His for a year. - Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Zade hadn't said a word since we left the hallway.
After hours, nurses had wheeled mother into her VIP recovery room after the surgery. Her face was pale, framed by an oxygen tube and monitors that beeped at a steady rhythm. The sterile scent of antiseptics mixed with the raw weight of anticipation hung in the air.
Zade stood at the far corner of the room with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed—not on the woman on the bed, but on the door.
He was thinking.
How did Anna know we were here?
I hadn't posted anything. Neither had Zade or Aliyah. The hospital’s records were confidential, and no visitors were allowed during surgery. Anna showing up so soon—and that close to the operating room—wasn’t coincidence.
My jaw tightened.
This wasn’t just about me anymore. This was more than revenge. It has to be obsession.
Someone had helped her get to this point.
Zade was fighting with his thoughts, his hand running through his hair and the sudden pacing.
“Zade?” my voice was soft, but it sliced through his thoughts.
He turned to find me seated by mother’s side. Aliyah sat beside her too, her head bowed and her fingers trembling in her lap. Jake stood behind her, one hand on her shoulder, wordless.
Zade stepped forward slowly. “You okay?”
I didn’t look up. “As okay as anyone would be when your mom’s lying unconscious in front of you.” I paused. “What about you? Are you okay?”
He nodded and walked over, placing a reassuring hand on my back. I didn’t move away. That was enough for now.
The room fell quiet again until the door opened.
The doctor walked in—calm, composed, and carrying a clipboard with a weight that wasn’t physical.
Aliyah and I both stood immediately.
“The surgery is complete,” the doctor said, glancing at the patient and back to the group. “It was… delicate.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, my voice guarded.
“It means that… we were able to close the internal damage and remove the obstruction. But…” he hesitated, “the trauma her body endured before the operation, combined with the delay in treatment, means her recovery is uncertain.”
Aliyah broke down immediately. The kind of cry that had no sound at first, only shaking shoulders. She gripped my arm for support.
I didn’t cry.
I just stood still, my eyes frozen on my mother's bandaged form. My breathing slowed as something inside me was fractured, a place tears couldn’t reach.
The doctor spoke again, gentler now. “She’s stable… for now. But the next seventy-two hours are crucial. She might wake up. Or she might not.”
No one spoke after that. The doctor gave a brief nod and exited, his silence heavier than his words.
Aliyah sat down, weeping quietly into her palms. Jake knelt beside her, whispering something only she could hear.
I didn’t move. I stood beside the hospital bed, staring at the faint rise and fall of my mother’s chest, my own chest rising slower than before.
Zade reached for my hand and held it.
My mind was already spinning.
What happens if she dies?
What happens if she lives?
The thought broke me. I couldn’t afford to lose her now, not like this—not after everything I’d endured.
But the truth was, if she did survive… there was no going back. No instant healing. No mother-daughter reunion in flowery fields. There would be pain. Therapy. Guilt. Maybe even hatred.
And still—still—I wanted her to make it.
I sat down slowly, resting my head on the edge of the bed, blinking against the sting in my eyes. My hand reached up, brushing gently across my mother’s cold fingers.
Please wake up.
Zade stepped out briefly to make a call. The door wasn't completely shut so I could hear him. When he was alone in the hallway, he leaned against the wall and finally dialed a number from memory.
“Start digging,” Zade said quietly. “I want a list of every staff member who had access to Olive’s mother’s file. Every nurse, every doctor, every admin. Background checks. Associations. Anything unusual. I want it within forty-eight hours.”
He also thinks she had help?
“I know she did.”
He ended the call and stared down the hallway.
Anna wasn’t working alone. And the fact that she could find us—here, in this carefully kept secret moment—meant that someone inside this hospital or inside his life had opened the door for her.
His expression gave away the fact that he wasn’t going to let that slide.
When he returned to the room, I was seated again.
The air in the room felt too heavy for a woman so light.
I deserved a peaceful life. Not this war zone.
Night had fallen by the time Zade suggested we leave the room and go home to rest.
Aliyah refused.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, arms folded, face red from crying. “What if she wakes up and no one’s here?”
I reached out gently. “You need to sleep, Aliyah. You’ve been crying all day, you haven’t eaten. Let’s come back first thing in the morning.”
“I’ll sleep here,” she snapped. “I’ll eat tomorrow. I’m not leaving her.”
I exhaled, defeated.
Jake looked at her, then at me, then back at her again. “She’s stubborn,” he said, “but she’ll be safe with me.”
That didn't exactly make me feel better, but he was right. Aliyah wouldn’t budge even if the world ended, and Zade knew it too. He quietly made a call, then within minutes, two armed guards arrived and stationed themselves at the hospital entrance and outside the room door.
