The surgeon stepped out of the operating theater, peeling off his gloves with a tired sigh. "The injury missed all of Mr. Blackwood's vital organs. He's stable—just needs time to recover."

As the nurses wheeled Alexander Blackwood out, Victoria Langley didn’t hesitate. She shoved past Amy Sinclair with the confidence of a woman who believed she belonged at his side, rushing to his gurney.

"Alex, darling, can you hear me?" she sobbed dramatically, clutching his arm.

Nathan Prescott abandoned his argument with Amy entirely, hurrying over to check on Alexander as well.

Once Alexander was settled in his private room, Amy lingered at the threshold, torn between concern and pride. But Nathan blocked her path, smirking.

"Want to see him? You’ll have to ask me first. Maybe if you grovel, I’ll consider it."

Dominic Whitmore, having just finished consulting with the doctor, noticed the tension and strode over.

He opened his mouth to intervene—but Amy turned away without hesitation.

"Then forget it," she said coolly.

Nathan blinked, stunned.

Since when did Amy refuse to play his games?

"Wait—come back!" he called after her, but she didn’t slow down. Not even a glance over her shoulder.

Dominic shot Nathan a sharp look. "I’ll go after her."

He followed Amy at a brisk pace, leaving Nathan staring after them, perplexed. Since when did Dominic care so much about Alexander’s personal affairs?

Amy had just stepped onto the hospital’s front steps when Dominic caught up.

"Celeste, where are you going? Let me drive you."

She paused. "Home. I need to shower and sleep."

Only then did Dominic notice the dried blood staining her sleeves.

"Let me take you."

"Fine," she agreed, too exhausted to argue.

Once they were on the road, Dominic stole glances at Amy’s pale face, the dark circles under her eyes. His grip tightened on the wheel.

"You should’ve waited for me. I could’ve talked to Alex—reasoned with him."

Amy shook her head. "No. He wouldn’t have listened. Not to you, not to anyone."

When it came to Victoria, Alexander was immovable.

Dominic exhaled. "There were other ways, Celeste. You shouldn’t have taken that risk. What if Alex had—"

She cut him off, voice steady. "I knew what I was doing. He won’t press charges."

Dominic’s jaw tensed.

"How can you be so sure? Did he say something?"

He’d known the Blackwood brothers for years. And sometimes, as an outsider, he saw things they refused to acknowledge. Alexander wasn’t entirely indifferent to Amy—that’s why he kept delaying the divorce. Dominic had dropped hints before, but some truths were better left unspoken.

Amy stared out the window, her reflection calm.

"He hurt the people I care about—just for Victoria’s sake. Made a spectacle of it all. But if he sends me to prison, Victoria loses the studio he gave her, her music career—everything he’s built for her crumbles. Alexander’s a businessman. He doesn’t sacrifice months of effort for momentary revenge."

That was her advantage. The reason she could walk away without looking back.

Nathan acted on impulse. Alexander calculated every move.

Jailing her gained him nothing—except petty satisfaction. And Alexander Blackwood never sacrificed anything without a return.