His innocent wife is a dangerous hacker.-Chapter 536 Hope

By the time Alessandro returned to the car, Bella had already wiped her face clean.

She sat upright, her breathing steady, her expression calm again. If someone looked at her now, they would not guess she had cried just minutes ago.

She looked up at him and gave a small nod.

"I’m okay," she said softly.

Alessandro studied her for a moment, searching her face, then nodded once in return. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t push.

They drove back in silence.

The walk back to the ward was a return to a different world. The sharp, cold smells of the basement were replaced by the sterile, lemony scent of hospital disinfectant and the low, rhythmic hum of monitors. The contrast was jarring. It felt surreal, as if she had stepped out of a violent, black and white film and back into muted, over bright reality.

Jay saw her first. He was pacing a worn path near the window but spun around at the sound of the door. In two long strides he was across the room, and before she could offer a word, his arms were around her, pulling her into a hug so tight it pressed the air from her lungs.

A second later, Jace was there, his solid presence completing the circle, one hand coming to rest firmly on her back. The warmth of them, the simple, wordless solidarity, was a physical shock after the emotional freeze of the car and the cold calculation of the basement. It threatened to crack the calm shell she had so carefully rebuilt.

"Thank you," Bella whispered into Jay’s shoulder, the words muffled but sincere. It was all she could manage.

They held on for a moment longer, then eased back. Bella’s eyes, dry and clear, didn’t linger on their concerned faces. They flew past them, searching, hoping, a reflex she couldn’t control.

The bed. Leo.

A fragile, desperate hope ignited in her chest, so bright it was painful.

"Did he wake up?" The question was small, barely audible, a child’s plea.

Jay’s face softened with a regret that was answer enough even before he spoke. He shook his head slowly. "He hasn’t," he said, his own voice thick. "Not yet."

The light inside her guttered, but didn’t go out. It banked itself, turning from a flame into a slow, stubborn burn. She nodded once, a sharp, accepting motion, and swallowed down the lump in her throat.

Without another word, she moved past them, drawn to the bedside like a magnet. She reached his side and let her fingers come to rest lightly on the sheet beside his hand, not gripping, just connecting. Her gaze traced the lines of his face, the dark sweep of his lashes against too pale skin, the steady, mechanical rise and fall of his chest under the blanket.

"I’m here," she whispered.

Behind her, Jay and Jace exchanged a glance, relief that she was back, worry about what she had just been through, and something else neither of them said out loud.

"We got you a few more clothes. You should change," Jay said, and Bella nodded her head as she went into the family room to change clothes. She washed herself quickly and came back to his side and sat there. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Meanwhile, Jay’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

He glanced at the screen, then stepped slightly away from the room before answering.

"Mom," he said quietly.

On the other side, Lina’s voice was tight with worry, even though she was trying to sound calm. She asked about Leo first. Then Bella. Then the situation in City F.

Jay leaned one shoulder against the cold wall, running a tired hand over his face as he spoke in a low voice.

"He’s stable," he said. "Still unconscious. Doctors are monitoring him closely."

There was a long pause from Lina.

"And Bella?" she asked.

Jay exhaled slowly. "She’s here. She’s... holding herself together."

Another pause. He could almost picture Lina closing her eyes, trying to steady herself.

"We can’t come," Lina said quietly after a moment. "Your father already told us. Things here also need handling. Nonna is with me. We are managing this side."

Jay nodded even though she couldn’t see him.

"I know," he said softly.

Then Lina’s voice hardened slightly, slipping into the calm strength she always carried when things went wrong.

"Take care of them," she said. "Both of them."

Jay straightened instinctively.

"I will," he said firmly.

"Jay," Lina added, softer now, "don’t let Bella feel alone there."

His throat tightened slightly.

"I won’t," he replied.

Another few quiet words passed between them, small updates, small reassurances, things said more for comfort than information.

Then the call ended.

Jay stayed there for a few seconds longer, staring at the dark screen. Then he pushed himself off the wall and walked back inside.

When he entered the ward again, his expression was calmer, more serious, more settled.

Bella was sitting beside Leo, her fingers resting near his hand, her gaze fixed on his face like she was trying to memorize every detail.

Jay walked closer.

"Mom called," he said quietly.

Bella looked up.

"She and Nonna won’t come," he continued. "Dad asked them to stay. Things on that side need handling too."

Bella nodded slowly. "Okay."

A soft knock came at the door before it opened.

A nurse stepped inside, her movements gentle and practiced. She offered a polite nod when she saw them gathered around the bed.

"Ma’am," she said softly to Bella, "I need to check him."

Bella nodded immediately and stepped aside without protest, though her eyes never left Leo for long. She moved just enough to give space, her fingers brushing lightly against the side of the bed as if she needed that small contact to ground herself.

The nurse moved efficiently, checking the monitors, adjusting a line, lifting the blanket slightly to check the dressing along Leo’s back. Her face remained professional, but careful, respectful of the family standing so close.

"He’s stable," she said after a moment, writing something on her pad. "But recovery will take time."

Bella nodded silently.