Chapter 361
“Goddammit,” Vance muttered. “I need to check his vitals. If his pressure drops any lower, we have to move him to the hospital — cover story be damned.”
Footsteps faded as Vance walked away.
Eliza stood frozen in the alcove, her mind racing to reassemble the pieces.
Heart failure. An artificial heart pump. Hallucinations. Rejection.
It wasn’t Yvonne. It wasn’t a mistress. He was dying.
Tears welled in her eyes, hot and stinging. He had pushed her away because he was dying. The idiot. The noble, stupid, arrogant idiot.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
A hand clamped onto her shoulder.
Eliza spun around, nearly screaming.
Vinnie Sharpe stood there in tactical pants and a dark polo shirt. He looked exhausted.
“Vinnie,” Eliza gasped. “Is it true? Is he —”
𝘓a𝗍𝘦𝗌𝘁 𝘤𝗁а𝗉𝘁e𝗋s 𝗼ո 𝗀аl𝗻𝗼𝗏𝗲𝘭𝘀.𝖼𝗼𝗺
Vinnie looked at her. He looked at the tears on her face. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“He’s stubborn,” Vinnie said. “He thinks he’s saving you.”
“Saving me?” Eliza’s voice broke. “By breaking my heart? By making me hate him?”
“He figured hate is easier to get over than grief,” Vinnie said. “He wanted you to move on. To find someone who has a future.” He paused. “By the way, congrats on the wedding. The guys and I are all looking forward to it.”
Eliza blinked, the non-sequitur throwing her. “What wedding?”
“Mine,” Vinnie said with a weary smile. “This weekend. Dallas is supposed to be my best man. Can you believe it? The world is ending and I’m getting married.”
“He doesn’t get to decide that for me!” Eliza hissed, her focus snapping back to Dallas. “Where is he?”
Vinnie pointed to a heavy steel door at the end of the hall. “Suite 1. Weston is guarding the front, but the side door is unlocked. I left it open.”
“Why?” Eliza asked.
“Because he’s an idiot,” Vinnie said. “And because I saw him looking at your photo tonight — the one he keeps in his jacket. He’s not moving on, Eliza. He’s waiting to die.” Vinnie gripped her shoulders. “Go in there. Scream at him. Hit him. I don’t care. Just make him realize he’s still alive.”
Eliza nodded. She wiped her face, smearing her mascara. She didn’t care.
“Thank you, Vinnie.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Vinnie muttered as she walked away. “He’s going to kill me for this.”
Eliza walked to the door. Her hand hovered over the cool metal handle. Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
She took a deep breath.
She turned the handle.
The room was dark, lit only by the glow of a heart monitor and a single lamp on the bedside table. The air smelled of sickness.
Dallas was slumped on the edge of the medical bed. His tie was on the floor. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing the pale skin of his throat and the edge of a thick bandage on his chest. A tray of untouched food sat on the table beside him.
He looked wrecked.
.