Sophia Sullivan and the arriving team rushed Ethan Sullivan to the hospital.
The doctor assured them the stitches would heal fine. But Sophia felt like a boulder weighed on her chest, suffocating her with unease.
In life-or-death moments, self-preservation kicks in first. Yet Ethan had overcome his deepest fear to shield her from that knife. The weight of his sacrifice crushed her.
"Don't worry, Sophia. Mr. Sullivan will wake soon," Ian Watson murmured, equally stunned by Ethan's actions.
The police finished their report. "The attacker was neutralized. You handled it well."
An officer studied Sophia's pale face. "Consider seeing a therapist. Trauma like this leaves scars."
"Understood."
Death no longer shook her, but she played the shaken victim for their benefit. The officers took the hint and left.
With Leo Carter gone, the nightmare was finally over.
——
Ethan opened his eyes to Sophia peeling an apple by his bedside.
He tried to speak, but his throat burned dry.
"You're awake." She handed him water. "Drink first."
It reminded her of Sicily, when he'd nursed her through feverish delirium.
"Thank you, Sophia."
Propped against the pillows, Ethan exhaled. "The police?"
"Leo's dead," she said flatly.
Her gaze dropped to his legs. Bandages hid the wound, but she remembered how deep the blade had plunged.
Her voice turned hushed. "Why reveal your secret now? After all this time maintaining the act—the consequences..."
"Nothing about you has ever been trivial."
Their eyes locked.
"Besides, I couldn't keep pretending forever. I'd planned to go public eventually. This forced my hand."
His answer was flawless, absolving her of guilt.
But in that moment, instinct had overridden logic. Seeing Leo cut free, Ethan knew the madman would stop at nothing. There'd been no time to think—only to act.
"I see."
Sophia offered the apple, her dark eyes piercing.
"You shouldn't have taken that knife for me."
Self-preservation was human nature.
Yet he'd stepped between her and death.
For one heart-stopping second, she'd believed his life was bleeding out in her arms.