Chapter 20- Fractured Hope

The minutes felt like hours as Anna sat curled up on the cold marble floor of the hallway, her heart shattering with every beat. Emily’s message repeated in her mind like a broken record: "I don’t know if she’s going to make it."

She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there, her phone lying forgotten beside her, tears streaming endlessly down her face. A storm of emotions battered her—fear, helplessness, and a burning rage toward Jaden.

How could he be so cruel? How could he keep her locked away while her sister lay on the brink of death?

The silence in the mansion was oppressive, broken only by the faint tick of a distant clock. Each second felt like a lifetime. She clenched her knees to her chest, rocking slightly as she whispered Lilly’s name over and over like a prayer.

“Please, God, don’t take her away from me,” she sobbed, her voice trembling. “I’ll do anything. Just. Let her live.”

She looked at her phone again, her fingers trembling as she opened the chat with Emily. There were no new messages. She quickly typed:

"Is there any update? Is she okay?"

The message sent, but no reply came. Panic clawed at her chest, and she fought the urge to scream. She couldn’t just sit here doing nothing.

Anna stood up abruptly, her legs shaky beneath her. She wiped her tear-streaked face and marched toward the door. She didn’t care about Jaden’s orders. She didn’t care about the guards. She was going to the hospital no matter what it took.

But as soon as she reached the door, the same two men stepped forward, blocking her path.

“Move,” she demanded, her voice steadier than before.

“Ma’am, we’ve been instructed—”

“I don’t care about your instructions!” she shouted, her voice cracking. “My sister could be dying, and you think I’m going to stay here? Get out of my way!”

The men didn’t flinch. One of them spoke calmly, “We understand this is difficult, but we cannot disobey Mister Blackwell’s orders.”

Anna’s fists clenched at her sides. She felt the urge to fight them, to claw her way out if she had to. But deep down, she knew it was pointless. They were professionals, and she was no match for them.

Frustrated and defeated, she turned back toward the hallway, her vision blurring with fresh tears. As she stumbled back to her room, her phone buzzed in her hand. Her heart leaped as she saw Emily’s name.

She opened the message with trembling fingers.

"The doctors are stabilizing her. They said it was a severe reaction to the treatment. But she’s breathing again."

Anna let out a shaky breath, her knees giving way as she sank to the floor. Relief flooded her, but the weight of the fear she had just experienced lingered, leaving her trembling.

She quickly typed a reply: "Is she awake?"

Emily responded almost immediately. "Not yet. They said she needs rest, but she’s out of danger."

Anna pressed her hands to her face, her body shaking with sobs of relief. Lilly was safe. For now.

But the relief was short-lived as the door to her room opened, and Jaden stepped inside. His presence filled the space, his cold gaze locking onto her tear-streaked face.

“What are you doing on the floor?” he asked, his tone devoid of sympathy.

Anna glared at him through her tears, her anger reigniting. “Lilly’s out of danger,” she snapped, her voice trembling. “And it’s in spite of you keeping me locked here like a prisoner.”

Jaden’s expression remained impassive. “I told you she’d be fine,” he said simply.

“You didn’t know that!” Anna screamed, standing up and stepping toward him. “You had no idea if she was going to make it or not, but you still kept me here! Do you have any idea what that did to me?”

Jaden’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond.

Anna let out a bitter laugh, the sound laced with pain. “Of course you don’t. Because you don’t care about anyone but yourself. You’re so obsessed with control that you can’t even let me be with my sister when she needs me.”

“I only care about keeping you safe for our deal,” Jaden said coldly. “You being at the hospital would have accomplished nothing but putting you at risk.”

“At risk?” Anna scoffed. “Do you really think I care about my safety when my sister’s life is on the line?”

Jaden stepped closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over her. “You should,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Because if something happens to you, she loses the only person willing to fight for her. Think about that the next time you try to defy me.”

Anna’s chest heaved as she stared at Jaden, her hands balled into trembling fists. “You don’t get to decide what’s best for me, Jaden! I’m not some pawn in your twisted game of control. Lilly is my sister, and I should have been there for her, no matter what.”

Jaden’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous edge to his voice. “You think this is a game? Do you have any idea how many enemies would use your desperation against you? How quickly they’d take you if you stepped foot outside without protection?”

“I don’t care!” Anna shouted, her voice cracking. “Let them come for me! I’d rather take that risk than sit here powerless while my sister fights for her life!”

Jaden’s jaw clenched, his voice dropping to an icy whisper. “Your recklessness would leave her with nothing, Anna. Nothing. Do you understand that?”

Anna shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “And what about me, Jaden? What about what I went through waiting? I felt like I was dying, and you just—stood there. Cold. Unbothered.”

Jaden stood there for a moment, his silence weighing heavily in the room.

Finally, he spoke, his tone clipped. “You should get some rest.”

Anna’s breath hitched, she hated that he always found a way to twist the truth, to make her feel like the one who was in the wrong.

She turned away from him, her arms wrapping around herself. “I’ll never forgive you for this,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Jaden didn’t respond. Instead, he walked past her, heading toward the door. Before he left, he paused, glancing back at her. “Get some rest. You’ll need your strength for what’s coming.”

The cryptic statement sent a chill down Anna’s spine, but before she could ask what he meant, he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.