Chapter 1 For Them

Elena Ashford's POV

“Does your life mean nothing to you?”

Adrian’s glare carried enough fury to make anyone reconsider every life choice they'd ever made.

Unfortunately, I'd known him for years. Instead of cowering, I propped a pillow behind my back and offered him a mild, unrepentant grin.

“Good morning to you too, sunshine.”

Adrian stared at me in disbelief, his hands dropping to his hips as though he were debating whether strangling a fellow doctor was acceptable.

“You fainted, Elena!” he hissed, throwing his hands up. “You actually passed out cold, and you're sitting there smiling at me?”

I glanced down at my arm. Against the white hospital linen, my skin looked practically translucent. Blood loss and sleep deprivation had clearly taken their toll. I didn't need a diagnostic chart to know my hemoglobin levels were probably in the gutter.

But I wasn't about to give Adrian the satisfaction of a full medical confession.

“Oh, this?” I murmured, offering him a placid smile. “If I'd known fainting would earn me a comfortable bed and your undivided attention, I might have engineered it weeks ago.”

Adrian dragged a hand down his face, looking as though my stubbornness had personally shortened his lifespan.

“Your jokes aren't going to save you this time,” he warned, pulling a chair closer. “I'm sick and tired of watching you run yourself into the ground for people who wouldn't put half as much effort into taking care of you.”

The amusement faded, leaving a hollow ache in my chest. I folded my hands over the blanket.

“Don't start, Adrian.”

“No, we're starting today,” he insisted, leaning forward. “You keep insisting your husband and sister are worth every ounce of energy you drain from yourself. So answer me this: where is your dear husband? He was notified hours ago that his wife had collapsed, yet his phone has gone straight to voicemail.”

I looked away, smoothing a crease in the cotton sheet.

“Daniel has a lot of responsibilities at the firm,” I said quietly.

It was a reflex, a rehearsed defence mechanism. Defending Daniel was always easier than confronting the uncomfortable truth of how often I excused his absence.

Adrian let out a harsh laugh.

“Responsibilities? Elena, the man runs one of the largest corporate conglomerates in the country, yet you're the one staying up until three in the morning auditing his files. His company has dozens of executives, but somehow you've convinced yourself the entire empire will crumble if you don't secretly fix his mistakes!”

I pinched the bridge of my nose as a migraine began throbbing behind my eyes.

“Can we please talk about literally anything else?” I pleaded. “The weather? The cafeteria food? Anything that doesn't involve you lecturing me like an overbearing father?”

Adrian ignored my deflection, his expression hardening.

“Your sister is down the hall because she was reckless enough to get herself into a serious car accident,” he continued. “And you've donated blood twice in three days because you're the only compatible donor available. This is the same sister who vanished for months without a word, yet you're treating your own body like a disposable resource.”

I stared at my hands. There was no easy counterargument.

Vanessa and I had never shared the warm, effortless sisterhood I'd secretly envied in other families. Our childhood had fractured too early, leaving jagged edges between us. But she was all the family I had left. Walking away while she lay broken on an operating table simply wasn't something my conscience would allow.

“She deserves a chance, Adrian,” I whispered, meeting his eyes. “Our history doesn't change the fact that she's my family.”

His shoulders slumped, his frustration softening into weary concern.

“And who takes care of you, Elena? Who looks after you when you're the one lying flat on your back from sheer exhaustion?” He shook his head. “You went home yesterday to work on Daniel's files when you could barely keep your eyes open. Now look at you.”

I closed my eyes, fighting a sudden wave of vertigo.

“I'm a doctor, Adrian. I know my limits.”

He gave me a flat, unimpressed look.

“You're a terrible liar.”

Before I could formulate a comeback, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, followed by a familiar voice.

“Where is my wife?”

Daniel burst through the doorway, his tie askew and his hair charmingly dishevelled. The moment his eyes locked onto mine, he crossed the room in three long strides and cupped my face in his warm palms.

“Elena, sweetheart, I'm so sorry,” he breathed, searching my features. “There was a major crisis at the office, and I didn't check my phone until ten minutes ago. I nearly clipped a barrier on the highway getting here. I was out of my mind with worry.”

I couldn't help the small, fond smile that touched my lips. Reaching up, I rested my hands over his wrists.

“Daniel, darling, breathe. I'm fine,” I murmured. “You don't need to look like you've just survived a tragedy.”

He frowned, gripping my shoulders as though he needed to reassure himself that I was still in one piece.

“Don't joke about this,” he pleaded softly, pressing a lingering kiss to my forehead. “When they told me you'd collapsed, I nearly lost my mind. I don't think my heart has ever beaten that fast.”

I leaned into his warmth, hopelessly fond of the way he wore his heart on his sleeve, even if his dramatic flair occasionally felt suffocating.

Over Daniel's shoulder, I caught Adrian rolling his eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. With a disgusted scoff, he grabbed his clipboard and walked out without another word.

Daniel barely noticed. He offered a distracted nod towards the door before turning his attention back to me.

“Now that you're coherent, you'll probably be discharged soon,” he said, squeezing my hand. “You can come home and rest, and then... well, you'll be able to wrap up that proposal project, right?”

My smile faltered, just a fraction.

The project he meant was the latest multimillion-dollar acquisition proposal for his firm. The files on my home office desk contained weeks of gruelling research I'd quietly put together behind the scenes.

Very few people knew the truth: I was the invisible engine behind Daniel's success. Whenever his board members hit a wall, I was the one helping them find a way forward.

I'd never minded staying in the shadows. I loved Daniel, and seeing him succeed had always felt like our shared victory.

Still, hearing him move straight from worrying about my life to discussing project deadlines felt like a splash of cold water.

“Sweetheart?” Daniel prompted, tilting his head. “Are you alright?”

I blinked away my fatigue and squeezed his fingers.

“I'm fine, darling,” I lied smoothly. “I just need a little more rest before I head home.”

“Good,” he murmured, kissing my forehead once more. “Take your time. Then we can get you settled so you can take a look at those files.”

By the time I unlocked the front door that evening, exhaustion felt like wet concrete poured into my limbs. Every instinct screamed at me to walk past the study and collapse into bed.

Instead, I found myself standing in the dimly lit home office, staring at the towering stacks of papers spread across the desk.

The expansion proposal had a glaring flaw, and I knew I could fix it in a couple of hours.

I reached out to pull the top folder towards me. But before my fingertips could touch the cardboard, my cell phone began blaring from inside my handbag.

Catching sight of the caller ID, I answered immediately.

“This is Dr. Elena.”

The night-shift nurse's voice came through the speaker.

“Doctor, I thought you'd want to know. Your sister just woke

up.”

A rush of pure relief washed over me, instantly sweeping away the exhaustion weighing on my body.

Vanessa was awake!