Beneath the Veil of Shadows

Chapter 39

A few days had passed but the sterile scent of the hospital was still suffocating. Elias sat by Sapphire’s side, his hand still tightly clasped around hers. Time had become a blur, and every ticking second felt like a lifetime, yet every moment felt like it wasn’t enough. The faint beeping of the heart monitor and the shallow breaths of Sapphire were the only things keeping him tethered to this reality.

His mind was a storm. What if she didn't wake up? What if this was the end of their story? Elias could hardly stomach the thought, but it gnawed at him, a constant ache that wouldn't go away.

He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the weight of everything. His thoughts drifted to the day they met, the way she had challenged him in ways no one else ever had. He never expected to be here, clinging to her, praying she would open her eyes again. His life had always been about control—manipulation, strategy, power—but none of that mattered now. He could no longer control what happened, nor could he undo the choices that led them to this moment.

His thoughts were interrupted by the faint sound of the door creaking open. Elias didn’t look up, not at first. But then a voice broke through the haze of his grief.

“You should get some rest,” Ezra said softly from the doorway. He stepped into the room, his face still drawn with guilt and tension. "You have been here for days."

Elias didn't respond. His focus remained on Sapphire. The words caught in his throat, but he knew Ezra was right. His body ached with exhaustion, but sleep felt like a distant memory, something he could no longer afford to indulge in. Not when Sapphire needed him.

"She is still fighting," Ezra continued quietly, his eyes flicking to the still figure on the bed. "She is tougher than you think. You know that."

Elias squeezed Sapphire’s hand harder, his lips pressed together in silence. He couldn’t bring himself to speak, not yet. The words were too heavy, too laden with the weight of everything he hadn’t said, everything that still remained unsaid between them.

Ezra stepped closer, his voice softer now. “I didn’t know... What happened to Sapphire, it wasn’t supposed to go this far. I... I never intended for any of this.”

Elias’s eyes flicked to him, a sharp edge in his gaze. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ezra cut him off, his hands raised in an attempt to calm him.

“I know,” Ezra said quickly. “I am not trying to make excuses. I just... I need you to know that. I need you to understand I didn’t want things to happen this way.”

For a moment, the room was quiet except for the rhythmic sound of the machines. Elias finally nodded, his jaw tightening. There was nothing Ezra could say to undo the damage that had been done, but perhaps, for now, understanding would be enough.

“Just... let me be here with her,” Elias murmured, his voice hoarse and raw.

Ezra nodded wordlessly and left, the door clicking softly behind him, leaving Elias alone with Sapphire.

As the hours passed, Elias sat in that chair, unwilling to leave her side. He refused to move, to eat, to drink. His thoughts circled around one unyielding fear—the fear that this might be the last time he would ever hold her hand, the last time he would feel her warmth against him.

He had caused this. It was his fault.

And yet, somewhere deep inside, Elias couldn’t let go of the fragile hope that she would wake up. That they would get a chance to fix this, to right the wrongs he had committed. His world had shifted with the day they met, and as much as he had tried to fight it, as much as he tried to keep his distance from the woman who had become his heart, he couldn’t escape it now. He loved her. And it terrified him.