"We don’t want that happening again, do we?" Julian added smoothly as if that was not a threat. The hallway fell silent instantly.

Even the guards standing nearby shifted uncomfortably. Doctor Ade’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out this time. Because he was right.

A hospital was supposed to protect people. But hospitals failed too. People with power found ways around rules every single day. Julian glanced toward the room where Amara slept. His voice lowered slightly when he spoke again.

"I’m not taking chances with her anymore." Doctor Ade slowly looked away first. There was nothing left for her to argue about. After a long second, she sighed softly and adjusted the file in her hands.

"Of course," she murmured. Julian gave a small nod. "Glad we have an understanding."

Doctor Ade shook her head faintly, clearly still disapproving of the army of security turning her hospital floor upside down. "Just make sure they don’t disturb the other patients."

"Don’t worry," Julian replied immediately. "They won’t." Doctor Ade gave him one final look before quietly walking away down the corridor. The sound of her shoes slowly faded into the distance.

Silence returned again. Heavy. Cold.

Seb remained standing near the windows at the far end of the hallway, his face unreadable now. He had stayed unusually quiet after Julian mentioned the kidnapping and the baby Amara lost. For once, even he had no sarcastic reply; it was all his doing. Thinking of it now, he wished he could raise Elara from the dead and drive a spare into her chest and kill her with his own hands.

Julian ignored him completely. He pushed open the hospital room door and stepped inside again. The lights had been dimmed low. Machines beeped softly in the background.

Amara lay asleep on the bed, finally peaceful after hours of emotional chaos. Strands of dark hair rested across her face while one hand remained protectively over her stomach even in sleep. Julian’s expression softened instantly.

All the coldness left his face the moment he looked at her. Slowly, he walked over and sat beside the bed. Carefully, he reached for her hand. Warm. Still there.

He lowered his head for a second, quietly exhaling like only now could he finally breathe properly himself. Outside the room, guards stood at every entrance.

Inside the room, Julian watched over Amara silently like a man terrified that if he looked away for even one second... He might lose her, too. Seb walked toward Amara’s room a few minutes later, his patience finally wearing thin after being ignored for so long.

But the moment he reached the door, two guards immediately stepped in front of him. "Sir, you can’t enter." Seb stopped slowly.

The hallway temperature seemed to drop instantly. "What did you just say to me?" The guards remained firm despite the pressure rolling off him.

"Mr. Vale ordered that no one enter the room." Seb gave a short, humorless laugh.

"No one?" One of the guards shifted nervously but nodded anyway. Before the tension could explode further, the hospital room door opened. Julian stepped out quietly, immediately annoyed by the noise.

"My wife is asleep," he said coldly. "Keep it down." Seb’s eyes darkened at the word wife again. Still, he crossed his arms calmly, hiding the irritation beneath his usual composed expression.

"So, as the father of her babies, I heard we are having twins," Seb said smoothly, "will I at least get an update on how my children are doing?" Julian stared at him for a long moment.

"No," he replied flatly. The guards behind him visibly stiffened. "But," Julian continued coolly, "I’m sure you can ask the doctors." His gaze sharpened slightly. "It is your territory after all," Seb smirked faintly.

"Well, you’d win that bet." For a second, neither man looked away. The air between them felt dangerous. Old resentment. Jealousy. Possession. Everything sat heavily between them without needing to be spoken aloud.

Seb’s eyes drifted briefly toward the room behind Julian. "And these men of yours," he said calmly, "can’t actually stop me from entering Amara’s room." Julian’s expression didn’t change. "Well," he said quietly, stepping fully into the hallway now, "maybe not."

Then he slowly closed the room door behind him. "But you’ll have to try first." The meaning behind the words was unmistakable. The guards immediately straightened further. Seb stared at Julian silently.

And for the first time since this entire nightmare began, the two men looked seconds away from destroying each other right there in the hospital hallway.

Inside the room, Amara slept peacefully, completely unaware of the silent war raging outside her door over who had the greater right to stand beside her. The soft sound of her phone vibrating against the bedside table broke the quiet.

Julian immediately looked down at the screen. His expression darkened slightly the moment he saw the number. For a second, he considered ignoring it completely.

After everything Amara was going through, the last thing she needed was more drama from. But the phone kept vibrating insistently. Finally, Julian picked it up.

"I don’t know why you’re calling my wife," he said coldly the moment the line connected, "but she’s unavailable right now." His voice hardened further. "And I hope you don’t call her again."

He was already about to end the call when suddenly. "Julian, please don’t hang up." Amira’s voice sounded weak. Broken. Nothing like her usual sharp, arrogant tone. Julian paused slightly.

On the other end of the line, Amira pressed the phone tighter against her ear with trembling hands. The noise of the police station echoed faintly behind her, phones ringing, officers speaking, metal doors opening and closing.

She sat alone on a cold bench inside an interrogation room. No lawyer. No family. No Leo. The man who promised he would protect her had disappeared the moment things became dangerous. And now fear was finally settling into her bones. Real fear.

The police had surveillance footage showing her arguing with Madam Pedro the night the woman died. That alone was enough to keep her trapped there while the investigation deepened. Amira swallowed hard, trying not to cry. No one had come for her. Not one person.

And the terrifying part was beginning to sink in. Maybe nobody was coming at all. "Please..." she whispered again. "I just... I need to speak to Amara." Julian’s eyes narrowed slightly.