Chapter 6
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The object lodged in his heart might be the only clue that could clear her brother’s name.
But was she truly prepared to trade Gideon’s life for that truth?
Running a hand through her hair, Celeste exhaled heavily and waited for the surgeon.
“Celeste…”
A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
Damien.
His complexion was still pale, the effects of his recent injury lingering. “What are you doing here?” she asked with a frown. “You should be resting.”
Damien glanced toward the ward, something uneasy flickering in his eyes.
“I just… I couldn’t stay away. Even after everything he did, Gideon has been with us for so long. I’m not as heartless as he was to me.”
He hesitated, then asked, “Did the surgery go well?”
Celeste shook her head. “There’s a foreign object in his heart. Removing it is complicated and risky.”
A flash of relief crossed Damien’s face, so brief it might’ve been imagined.
Celeste’s gaze shifted behind him. “Who’s this?”
“Oh–this is Dr. Sutton. I was worried the doctors here might not be skilled enough, so I pulled a few strings.”
Dr. Sutton was a name Celeste recognized. A top cardiac surgeon, known both domestically and abroad. He was almost impossible to book–and rarely took personal cases. If she’d had access to him before, she would’ve chosen him without question.
Damien stepped forward eagerly. “Why don’t we let him take over the operation? With his skills, he could definitely remove the foreign body from Gideon’s heart.”
For a moment, hope surged through Celeste.
But an inexplicable unease crept in.
She slowly sat back down. “Forget it.”
Damien’s face stiffened. “Celeste?”
She kept her tone steady. “The current team knows his condition best. We’ve been through a lot together. Switching now could jeopardize everything.”
Damien’s hands clenched around the hem of his shirt. He glanced again toward the ward. “But I went through so much trouble just to get Dr. Sutton…”
There was a pause.
Celeste eventually spoke. “Then… Dr. Sutton, I’ll ask for your professional guidance–but we’ll stick to the original team for now.”
Dr. Sutton’s eyes flickered behind his mask. He shared a subtle glance with Damien, then
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composed himself. “Understood. I’ll assist however I can.”
Inside the ward, Gideon lay unconscious-
The scar across his chest was a mark of that night.
Sierra had stabbed him while he was shielding Alden.
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He remembered the cold steel, the overwhelming pain, and the helplessness as he bled out, forced to watch Sierra’s men brutalize Alden.
He thought he’d die alongside his brother.
But he woke up in the hospital.
When he returned to the scene later, every trace of that night had been wiped clean.
Only a broken artisan knife remained.
It wasn’t conclusive evidence–but he recognized it.
It had been Sierra’s favorite: a delicate blade, pink–handled, engraved with a custom design by a master artisan. The artisan later confirmed it.
But without the rest of the weapon, the chain of proof was gone.
What no one else knew–was that the missing half still lay inside his heart.
He’d considered having it removed, but the doctors warned him: the operation could cause massive internal bleeding. Survival rate? Less than 5%.
Still, with a blade buried in his heart, it was only a matter of time.
Every breath he took could be his last.
He spent a day thinking it through… and left a note.
A suicide note.
In it, he asked them to remove the object from his heart after his death–and hand it to the police.
But he never told Celeste.
Because if he did… she’d never let him go through with the surgery.
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My eyes widened. “Damien hired him?”
“Don’t act so surprised. If it weren’t for him, you’d still be in a coma.”
She turned away, voice bitter. “Maybe divorcing you was the best decision I ever made. You’re not the man I used to know.”
I opened my mouth, but she had already walked out–slamming the door behind her.
I clutched my chest.
Would Damien really call a doctor for me?
Or did he send someone just skilled enough to remove the foreign body–just enough to keep me alive, but not to save me?
I was checking out of the hospital, head heavy with doubts. As I passed by a ward, a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.
“I booked your flight. Once you leave, don’t come back.”
“I know. I’ll visit you abroad later. That’s better than you staying in Los Angeles and getting arrested.”
I froze.
That voice… Damien?
Was he talking to his sister?
“I’ve already misled Celeste. Good thing the person I sent looks enough like Dr. Sutton. She’s convinced now that the foreign body in Gideon’s chest was removed.”
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