Aliyah’s brows lifted at the sight of their rifles. “Okay,” she mumbled, sinking into her chair. “Now I feel like a princess.”
“You are,” Jake smiled and sat beside her.
Zade turned to me. “You’re coming with me.”
“I can stay too—”
“No,” he cut in gently. “You need rest. Real rest. You’ve barely slept since yesterday. Come home with me.”
The way he said home made my chest do a strange little twist.
He called the driver, and I followed him wordlessly.
The drive was quiet at first.
City lights whizzed by the tinted glass. My hands sat folded in my lap while my thoughts danced around my mother’s recovery… Anna’s threat… Amanda’s betrayal… and now this growing storm that Zade had begun to uncover.
I stared out the window and realized I hadn’t looked at myself in hours. I looked like a mess. But I didn’t care anymore.
Somewhere between replaying the doctor’s words and worrying about how to keep Aliyah from breaking down, the exhaustion hit me like a wave. I didn’t even realize I was falling asleep—only that Zade’s warmth beside me felt… safe.
I woke up to the sound of distant chirps.
My eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the soft interior lights of the car. The sky outside was deep blue—almost black. We were parked.
Parked?
I blinked again and found my cheek… pressed softly against a shoulder. His shoulder.
Zade's.
My head had been resting on him like he was made for it.
I straightened up immediately, flustered. “Wait—how long have we been here?”
He tilted his head toward me, his expression unreadable but slightly amused. “About forty-five minutes.”
My jaw dropped. “You didn’t wake me?”
He shrugged, his voice calm and low. “You looked peaceful. I didn’t want to ruin it.”
Oh.
Oh, wow.
My cheeks burned, I looked away, fidgeting with the hem of my top. “You could’ve at least nudged me or something.”
“Why?” he asked, teasing now. “You were using me as a very efficient pillow.”
“You’re insufferable,” I muttered, trying not to smile.
But inside, I was melting.
The fact that he just… sat there. For nearly an hour. Letting me sleep on him like some overused plush toy—and didn’t complain or move me or say a word?
This cold, calculated, beautiful man… was becoming something entirely different.
And it was terrifying how my heart kept noticing.
He opened the door and stepped out first. The driver greeted us with a bow and walked around to the trunk for my bag. Zade didn’t wait for him—he took the bag himself and slung it over one shoulder.
My legs were stiff as I climbed out. The air was cooler than expected, brushing against my skin like a silent whisper.
Zade led the way inside, neither of us speaking—but both of us aware that something quiet and important had shifted.
He didn’t say a word about the nightmare of the last twenty-four hours. Didn’t ask if I was okay. Didn’t pry.
He just carried my bag.
Maybe that was his way of carrying me too.
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of birds. Real birds. Not alarms or ambulance sirens or Zade talking lowly on the phone. Just... birds. I didn’t even know the Avner estate had birds.
I stretched slowly and sat up, letting my eyes adjust to the soft sun filtering through the sheer curtains. The bed felt too big, too calm.
Zade had already left for work.
He’d left a note on the nightstand.
“Eat something. Rest. Text me if you need me.”
I smiled faintly. Folded it. Slid it into the drawer like it was something sacred.
After a shower and a quiet breakfast—toast, eggs, tea, and too many thoughts—I picked up my phone and texted Aliyah.
“Hey, baby. Just checking in. How's Mom? I’ll stop by tonight so you can go home and rest, okay? I love you.”
Her response came in seconds.
“She's still the same. I’m fine. Just exhausted. Please come soon though.”
I sighed and dropped the phone.
My chest felt heavy, but I needed air. Or a distraction. Or both.
I decided to take a walk across the compound—maybe clear my head or find a corner to breathe in peace.
I didn’t get far.
Just as I reached the smaller garden archway near the right wing, I spotted Leo sitting at one of the shaded patio tables with a huge mug and two croissants in front of him. He was still in his black satin pajamas, sunglasses on, one leg crossed over the other like he was the king of self-care.
“Morning, mystery girl,” he called out without even looking at me.
I walked over. “Morning, Mr celebrity.”
He grinned, finally turning to look at me. “Please. Because I know I make breakfast look like a music video.”
I laughed.
Leo pulled out the seat beside him with his foot. “Sit. I need entertainment.”
“I was actually taking a walk,” I said, half-turning like I might still do that.
“You can walk after. You owe me one hangout for surviving your crash out with Zade. Come on.”
He took a sip from the mug and continued, “I’m not jobless by the way, I know I've been around lately.”
I arched a brow. “Says the man eating breakfast in pajamas at 10am on a Wednesday.”
