CHAPTER 102

CHAPTER 102
POV NOAH

Alex parked the car abruptly in the hospital lot.

The tire screeched softly against the asphalt.

But I barely noticed.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, I was already opening the door.

I got out practically running.

The air felt heavy.

Hard to pull into my lungs.

My heart was beating out of control—too hard, too fast… as if it were trying to warn me about something I still didn’t want to accept.

“Noah!” Alex called behind me.

But I didn’t stop.

I pushed the hospital’s glass doors open and walked in.

The strong smell of antiseptic.

The overly bright white lights.

The sound of hurried footsteps.

Low voices.

Stretchers are being pushed.

People are crying.

People are waiting.

People are losing.

My stomach twisted.

My anxiety only grew.

I rushed to the reception desk.

“Good evening…” My voice came out fast, almost failing. “Isabela… Isabela Alencar… she was just admitted… she came in by ambulance…”

The receptionist typed quickly.

Cold.

Automatic.

As if this were just another case.

But it wasn’t.

Not to me.

My heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest.

She frowned slightly as she looked at the screen.

“Sir… she is still being treated.”

My stomach dropped.

“But… is she okay?” I asked, my voice lower now… almost begging.

“We don’t have information yet…” she replied, maintaining a professional tone. “Please wait in the waiting area.”

Wait.

It sounded like a sentence.

I nodded, having no other option.

Alex placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Come on…”

We walked to the waiting room.

I sat down.

But I stayed there… two seconds.

Maybe three.

And then I stood up again.

I couldn’t.

I couldn’t stay still.

Furthermore, I started pacing back and forth.

Ran a hand over my face.

Took a deep breath.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

But nothing helped.

Nothing eased that crushing feeling in my chest.

Time… simply wouldn’t pass.

The clock on the wall seemed frozen.

Minutes dragged.

One hour.

Two.

Maybe more.

I had already gone to the reception desk three times.

Alex too.

Always the same answer.

Always the same damn sentence.

“She is still being treated.”

My mind started torturing me.

Images.

Scenarios.

Possibilities.

And none of them were good.

None.

That’s when I saw them.

Daniel.

Walking into the hospital.

And beside him…

Isis.

My entire body went rigid.

Instantly.

As if someone had flipped a switch inside me.

Alex noticed too.

I saw the tension in him beside me.

We both stood up.

And Daniel saw us.

And came straight toward us.

Fast.

Like a storm about to explode.

Before I could say anything, he reached me and shoved me hard.

“You little bastard!” he shouted, his voice filled with hate.

My blood boiled instantly.

I shoved him back.

“Back off!”

Before things could get out of control, Alex stepped between us, pressing a hand against both our chests.

“Hey! Hey!” he said firmly. “You’re in a hospital!”

Daniel was breathing heavily.

His eyes are red.

Full of anger.

“You should leave,” he said, staring at me. “I’m her husband.”

My jaw tightened.

“You’ve been separated for months,” I shot back, not breaking eye contact.

He narrowed his eyes.

“Even so… I’m still her husband.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“You are.”

I slowly shook my head.

“I’d like to see who’s man enough to make me.”

Silence fell.

Heavy.

Dense.

Explosive.

For a second, I thought he was going to come at me.

But then…

A voice broke through everything.

Low.

Weak.

But enough.

“Is there any news?”

I looked.

Isis.

Standing a few steps behind.

Her eyes are red.

Her face was pale.

Fragile.

That hit me differently.

Alex answered, calmer:

“Not yet…”

She just nodded.

Silently.

No strength.

No reaction.

And that…

That was worse than any scream.

We sat down.

All four of us.

In the same space.

But in completely different worlds.

The silence was suffocating.

The kind of silence that screams.

The kind that tightens your chest.

That makes time feel heavy.

Every minute felt endless.

The door opened.

A doctor stepped out.

We stood up immediately.

My heart raced.

“Family of Isabela Alencar?”

“Yes,” Daniel answered right away.

But I stepped forward too.

Without thinking.

Without asking.

Without caring.

The doctor looked at us briefly.

Then spoke.

“She arrived here in critical condition.”

My heart dropped.

For a second, my legs almost gave out.

“She suffered a head injury…” he continued, “and presented significant internal bleeding.”

My breath caught.

“We had to take her into surgery immediately… There was a splenic injury and severe abdominal bleeding.”

My stomach twisted.

The image of her…

Alone…

Hurt…

Flooded my mind.

“Is she… is she okay now?” I asked, struggling.

My voice came out broken.

Almost unrecognizable.

The doctor took a breath before answering.

“The surgery was delicate… very delicate…”

My heart pounded so hard it hurt.

“But we managed to control the bleeding.”

I let out a breath all at once.

Like I had been holding it for minutes.

“She is stable at the moment.”

I closed my eyes for a second.

Relief.

Small.

Fragile.

But enough to keep me standing.

But he wasn’t finished.

“She was between life and death when she arrived…” he added.

And that…

That destroyed me inside.

Because I wasn’t there.

“Can I see her?” I asked immediately.

Almost without thinking.

He shook his head.

“Not yet… she has been transferred to the ICU. She needs to remain under observation for the next few hours.”

ICU.

The word echoed.

Heavy.

Cold.

Too real.

I nodded slowly.

No argument.

No strength for that.

But one thing was certain.

She was alive.

And in that moment…

That was all that mattered.