Chapter 185: One Hundred &Eighty Five

Elara spun toward Gabriele, her face flushed with anger and fear.

“What did you tell him?!” she demanded, her voice sharp. “He’s mad at me! What did you say?”

Gabriele crossed his arms, his expression calm but hard. “I didn’t have to tell him anything, Elara,” he said coolly. “He saw through you himself.”

Elara’s eyes widened. “Saw through me? What does that even mean?”

Gabriele stepped closer, his voice firm. “It means he knows. He knows what’s been going on, and right now, that’s all that matters. Stay out of his way, or things will get worse for you.”

Elara swallowed, realizing she couldn’t argue with him. She opened her mouth, then closed it, words failing her.

Gabriele gave her one last warning look. “You’ve got one chance to do the right thing. Don’t blow it. Repent come clean with all the crazy shit you’ve done.”

She nodded, shaken, as he turned and walked away, leaving her alone in the hallway, staring after him, powerless.

Elara stood frozen for a moment, her chest tight, the weight of Gabriele’s words sinking in. She wanted to argue, to defend herself, but something in her gut told her it wouldn’t help.

She glanced down the hall and saw Giovanni a few steps away, tense, his eyes still burning with that mix of anger and worry. Her instincts made her move toward him, but the memory of Gabriele’s warning held her back.

“He… he doesn’t trust me anymore,” she whispered to herself, voice barely audible.

Giovanni didn’t look at her. He was focused on the doors to the emergency surgery wing, pacing slightly, hands clenched. Every step he took radiated tension, a silent storm.

Elara hesitated, then finally spoke, her voice low, shaky: “..… I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I didn’t… hurt anyone on purpose.”

Gabriele, who had paused to watch her, shook his head. “Intent doesn’t matter right now. Actions do. And your actions brought Adrian here.”

Elara swallowed hard, guilt gnawing at her. “I… I just wanted to protect… to fix things…”

“Protecting?” Gabriele’s voice was sharp. “You call poisoning your fiancé ‘protecting’?You are one mad bitch! You need to understand how far this has gone.”

Elara’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t… I didn’t know it would get this bad…”

Gabriele gave her a hard look. “Then start understanding now. Stay out of Giovanni’s way. And don’t even think about getting near Ganni. Stay put and be ready to pay for all the shit you’ve done.”

She nodded slowly, trembling, as Gabriele turned and walked back toward the operating room doors.

Alone, Elara leaned against the wall, her mind spinning. She knew she had pushed too far, and now, more than ever, she realized just how high the stakes were… and that there was no one to defend her but herself.

The operating room doors swung open, and the doctor stepped out, scrubbed and tired, his mask still hanging loosely around his neck. His eyes scanned the waiting area, landing on Gabriele and Giovanni.

“He’s stable,” the doctor said, his voice clipped but firm. “We managed to relieve the pressure. Surgery went as planned, but he’s going to need intensive care and monitoring for the next 24–48 hours. It was touch-and-go for a while.”

Giovanni’s shoulders slumped slightly, a mix of relief and exhaustion washing over him. “Can I… see him?” he asked, voice low, almost hoarse.

The doctor nodded. “Yes, but only briefly. No sudden movements. He’s sedated and still fragile.”

Gabriele glanced at Giovanni, a quiet warning in his eyes. “Take it slow. Don’t let him see you losing it… You need to be calm right now..”

Giovanni nodded, swallowing hard. He stepped forward, the weight of the last few days pressing down on him, and peered at Adrian lying on the gurney. Tubes and monitors surrounded him, his chest rising and falling steadily.

“He’s going to be okay,” Gabriele said quietly, resting a hand on Giovanni’s shoulder. “We’ll make sure of it.”

Giovanni’s eyes stayed locked on Adrian, relief mixing with a dark edge of determination. “I’ll fix this,” he muttered, almost to himself. “I’ll fix everything.”

Elara, standing to the side, watched silently, her chest tight, realizing how far she had pushed things… and how fragile everything had become.

Giovanni stayed frozen for a moment, staring at Adrian, the beeping of the machines filling the heavy silence. He could feel the tension in Gabriele beside him, steady but tense, like a coiled spring ready to snap.

Finally, he exhaled sharply and stepped closer to the bed, gripping the edge of the rail. “You hear me, Adrian? Stay with us… damn it, stay with us,” he muttered under his breath, voice rough with emotion.

Gabriele gave him a firm squeeze on the shoulder. “Don’t lose focus, Gio. He’s stable now, but this isn’t a guarantee. We watch, we wait, and we protect him. That’s it.”

Giovanni nodded, jaw tight, eyes never leaving Adrian. “I’ll make sure nothing else happens.”

Elara shifted uncomfortably, glancing between Giovanni and Adrian, her earlier bravado fading in the weight of the moment. She opened her mouth, but no words came.

The doctor cleared his throat. “He’s in recovery. No visitors for now. You can wait in the lounge, if you don’t want to leave. Any sudden stress could undo everything we did.”

Giovanni gave a curt nod, stepping back slightly. Gabriele followed him, keeping a careful watch on Elara, whose face was pale, her hands twisting nervously.

Outside the OR, the hallway was quiet except for the faint beeping from the monitors still attached to Adrian. Giovanni sank onto a bench, running a hand over his face. He felt Raven’s absence like a shadow pressing down, but he knew she was keeping Ganni safe.

Gabriele leaned against the wall beside him. “Don’t worry we will get through this. He would be fine.. now we just need to watch everyone closely.”

Giovanni’s eyes darkened. “Especially her.”

Elara, standing a few feet away, flinched at the weight in his tone, realizing clearly that the war lines weren’t just drawn… Giovanni was fully on guard, and she was the target.

The night stretched long and tense as they waited, each heartbeat echoing the fragility of what they’d survived…. and the danger that was far from over.