Chapter 10
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"Goodbye, Rebecca," I said pointedly.
After she left, Nathan resumed his seat in the chair beside my bed. We sat in silence for several minutes, the only sounds the beeping of monitors and the muffled hospital noises from the hallway.
"You didn't have to stay," I finally said.
"Yes, I did," he replied simply. "Someone tampered with your car, Olivia. This wasn't an accident."
I stared at him, processing his words. "How do you know that?"
"Because I had Marcus check the security footage from the garage. Someone was working under your car about an hour before you left the hospital."
Fear, cold and sharp, sliced through me. "Who would want to hurt me?"
Nathan's expression darkened. "I think it has something to do with Lily Sullivan's case. And possibly my father."
"Your father?" I repeated incredulously. "You think Victor tried to have me killed? That's absurd."
"Is it?" Nathan leaned forward, his voice low and intense. "Think about it, Olivia. Victor suddenly takes an interest in Lily's case. He threatens your position at the hospital. And then your brakes mysteriously fail. That's not coincidence."
I wanted to dismiss his theory, but something held me back—perhaps the memory of Victor's cold eyes, or the threatening text I'd received just before the accident.
"Why would your father care about Lily Sullivan?" I asked.
"I don't know yet," Nathan admitted. "But I intend to find out. In the meantime, you need protection."
"I don't need—"
"Please, Olivia." His voice broke slightly. "Someone tried to kill you. Let me do this much."
The raw emotion in his voice silenced my objections. For a moment, I saw past the businessman, past the ex-husband, to the man I'd fallen in love with—the one who had once promised to protect me always.
"Fine," I conceded. "But just until I'm discharged. Then I go back to my own apartment."
Relief washed over his face. "Thank you."
As the pain medication began to take effect again, making my eyelids heavy, I studied Nathan's face through half-closed eyes. Despite everything that had happened between us, despite the divorce papers we'd both signed, he was here, standing guard while I slept.
I didn't know what to make of that. I didn't know if I could trust him again, or if I even wanted to try. But as I drifted toward sleep, one thought followed me into dreams:
Some bonds, it seemed, were harder to break than marriage vows.
Olivia's POV
Pain was my first conscious sensation—a dull throb at my temple where the stitches pulled tight, and a persistent ache in my ribs with each breath. I blinked, trying to orient myself in unfamiliar surroundings. Sunlight filtered through floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a spacious bedroom decorated in muted grays and blues.
Nathan's guest room. In his penthouse.
Memories of the previous night flooded back—the hospital, Nathan insisting it wasn't safe for me to return to my apartment, my exhaustion too complete to argue. I'd fallen asleep in his car and barely remembered being helped inside.
On the nightstand, I found a glass of water, pain medication, and a note in Nathan's precise handwriting:
Took an early meeting. Security is downstairs. Call if you need anything. -N
Typical Nathan—efficient, thoughtful in a practical way, but emotionally distant. Even his concern came with boundaries.
I swallowed the pills and made my way to the en-suite bathroom, wincing with each step. The woman in the mirror looked like a stranger—pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, a neat row of stitches along her hairline. I touched the wound gingerly, memories of the accident flooding back.
