Chapter 152

Third Person POV.

Amber, Bianca, and Elena silently sat together in the waiting room, their thoughts occupied with nothing but fear and concern. They had been waiting for over six hours for news on Richard's condition, but still, there was no sign of the doctors.

Amber's body ached with exhaustion, and her eyes were swelling from hours of crying. She sat on the hard floor of the OR entrance, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, as she waited anxiously for any word on her husband's condition. Despite the physical discomfort, she refused to move, unwilling to miss the moment when the doctors would finally come out of the operating room and deliver the good news she was hoping for.

Beside her, Bianca and Elena also kept their eyes on the entrance, their faces clouded with worry. They were the only ones in the family who knew about the accident, as Elena had insisted that Martha be kept in the dark to spare her from the shock.

Amber hadn't bothered to disagree since she knew of Martha's condition and didn't think it'd be right to tell Martha yet until they'd heard back from the doctors, at least.

As the minutes turned into hours, the tension in the waiting room became almost unbearable. Amber felt her heart pounding in her chest as she prayed for some sign of hope, some indication that Richard would pull through. But each passing moment only seemed to deepen the sense of dread she felt, and it scared her to think that she could be losing Richard forever.

Then, finally, after what felt like an eternity, the doors to the operating room swung open, and a team of doctors emerged, their faces grim. Without hesitation, Amber, Elena, and Bianca sprang to their feet, their hearts racing with anticipation.

"Doctor, how is he?" Elena asked.

Amber's voice joined in. "Is my husband going to be okay?"

The doctors exchanged a somber glance before one of them stepped forward, his expression grave. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Romero," he began, his voice heavy with regret, "but the surgery was more complicated than we anticipated. Mr. Romero suffered severe internal injuries from the gunshot wounds, and his condition remains critical."

Amber felt as though the ground had been ripped out from beneath her feet. She staggered backward, her world spinning as she struggled to process the doctor's words. Critical. The word echoed in her mind like a death knell, filling her with fear unlike anything she had ever felt before.

Beside her, Bianca’s face paled at the news, her hands trembling with shock. "But he's going to be okay, right? He's going to pull through, right, doctor?"

The doctor hesitated, his gaze filled with sympathy. "We're doing everything we can," he said gently. "But I won't lie to you. Mr. Romero's injuries are severe, and there's no guarantee of recovery. It would take a miracle at this point, and we're hoping for one."

On hearing the doctor’s words, Amber felt as though she were in a daze, her mind swirling with confusion and shock. The mention of a miracle being the only hope for Richard's survival echoed in her ears, crushing her heart into a million pieces.

She stood still in stunned silence, unable to comprehend the magnitude of what the doctor had just said. Her hands trembled by her side as she struggled to process the reality of Richard's condition.

How could this be happening? What did Richard do to deserve this? How could their lives have been turned upside down in less than a day?

Standing beside her, Elena's voice broke through the fog of Amber's thoughts. "Will there be any more surgeries, doctor?" she asked.

The doctor nodded. "For now, Mr. Romero will be transferred to the ICU," he explained. "He'll be closely monitored over the next few days to see if his condition improves or deteriorates. Depending on how he responds to treatment, there may be a need for additional surgeries in the future."

Elena's brow furrowed with concern as she processed the doctor's words. "Thank you, doctor," she said.

With a nod of acknowledgment, the doctor excused himself alongside the other doctors, leaving the three women alone. For a few minutes, they stood in silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they grappled with the harsh realization of Richard's condition.

It was Bianca who eventually broke the silence. "Elena, we need to tell Mom," she said, her gaze flickering between her sister and her sister-in-law. "We can't keep this from her any longer, especially if the media catches wind of what happened."

Elena nodded in agreement, her mind already racing with plans on how to handle their mother. "I'll handle it," she said, her voice resolute. "I'll call Mom and Dad and tell them what's going on, while you call Giovanni and tell him to get here as soon as possible."

But before she could make a move, Bianca spoke up again, her tone urgent. "I already called Gio," she said, referring to their older brother. "He's currently in the Netherlands, but he said he'll be here as soon as he can."

As they talked, Amber remained silent, lost in her own thoughts. The doctor's words continued to hit her hard, and she could barely keep herself from crying.

Bianca, who had noticed Amber's distraught look, would end up breaking through her reverie, pulling her back to the present.

"Amber," Bianca said gently. "I know this is hard for you. But you need to stay strong, my dear. Not just for Richard, but for your baby too. You can't allow yourself to be weak and overstressed."

Amber's heart clenched at the mention of her and Richard's unborn child. For a second, she had forgotten that she was pregnant, and the thought of bringing a child into a world without Richard filled her with a sense of despair.

Elena's mind raced as she processed Bianca's unexpected revelation. Pregnant? Amber was pregnant?  The news hit her hard, catching her completely off guard. She turned to face Amber, her eyes wide with shock.

"Are you really pregnant?"

Amber nodded. "Yes," she replied quietly.

"I can't believe you didn't mention that much sooner," she said. "I yelled at you without even knowing—"

But before she could finish her sentence, Amber cut her off with a wave of her hand. "It's okay," she said softly. "I understand why you were upset. You had every right to be," she replied, completely uninterested in any back and forth for the time being.

Elena felt a lump form in her throat at Amber's calm response. Despite everything she had said to Amber earlier, Amber didn't seem bothered or deterred.

Just then, a nurse approached them, pulling them out of their reverie. "Excuse me," she said gently, "but I wanted to let you know that Mr. Romero has been transferred to the ICU. However, he's still recovering from surgery, so visiting hours are limited. You can see him from afar, but I'm afraid you won't be able to get too close."

Amber nodded, her heart sinking at the news. She had been hoping to see Richard to reassure herself that he was okay, but she understood the need to be careful.

"Thank you, Miss," Elena said quietly.

As she turned to leave, her phone rang from her purse, startling her. With a furrowed brow, she retrieved her phone and saw that the caller was her father. She exchanged a worried glance with Bianca before answering the call.

"Dad?"

Before she could say anything else, her father's voice erupted from the phone, loud and frantic. "Elena, is it true? Did Richard really get shot?"

Elena's heart skipped a beat at her father's words. How in the world did he already find out? But before she could even begin to form a response, her father continued, his voice filled with panic.

"Anyway, I'm on my way to the hospital right now," he said urgently. "Your mother also heard about Richard allegedly getting shot, and... she ended up passing out from a heart attack," he informed Elena, and just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, it did.