He gasped dramatically. “Wow. So the diss is premium now?”
I laughed again and finally sat. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You were thinking it. Loudly.”
He pushed a second cup toward me. “Drink before I get offended and report you to Zade.”
The mention of Zade made me glance down for a moment.
Leo noticed.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Wanna talk about him?”
“I don’t know if there’s anything to talk about.”
“Cool, I’ll do the talking then.” He sipped his coffee. “You know he’s never liked anyone before, right?”
I blinked. “Huh?”
“Yeah. Zade’s not... like me,” Leo smirked. “I like fast things—fast cars, fast flirting, fast exits. Zade? He’s never even approached a girl first. Like, ever. He’d rather die.”
I blinked harder. “Interesting.”
“But you,” Leo said, pointing at me with a croissant. “He noticed you and got obsessed. Was awkward as hell about it. He even refused to admit that he liked you. Thought it would go away.”
Our eyes met.
“I believe it still hasn’t. In fact, I’ve never seen him stay interested in anyone this long. Usually if he makes it past a week, we start checking if he has a fever.”
I snorted. “Yeah. People like you two don’t really value these things. Everything comes easy to you, more like things get handed to you.”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “But Zade values you, Olive. I think that scares him more than anything. He’s not used to... feeling.”
I looked down at the coffee I hadn’t touched. My stomach was turning, not from nerves—but from this weird swirl of hope and disbelief.
Leo leaned back. “I know he seem confusing, but from where I’m sitting? He’s trying. And that boy might be willing to burn the world for you.”
I chuckled dryly. “Yeah. Might.”
He tilted his head, gave me a look. “You like him too.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
I sighed. “I’m not sure it's not just another show. I’ve been through too much for illusions.”
He smiled, softer this time. “Zade doesn’t do illusions, Olive. He either ignores you completely… or risks his entire empire to defend you. And you? You’re the only one I’ve seen him do the latter for.”
The silence that followed held everything I couldn’t say.
I stared at the garden beyond him. Sunlight scattered through the leaves like diamonds.
I didn’t feel like a storm was swallowing me whole anymore. I felt… still.
Scared. Confused. Hopeful.
But still.
“By the way,” Leo said, sipping the last of his coffee and leaning back in his chair with that easy charm he wore like cologne. “I heard about your mom.”
I blinked, surprised by the sudden shift in tone. “Oh.”
“How is she?” His voice was quieter now, more careful.
“She’s... surviving,” I said after a second, unsure of what else to call it. “Still unconscious, but the surgery’s over. It’s just... waiting now.”
Leo nodded slowly. “That’s something. Surviving is better than the alternative.”
I gave a small smile and nodded, thankful that he didn’t press too much.
“And you?” he asked, tilting his head. “You surviving too?”
I smirked faintly. “Barely.”
A playful light flickered in his eyes. “Good to know. I was worried you might be doing too well without me.”
I rolled my eyes, but before I could respond, he leaned forward with a grin.
“You know, I’m starting to like this whole thing going on between us. I might need to start keeping an eye on you,” he said, placing a hand dramatically over his chest. “You might be stealing me from Zade.”
I laughed in disbelief. “You’re effortlessly funny.”
He pulled out his phone and handed it to me. “Put your number in. For emergencies. Or memes. Whichever comes first.”
I blinked again, raising a brow. “Wow. Leo Parker, star of stage and screen, asking for my number?”
He shrugged, lips twitching. “Well, it’s either that or I pack my bags into you and Zade's room.”
I burst out laughing. “I know you wouldn't do that!”
“Exactly. So give me the number so I’m not tempted to.”
I typed in my number and handed it to him. He saved it as ‘upcoming bestie’.
We both laughed, and for a moment, I forgot how messy everything else was.
But then the laughter faded, and the air shifted again. My mind drifted, at the mention of ‘bestie’, to Amanda. Her voice. Her betrayal. That moment she admitted she’d been working with Anna all along.
I went quiet. Something in me folded in.
Leo noticed, but didn’t say anything. He just sat with me in the silence, like he knew not to poke a wound that hadn’t fully healed.
If Amanda, of all people, could turn on me... what hope did I have letting anyone else in?
Maybe I wasn’t ready to trust again. But I appreciated the peace in Leo’s presence.
Eventually, we stood and walked toward the main house together, laughing about something random again—probably his obsession with chocolate cereal or my apparent “suspicious villain walk.”
We parted at the stairway to our rooms.
“Don’t disappear,” he said before I turned. “I’m a really great friend, you know. I make great toast and I give solid pep talks.”
I smiled. “I’ll try.”