Chapter 149
How could this be happening?
He didn't care about her. Not at all. Never had.
Alexander kept repeating these words like a mantra, desperately trying to suppress the storm of emotions raging inside him. Yet the sharp, unrelenting pain in his chest forced him to face a truth he could no longer deny.
He had fallen for Evelyn Sinclair.
He didn't know when it started, but Evelyn had somehow carved a permanent place in his heart.
Memories flooded back - he was supposed to love Victoria. Victoria Lancaster, the woman he'd made childhood promises to. So why was Evelyn the one occupying his thoughts now?
Alexander rubbed his temples, frustration evident in every tense muscle. His bloodshot eyes remained fixed on the glowing "SURGERY IN PROGRESS" sign. It felt like something precious had slipped through his fingers in the quicksand of his memories, lost forever.
Twenty-four hours passed. The operating room lights still burned bright.
Victoria was growing restless, but the dark aura surrounding Alexander kept her from acting rashly. She could only wait, praying the doctors would emerge with news of Evelyn's demise.
Eleanor Kingsley arrived, her heels clicking sharply against the hospital floor. Spotting Alexander still stationed outside the OR, she immediately went to defend her daughter's honor.
"Alexander Blackwood! How dare you make Victoria wait here all this time? That scheming woman is obviously faking it! This is just another one of her pathetic attempts to steal your attention and ruin your engagement!"
"Come, Victoria. Let's take Alexander back to the hotel," Eleanor commanded, reaching for Alexander's arm. When Victoria moved to assist, Alexander violently shook off Eleanor's grasp. His crimson eyes burned with dangerous intensity.
"Even if she is acting, she's doing it for me. What concern is that of yours? Get out of my sight!"
Eleanor recoiled, shocked by his venomous response. Recovering quickly, she tried again. "Alexander, you're confused. You divorced Evelyn. Victoria is your fiancée now—"
"So what? That doesn't change the fact she was once mine! That her name remains in the Blackwood family registry! One more word and I'll hold you personally responsible if anything happens to Evelyn!"
Both women fell silent under his threat. Neither dared speak another word.
His expression was terrifying - those piercing eyes seemed capable of flaying anyone who met his gaze.
Victoria clenched her fists behind her back, nails digging into her palms. She couldn't accept Alexander's reaction to Evelyn's condition.
The signs had been there all along.
The most damning evidence? He'd allowed Evelyn to carry his child.
While no matter how many times she'd tried seducing him - slipping drugs into his drinks, wearing the most revealing lingerie - he'd always fallen asleep before anything could happen.
The surgical team rotated shifts multiple times throughout the night.
Alexander had even summoned his personal physician from Geneva to assist.
With each passing hour, time stretched agonizingly slow. Alexander had never experienced such torment, never found a single night so impossible to endure.
As dawn's first light crept through the windows, the operating room lights finally dimmed.
Alexander sprang to his feet, nerves taut with anticipation. Hope flickered in his exhausted eyes - hope that Evelyn had been saved.
Overnight, dark stubble shadowed his jaw. His complexion had turned ashen, eyes sunken from lack of sleep.
The surgical team emerged, their grim expressions speaking volumes before they even opened their mouths. Seeing Alexander, they shook their heads in unison. "Mr. Blackwood... we did everything we could."