Chapter 117 Chapter 117
Chapter 117
Ariana didn’t remember the drive to the hospital.
One minute she had been at home, trying to distract herself with random things that didn’t matter, and the next her phone rang. The moment she heard the words accident and Celine in the same sentence, everything else stopped making sense.
Now, as she stepped into the hospital, her heartbeat hadn’t slowed down.
Her eyes scanned the reception area quickly until she spotted him.
Ethan stood a few feet away from the ICU doors, his posture straight, his expression controlled in a way that didn’t match the situation at all. Anyone who didn’t know him would think he was calm.
Ariana knew better.
There was something in the way he stood too still, too focused that told her he was holding himself together by force.
She walked toward him without hesitation.
“Ethan,” she called softly.
He turned immediately, his gaze finding her in an instant. For a brief second, something shifted in his eyes. Relief. Not strong, not overwhelming, but enough to be noticed before he buried it again.
“Maam,” he said.
She stopped in front of him, her breath still uneven. “How is she?”
Before he could answer, the ICU doors opened.
Both of them turned at the same time.
The doctor stepped out, removing his gloves as he approached them. Ariana didn’t wait for him to speak. She closed the distance quickly, her hands tightening slightly at her sides.
“Doctor, how is she?” she asked.
Ethan stood beside her, silent, but his attention was fixed completely on the man in front of them.
The doctor nodded once, his tone calm. “She’s stable.”
Ariana let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.
“She’s under anesthesia right now,” he continued. “We need her brain to rest. The impact caused a temporary loss of consciousness, but there’s no immediate life-threatening damage.”
Ethan’s shoulders relaxed slightly, though his face didn’t show it.
“She’ll wake up?” Ariana asked.
“Yes,” the doctor replied. “We’re monitoring her closely. She’ll need observation, but she’s out of danger for now.”
Ariana nodded, her fingers pressing lightly against her palm as the tension slowly eased.
But the doctor wasn’t done.
“There is something else,” he added.
Both of them looked at him again.
“She has signs of a previous injury,” he said. “Not recent. It looks like there was trauma to the same area of the brain some time ago.”
Ethan’s gaze sharpened immediately.
“A previous injury?” he repeated.
Ariana felt it before she reacted—that small shift in the conversation, the way attention moved toward something that wasn’t supposed to be questioned.
She stepped in before Ethan could say anything else.
“It was an accident,” she said quickly. “A long time ago. She recovered from it.”
The doctor looked at her briefly, then nodded. “That makes sense. It doesn’t appear to be active, but it’s something we’ll keep in mind during her recovery.”
Ethan didn’t speak.
But Ariana felt his attention linger on her for a second longer than usual.
She kept her expression steady.
“Can we see her?” she asked.
“Yes,” the doctor said. “One at a time, preferably. She needs rest.”
Ariana nodded.
Ethan didn’t wait.
He moved toward the door the moment it was allowed.
\---
The room was quiet when he stepped in.
Celine lay on the hospital bed, completely still, her head slightly turned to the side. The soft beeping of the monitor filled the space, steady and controlled, almost too calm compared to everything that had happened.
For a moment, Ethan didn’t move.
He stood there, just looking at her.
This wasn’t how he was used to seeing her.
Not quiet like this.
Not unresponsive.
She was always moving, always doing something—even in silence, there was life in her presence. Now, she looked distant in a way he couldn’t explain.
He walked closer slowly, stopping beside the bed.
His hand hovered for a brief second before he reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face. The movement was careful, almost cautious, like he didn’t want to disturb anything.
“Celine,” he said softly.
No response.
He expected that.
Still, hearing nothing back felt wrong.
He let his hand rest lightly against her hair, smoothing it back slowly, his fingers moving without thought.
“I’m here,” he added quietly.
He wasn’t sure why he said it.
Maybe for her.
Maybe for himself.
Minutes passed without him noticing.
He stayed there, watching her, his hand moving gently through her hair in slow, absent motions. There was nothing else to do. No instructions to give. No decisions to make.
Just waiting.
For once, everything was out of his control.
And he hated it.
There were things he wanted to say. Things he should have said earlier. Apologies that didn’t come when they were supposed to.
Now, all of it sat in his chest, heavy and useless.
“You asked me something,” he murmured after a while.
His voice was low, almost lost in the quiet room.
“If you did something wrong.”
He paused, his fingers stilling for a moment before continuing the gentle motion.
“You didn’t.”
The words came easier now.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
He exhaled slowly.
“I did.”
The admission didn’t sound dramatic.
It sounded simple.
Honest.
He leaned back slightly, his hand still resting against her head.
“I thought staying away would fix things,” he continued. “I thought I could control it.”
He let out a small breath.
“I was wrong.”
She didn’t react.
Didn’t move.
But he kept talking.
Because for the first time, he wasn’t holding anything back.
“I should have told you,” he said. “I should have been honest instead of… this.”
He glanced down at her face again, his expression softening in a way he never allowed anyone else to see.
“You didn’t deserve that.”
Silence filled the room again.
But it wasn’t empty.
It held everything he hadn’t said before.
\---
Ariana stepped in quietly after some time.
She paused near the door, watching them for a moment before walking closer. The sight in front of her made something settle in her chest.
Ethan standing beside Celine.
Close.
Careful.
Unaware of how much he was giving away.
“I’ll go home and get some things,” Ariana said gently. “Clothes. Food. She might need them when she wakes up.”
Ethan nodded without looking away from Celine.
“Okay,” he replied.
Ariana hesitated for a second, then added, “You should rest too.”
“I’m fine,” he said.
She didn’t argue.
She just nodded.
“I’ll be back soon.”
He didn’t respond this time, but she knew he heard her.
She left the room quietly, closing the door behind her.
\---
The room felt different after she was gone.
Quieter.
More personal.
Ethan pulled a chair closer and sat down beside the bed, his gaze never leaving Celine.
His hand moved back to her hair again, resting there naturally now.
He didn’t think about it.
He just did it.
Time passed slowly, but he didn’t check the clock.
Didn’t look at his phone.
None of that mattered.
All that mattered was the steady rise and fall of her breathing.
The monitor beside her.
The fact that she was still here.
He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, his hand still lightly touching her.
“You’re going to wake up,” he said quietly.
It wasn’t a question.
It wasn’t hope.
It was a decision.
“You don’t get to leave like this.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“Not after everything.”
He paused, then added in a softer tone,
“Not without hearing me say it properly.”
He didn’t say what it was.
But he knew.
And somewhere, deep down, he knew she would too.
He sat there for a long time after that, saying nothing more.
Just staying.
Because this time, he wasn’t walking away.
Not from her.
Not from the truth.
Not from anything that came next.
And for the first time since everything started falling apart—
He wasn’t choosing distance.
He was choosing her.