Chapter 183: I Won't Love You Again

Chapter 183: I Won't Love You Again
"I don't need you to worry about the child," Alexander said coldly. He wrenched the steel pipe out of Diamond’s hand and tossed it aside. It clattered loudly against the pavement.

Eleanor’s heart soared. She waited for him to turn around, to pull her into his arms and tell her that the amnesia was over. She waited for the warmth to return to his eyes. But when he finally looked at her, the ice was still there.

"I will handle this myself," Alexander said to Diamond. "There is no need for you to get your hands dirty with something so insignificant. I’ll have my men take her to a private facility and finish it."

The words felt like a bucket of ice water poured over Eleanor’s head. The hope in her eyes shattered. She stood frozen as the realization hit her—he wasn't saving the baby. He was just taking over the execution.

Diamond’s fearful expression vanished, replaced by a sweet, adoring smile. She wrapped her arm around Alexander’s. "I knew you loved me best. If you say you’ll handle it, I believe you."

"I will," Alexander said. He signaled to his own bodyguards, who moved in to take Eleanor from Diamond’s men.

Eleanor began to struggle with renewed desperation. She screamed at him, her voice raw with agony. "It’s our baby, Alexander! How can you do this? Even if you hate me, even if you’ve forgotten everything we shared, this is your own blood! How can you be this cruel?"

Alexander didn't answer. He didn't even look back at her. He turned his back and walked toward his car, leaving Eleanor to be dragged away by his men.

"You’ll regret this!" Eleanor shrieked. "If you kill my child, I will never forgive you! Even if you get your memory back tomorrow, I will hate you for the rest of my life!"

Her cries didn't stop him. She was forced into the back of a black SUV. As the car pulled away, Eleanor looked out the rear window. Through her tears, she saw Alexander stop for a brief second. He looked back at the car, his lips moving slightly. She couldn't hear him, but it looked like he was saying "I'm sorry."

Before she could process it, a guard pressed a cloth over her mouth and nose. The sweet, chemical smell of chloroform filled her lungs. Her vision blurred, and the world went black.

When Eleanor finally started to drift back to consciousness, her head felt like it was filled with lead. Her eyelids were too heavy to open. She could smell the sharp, sterile scent of a hospital.

Panic surged through her. She tried to move, but her limbs were weak and unresponsive. She felt herself being moved onto a hard, cold surface. She heard the rhythmic beeping of medical monitors and the hushed whispers of nurses.

No... please... she thought.

A single tear escaped her closed eyes. Then, the darkness claimed her again.

When she woke up for the second time, she was in a quiet, sunlit hospital room. The first thing she did was reach for her stomach. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she felt the slight, familiar curve of her belly. It was still there.

She sat up, her head spinning. Just then, the door opened and Harrison walked in. He looked relieved to see her awake.

"You're finally up," Harrison said, rushing to her side. "You've been out for two days. You gave us a real scare."

"The baby..." Eleanor whispered, her voice rasping.

"The baby is fine," Harrison assured her. "The doctors didn't even give you any medication while you were out because they were afraid it would hurt the fetus."

Eleanor was confused. "But Alexander... he sent me to have an abortion. I remember the operating table. I remember the lights."

Harrison sighed and sat on the edge of her bed. He looked around to make sure the door was closed before leaning in. "Eleanor, Alexander never lost his memory."

The room went silent. Eleanor stared at him, unable to process the words. "What?"

"Everything was a play," Harrison explained. "The car crash was a hit ordered by Benjamin and the Monroe family. Alexander knew he couldn't beat them if they kept targeting you. He pretended to have amnesia so Diamond and her father would think they had him under control. He had to make it look real, which meant he had to treat you like an enemy."

Eleanor felt a different kind of pain in her chest. "He let me think he hated me? He let Diamond threaten our child?"

"He had to," Harrison said. "He was being watched twenty-four hours a day. While you were 'unconscious' these last two days, he finished his move. He used the Monroe family's resources to trap Benjamin. Hunter and Pamela Monroe are dead—it was staged as an accident. Benjamin was caught trying to flee the country. The Prescott Group is back under Alexander’s total control. New York is his now."

Eleanor didn't feel happy. She felt hollow. "So it was all just a game to him. My grief, my terror... it was just a strategy."

"He came to see you while you were asleep," Harrison added softly. "He sat by your bed for hours. He’s devastated by what he had to put you through, but he says it was the only way to guarantee your safety."

Eleanor looked out the window. "He's wrong. There’s always another way. He chose to break my heart because it was the most efficient move. I don't know if I can ever look at him the same way again."