fast.
He braked hard again, stopping right outside the hospital entrance.
He looked up at the building still lit up floor to floor at this hour his mouth pressed into a tight line.
He pulled out his phone and called Eliana.
Beep-beep, beep-beep…
We’re sorry, the number you have dialed…
The call cut off a second later.
He tried again.
Same result.
He scrolled to Chloe’s contact instead.
That’s when it hit him she’d called him earlier, right while he was driving Vivian home, and he’d ignored it completely.
He frowned and hit the call button anyway.
The line disconnected again.
He stared at the screen, started typing out a message instead.
Except
He hesitated, thumb hovering.
How was he even supposed to word this?
Knock, knock.
Someone rapped on the car window.
He looked up to find Ethan Bennett standing there in scrubs.
His frown deepened as he rolled the window down.
Ethan held up his own phone.
“If you actually want to know what’s happening with Eliana, go up and find out for yourself.
Stop calling.”
Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m her husband.”
Ethan’s smile turned mocking.
“Glad you remember that much,” he said.
“Though Chloe tells me that’s not going to be true much longer.”
Nathaniel’s hands tightened into fists, jaw locked as he stared at the man’s smug expression outside his window.
“This isn’t any of your business.”
“Actually, it is.”
Ethan leaned in slightly, voice light but sharp underneath.
“Chloe feels responsible because the fight she got into caused Eliana to get pushed down those stairs.
She figures the least she can do is send her older brother over to settle the score personally.”
He smiled.
“Honestly, I don’t mind the assignment.”
“Ethan Bennett!” Nathaniel’s fists tightened further.
Ethan just stood there, watching him, unbothered.
After a long pause, Nathaniel said, “Did Eliana send you here to say all this?”
Her little act with Chloe had already been exposed.
Was this her next move sending in the brother now?
The amusement slowly drained from Ethan’s face, his eyes going cold and level.
“Are you angry?”
“Nathaniel.
You should understand something Ashford City doesn’t revolve around you.”
“I’ve known her since she was a kid.
Whatever charm you think you have, hers has always matched it.”
“If you want Vivian, then be with Vivian.
Fully.
Stop keeping one foot in Eliana’s life while you do it.”
Ethan’s tone never wavered.
“Nathaniel.” He said it slowly, deliberately.
“At this point, the only decent thing left for you to do is let her go.”
The situation inside had been critical enough that a signature was needed on the emergency consent form but when the nurse came out looking for family, only Chloe stood waiting.
Eliana’s father was gone.
Her mother, long estranged.
The only name on file as next of kin was her husband the same husband who’d just watched her fall and walked out the door with another woman.
Even knowing that, Chloe had tried calling him anyway.
No answer.
In the end, she’d used the emergency exception and her position as the hospital director’s daughter to sign the critical condition notice herself, with the paperwork to formalize it properly to follow.
Watching Nathaniel’s expression harden further, Ethan felt something close to satisfaction settle in.
He’d given the man a real chance.
If Nathaniel had gotten out of the car right then and walked upstairs to actually ask what had happened to Eliana, Ethan would have believed there was still something worth saving in him.
He hadn’t moved.
So.
No more holding back.
He watched Nathaniel roll the window up without a word and pull away, expression unreadable.
Dawn wind caught the hem of Ethan’s white coat as he stood there, watching the Aston Martin disappear around the corner.
He shook his head and let out a quiet sigh.
…
When Eliana woke, daylight already filled the room.
Morning sun slanted through the window in soft, pale gold.
“Eliana you’re awake!”
Chloe’s voice, close by.
Eliana surfaced slowly, disoriented, until she caught sight of Chloe and Jonathan hovering nearby, worry etched into both their faces and the pain in her body came rushing back all at once, along with the memory of everything before it.
“I…”
She got one syllable out before stopping cold.
The physical pain.
The bright red she remembered right before losing consciousness.
A terrible certainty settled over her.
“Eliana…” Chloe carefully helped her sit up, voice breaking.
“The baby didn’t make it.”
Eliana’s mouth opened, like she meant to say something.
Nothing came.
After a long half-minute of silence, she lowered her head and murmured a soft, “Okay.”
No visible reaction beyond that.
No grief.
No relief.
Nothing at all.
Chloe and Jonathan exchanged a worried glance.
Finally, Jonathan stepped closer.
“Eliana, you need to focus on rest.
Take care of yourself first.”
“You were lucky nothing broken in the fall.
But there’s soft tissue damage, the concussion’s still healing, and on top of everything, the miscarriage…”
He softened his voice as he spoke, careful, like raising it even slightly might make her vanish entirely.
“I’ll go ahead and lock in your slot for the competition, and then we can talk about”
“I want to compete.” Eliana cut him off before he could finish.
Under the blanket, her hands curled into fists.
Her nails bit into her palms hard enough to draw blood.
It hurt.
Badly.
But it made her feel like she still existed.
She sat back against the headboard, face blank, unreadable.
She looked up at Jonathan.
“I can do it.”
“The first live broadcast is only three days out,” Jonathan said, clearly worried.
“Given your condition right now”
“I can do it.” She repeated it, calm and flat.
Under the blanket, her fists shook from how hard she was clenching them.
Jonathan and Chloe exchanged another look.
Finally, Jonathan relented.
“Okay.”
At that, Eliana’s gaze dropped, and her hands slowly unclenched.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
Jonathan shook his head.
“No need.
This benefits both of us.”
Privately, he knew Eliana’s talent alone would carry her through as long as she performed at even half capacity.
The first live episode was just a showcase anyway actual elimination didn’t start until the second round, so there was room to work with.
He just hated seeing her like this.
Eliana lifted her head and smiled.
A clear signal to both of them: I’m fine.
But everyone in the room understood exactly what that smile was covering.
A moment later, she added, “Jonathan I don’t think I’m in any shape to sort out my own wardrobe or find a makeup artist right now.
Could you handle that for me?”
Jonathan nodded.
“That’s standard support from the label anyway.”
“Could you go find someone right now?” she pressed gently.
He hesitated, unsure how to answer that.
Eliana turned to Chloe instead.
“Chloe, I’m a little hungry.
Could you grab me something to eat?”
Chloe opened her mouth, unsure what to say, just looking at her with sadness in her eyes.
Eliana smiled at both of them.
“Is that okay?”
A faint note of pleading crept into her voice.
They exchanged one more glance, understood, and agreed.
They stepped out, the door clicking shut behind them.
Once they were gone, the room fell silent.
The smile on Eliana’s face slowly faded, the corners of her mouth sinking back down.
April nights still carried a chill, and she pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
Cold enough that she pulled it clean over her head.
Alone now, she finally let go biting down on her own fist hard enough to draw blood, sobbing silently into the dark.