Isabella drew a sharp breath, her voice steady yet laced with raw pain. “When I was fighting for my life, you cut my only lifeline. And now you stand here pretending to care, as if nothing happened. Do you have any idea how absurd that is?”

Each word struck Ethan like a physical blow. He felt something vital slipping away, something he might never get back.

“Isabella, you have to believe me—it wasn’t like that,” he pleaded, voice trembling. “Back then, Sophia was—” His words broke off, choked by regret.

Sophia had suffered a heart attack. He thought he had to be the one holding her hand, keeping the oxygen mask in place. But it didn’t have to be him. Not when Isabella was clinging to life, desperate for help only he could give.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as the full weight of his choice settled over him.

“If I had known about the accident,” he said desperately, “I would’ve been there. I would’ve saved you.”

Isabella’s expression remained frozen. “There are no what-ifs. Only what happened. You should go. I need to rest.”

Panic seized him. If he walked out now, he might lose her forever. He planted himself firmly beside her bed. “I’m staying. I’ll look after you.”

As he leaned closer, a faint floral scent clung to his clothes—Sophia’s perfume. The air grew thick with tension.

Isabella’s stomach twisted. He had just been with Sophia, and now he dared to play the devoted husband?

She turned sharply away. “Get out.”

Lucas stepped forward immediately. He gripped Ethan’s arm, pulling him back. “Isabella just woke up. If you care about her recovery, don’t make this harder.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened. He sank into the chair beside the bed, simmering with anger. Lucas’s words felt like a deliberate challenge.

Without hesitation, Isabella pressed the nurse call button.

A nurse rushed in. “Is everything alright? Are you in pain?”

Pointing at Ethan, Isabella said coldly, “He’s disturbing me. Please make him leave.”

The nurse turned to Ethan, her tone firm. “Sir, patient recovery is our priority. I must ask you to leave now. Refusal will result in revoked visitation rights.”

Ethan rose reluctantly, shooting a dark look toward Lucas. “Aren’t you leaving too?”

Lucas didn’t flinch. “She asked you to leave. Not me.”

Rage flared in Ethan’s eyes. He turned back, fists clenched.

The nurse took his arm firmly. “This is a hospital, not a theater.”

She guided him out decisively. The door shut behind him with a heavy thud.

The hallway was quiet, chilled by wind from an open window. But the cold outside was nothing compared to the ice spreading through Ethan’s veins.