?Chapter 1026:


    In her mind, the scene reyed—Tyrant kneeling under Chris’ attack. The danger had been very real. Without Chris, she might have been seriously hurt.


    “I do,” Ethan shot back, “but he is your bodyguard. It is literally his job to show up. Or was he off with another woman, forgetting to protect you? Because if he had been there from the start, none of that would have happened.” His voice rose, agitation fueling his words. The sudden strain made him wince, a sharp pain stabbing at his side.


    Marisa gasped, her eyes darting to the red seeping through his bandages. “Ethan! Your wound…”


    Maia’s rm red instantly. “Ethan, stay still!” She mmed her hand on the call button, her voice carrying an urgent edge. “Someone, please! The patient’s wound is bleeding!”


    Whatever frustration had lingered between them vanished in an instant, reced by pure panic and a rush of guilt.


    She couldn’t understand it. Why did Ethan dislike Chris so much?


    They had barely exchanged more than a handful of words in total. And yet… Chris had just offered to peel an apple for him. From where Maia stood, she couldn’t find a single thing the man had done wrong.


    The hospital room erupted in suddenmotion.


    Marisa mmed her finger on the call button. “Hurry! Somebody get in here—Ethan’s wound has opened up!”


    This wasn’t the turn of events Ethan had imagined. Seeing Maia’s rmed face and the worry brimming in her eyes filled him with guilt.


    He scolded himself in silence. Why couldn’t he have spoken to her without raising his voice? What made him let his temper slip like that?


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    The door burst open, and a flurry of nurses and doctors poured in, tending to Ethan’s injury with swift precision.


    Through the noise and movement, the sound of measured footsteps grew louder from the hallway.


    Lifting his gaze, Ethan caught sight of Hurst stepping into view.<fn68e6> ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???????s, ????s? ??s?? Find~Novel</fn68e6>


    With a determined stride, Hurst closed the distance to the bed and sped Ethan’s hand without hesitation. His tone carried unwavering strength. “Ethan, you’re going to be alright.”


    Lifting his eyes, Ethan found himself caught in the steady,manding gaze of Hurst before him.


    An unexpected tightness formed in his throat, the kind that came with a wave of indescribable relief.


    Justiceze was here.


    Messages might have gone unanswered, yet he had been the first to arrive. In Ethan’s heart, there was no doubt—only Hurst deserved to stand beside his sister.


    …


    Upstairs on the second floor of the Nelson family’s vi, the air still carried the heat and closeness of what had just happened.


    Resting her head against Austen, Rosanna’s eyes shimmered with a quiet, self-satisfied glow.


    What she hadn’t counted on was the sheer endurance Austen possessed, leaving her drained and breathless.


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