章 23: Chapter 23

The steady beeping of the heart monitor felt like it was synced with the pounding of my own heart. My mother lay motionless, her pale face barely visible under the harsh hospital lighting. Every shallow rise and fall of her chest was a small reassurance that she was still with me, but it wasn't enough to ease the knot of fear twisting in my stomach.

I held her hand, my fingers trembling as I traced the soft wrinkles of her skin. "I won't let him take you," I whispered, my voice cracking. The words felt hollow, a promise I wasn't sure I could keep. How could I fight a man like Alex's father? A man with endless power and influence, who saw my mother's life as nothing more than a bargaining chip?

I clenched my jaw and tried to hold back the tears threatening to spill. He wasn't going to win. I couldn't let him.