Chapter 82
The first thing Elias felt was soft, filtered sunlight against his eyelids. Then came the pain, sharp and hot, blooming through his chest. His breath caught, and the world snapped into focus.
White ceiling.... Beeping monitors. The faint sterile scent of disinfectant.
A hospital.
His throat was dry, his chest heavy. For a moment, he did not remember why he was here. Then, as his gaze moved, he saw the figure slumped in the chair beside him, his head resting against the mattress, hair tousled, face pale from exhaustion.
Jace.
Elias’s lips parted, but no sound came out. He shifted slightly, and the motion sent a fresh stab of pain across his ribs. He winced, sucking in a shaky breath. The sound was enough to stir Jace awake.
“Elias— ” Jace’s voice cracked as he shot upright. His eyes widened in disbelief. “Elias, you are awake!” His relief broke through the room like sunlight through clouds. “Nurse! He is awake....he is awake!”
Elias blinked, still groggy, his gaze darting around the unfamiliar room. He could hear footsteps rushing toward the door before he felt Jace’s trembling hand brush against his arm.
“Hey… it is okay,” Jace whispered, voice hoarse from hours, maybe days of sleeplessness. “You are safe now.”
Elias tried to speak, but his voice came out rough. “What… what happened?”
Before Jace could answer, the door opened, and a doctor entered with two nurses. They surrounded the bed, moving quickly and efficiently, checking his vitals, adjusting his IV.
“Well, Mr. Crane,” the doctor said with a practised calm, “you gave us quite a scare. You were shot in the chest. The bullet missed your heart by two inches. You are lucky to be alive.”
“Shot…” Elias murmured, blinking as fragments of memory flooded back.
He winced as one of the nurses adjusted the bandage on his chest. “How… how did I get here?”
The doctor smiled faintly. “You were brought in just in time. Your friend here refused to leave your side.”
Elias turned his head. Jace looked exhausted, his eyes rimmed red, his shirt wrinkled, a faint shadow of stubble across his jaw. But he was smiling, though the corners of his lips trembled.
Elias’s heart clenched.
“What about him?” Elias asked quietly, voice raw. “The man who shot me…”
The doctor exchanged a brief look with the nurse before answering. “He has been arrested. He is awaiting trial. The police said you will be needed for testimony once you are stronger. "
The doctor gave a few more instructions, checked Elias’s heart rate again, and then turned to Jace. “His vitals look stable, but keep an eye on him. If anything feels off, like if he feels shortness of breath, chest pain, or anything at all, call immediately.”
“Thank you,” Jace said softly, meaning it more than he had ever meant anything.
The staff left the room quietly, the door clicking shut behind them.
Jace sat down on the edge of the bed, his hands folded in his lap. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The rhythmic beep of the monitor filled the silence.
Elias was the first to break it. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Jace’s lips parted, but no words came out at first. His eyes were glassy.
“Why did you do that?” Jace’s voice was barely above a whisper, trembling but sharp. “Why did you jump in front of me? Why did you take that bullet for me, Elias?”
Elias looked away, jaw tightening. He did not answer.
“Why, Elias?” Jace’s voice cracked now, the weight of his emotions breaking through. “Why would you do something so reckless... so stupid? You could have died! After everything I did.... after everything that has happened.... you... you still— ”
He did not get to finish.
Elias reached out, grabbed the front of Jace’s shirt, and pulled him forward. The kiss was desperate, trembling, full of everything they had not said. For a heartbeat, the world stopped. There was no hospital, no machines, no pain, only the quiet hum of their breaths blending together.
Tears spilled down Elias’s cheeks as he pulled away, his voice breaking into the silence.
“I love you, Jace.”
The words fell softly, but they hit like a thunderclap.
Jace froze. His breath hitched, his heart pounding so hard it hurt. He stared at Elias, at the face of the man who had once been his target, his enemy, and saw nothing but truth.
The tears came before he could stop them. He leaned forward and kissed Elias again slower this time, gentler, his lips trembling against his.
When they broke apart, Jace rested his forehead against Elias’s, both of them breathing unevenly. The room was quiet except for the beeping of the heart monitor, steady and alive.
Elias let out a shaky laugh. “You know, when I imagined saying that to you, I was not bleeding through my chest.”
Jace let out a watery chuckle. “And when I imagined hearing it… I was not covered in your blood.”
They both smiled through their tears, fragile and fleeting but real.
Elias’s hand brushed against Jace’s wrist, tracing the raw marks left by the ropes. His gaze softened. “You were hurt too.”
Jace shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.”
“It is,” Jace insisted.
For a long moment, they just stared at each other, the boy who had built his life on vengeance and the man who had spent his life hiding behind power. Two broken souls who had somehow found each other in the wreckage.
The air between them grew heavy again, thick with emotion.
Elias took a breath, his fingers tightening around Jace’s hand. His voice trembled slightly when he spoke again softly, but certain.
“Jace?”
“Yeah?”
Elias’s eyes shimmered as a faint smile touched his lips. “Will you…” He paused, searching Jace’s face, his heart hammering against his ribs despite the pain. “Will you marry me?”