Chapter 123 Breaking Point
Elena: POV
I stepped back from Julian's hospital bed, wiping my hands on my jeans. The nurse's knowing look still burned in my mind.
"I need to see my mom," I said, not meeting his eyes.
Julian's good hand caught my wrist. "Elena—"
"Please." I pulled away gently. "The nurse said she's awake. I need to make sure she's okay."
He stared at me for a long moment. I could see the argument forming behind his eyes—the possessive instinct to keep me here, close, where he could see me.
But then he nodded.
"Go," he said quietly. "I'll be here when you're done."
I turned and walked out of his room before he could change his mind.
---
I found Dr. Navarro at the nurses' station, reviewing charts. He looked up when I approached, his expression professionally neutral.
"Ms. Vance. I was just about to come find you."
My stomach dropped. "Is she okay?"
"Your mother is stable," he said carefully. "But I'd like to discuss her condition before you see her. Is there somewhere we can talk privately?"
He led me to a small consultation room. The walls were pale blue, probably meant to be calming. It didn't work.
Dr. Navarro gestured for me to sit. I perched on the edge of the chair, hands clasped tight in my lap.
"The surgery went well," he began. "We stopped the bleeding and removed the damaged portion of her spleen. She's awake and stable."
I exhaled. "So she's going to be okay?"
The pause was too long.
"Ms. Vance... the bleeding was caused by the pancreatic tumor. It's grown significantly since her last scan. The cancer is progressing faster than we initially projected."
My throat went dry. "How much faster?"
"The tumor is now pressing on several major blood vessels. That's what caused the splenic artery rupture." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I need to be honest with you. Your mother's condition is fragile. Another bleed like this could be fatal."
I felt the room tilt.
"What does that mean?" I whispered. "For... for the road trip. We were going to the Blue Ridge Mountains. She wanted to see the coast—"
"I'm sorry." Dr. Navarro's voice was gentle but firm. "Your mother needs to stay here. At least two weeks, possibly longer. She's not stable enough for travel. Any jostling, any stress—it could trigger another hemorrhage."
Two weeks.
The mountains were supposed to be next. Then the Carolina coast. Then Virginia, where she'd found me all those years ago.
It's over. The trip is over.
"Can I see her now?" My voice sounded far away.
"Of course." Dr. Navarro stood. "She's in room 512. But Ms. Vance—she doesn't know yet. About how serious this is. I wanted to tell you first, so you could decide how much to share with her."
I nodded numbly and walked out.
---
Room 512 was at the end of the hall. Through the small window in the door, I could see Mom lying in the hospital bed, eyes closed. She looked so small. So fragile.
I pushed the door open.
Her eyes opened immediately. For a second, she looked confused—taking in the IV lines, the monitors, the sterile white walls.
Then she saw me and her face crumpled with relief.
"Elena."
I crossed to her bedside and took her hand. "Hey, Mom. You're awake."
"Where am I?" Her voice was hoarse. "What happened?"
"You're in a hospital. In Manhattan." I squeezed her hand gently. "You had internal bleeding. They had to do emergency surgery."
She blinked slowly, processing. "Manhattan? But we were in Georgia. We were at the state park, and then—" Her eyes widened. "Oh God. The blood. There was so much blood."
"You're okay now," I said quickly. "The surgery went well. You're going to be fine."
Mom's gaze sharpened, focusing on my face. "How did I get to Manhattan?"
I took a breath. "Julian brought us. In a medical helicopter. The local hospital didn't have the right specialists, so he—"
"Julian." She said his name like a curse. "Julian Sterling."
"Yes."
"Your ex-husband."
"Yes."
She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were bright with tears.
"No," she whispered. "Elena, no. Tell me you didn't."
"You were dying, Mom. I didn't have a choice."
"There's always a choice." Her hand gripped mine with surprising strength. "You could have stayed in Georgia. You could have—"
"You would have died." My voice cracked. "The doctor said if we'd waited even another hour, you would have bled out. Julian had the resources. He had the helicopter, the surgical team, everything. I couldn't—" I broke off, swallowing hard. "I couldn't lose you."
Mom stared at me. Tears slid down her cheeks.
"So you came back," she said softly. "You came back to New York. Back to him."
"Just until you're stable enough to leave. That's all."
"And where's Ethan?"
Fuck.
I'd known this was coming. Known I'd have to tell her the truth eventually.
"He's... not here."
"Why not?" Mom's eyes searched my face. "You told me he was traveling with us. You said he cared about you. So where is he now?"
I couldn't meet her gaze. "Mom—"
"You're not really together, are you? You made up this relationship." Her voice was flat. "To make me feel better. To make me think you'd moved on."
I didn't answer. Didn't need to.
Mom made a sound—half-laugh, half-sob. "Oh, baby girl. What have you done?"
"I'm sorry." The words came out choked. "I just... you were so happy when you thought I had someone. I didn't want to take that away from you."
"So you lied." She wasn't angry. Just... sad. So unbearably sad. "You let me believe you were okay. That you'd found someone good. Someone who wouldn't hurt you."
"I am okay—"
"You're not." Mom's hand came up to cup my cheek. "You're back in New York. In Julian Sterling's hospital. Letting him control your life again. And you're telling yourself it's for me."
"It is for you—"
"No, baby." Her thumb brushed away a tear I didn't know I'd shed. "You're doing it because you still love him."
The words hit me like a punch.
"I don't—"
"Yes, you do." Mom's voice was gentle but certain. "I saw your face when I mentioned his name. I saw how you looked when you told me he brought us here. You still care about him, Elena. Even after everything he did to you."
I wanted to deny it. Wanted to tell her she was wrong.
"It doesn't matter," I said hoarsely. "What I feel doesn't matter. All that matters is keeping you alive."
"No." Mom's grip on my hand tightened. "No, baby girl. That's not how this works. You don't get to sacrifice your happiness for a few more weeks with me."
"Don't say that—"
"Listen to me." Her voice was fierce now, despite its weakness. "I'm dying, Elena. We both know it. And I'd rather die tomorrow knowing you're free than live another six months watching you destroy yourself for me."
"Mom—"
"You don't have to do this." Tears were streaming down her face now. "You don't have to stay here. You don't have to let Julian back into your life. You don't have to compromise yourself just because I'm sick."
My throat was too tight to speak.
"Baby girl," Mom whispered. "Please. Please don't do this for me."