CHAPTER FIFTY- SIX

ELLA'S POV

The room felt suffocating, the beeping of the machines like a ticking clock counting down the precious seconds.

Trent still hadn't opened his eyes since being admitted yesterday. The fruits and get-well cards I'd brought lay untouched on the nightstand, a painful reminder of how powerless I was to help him.

A tendril of fear coiled in my chest as Jackson's haunting fate replayed in my mind. I couldn't bear the thought of losing Trent too, not when our relationship had finally started mending after years.

Readjusting the blanket covering him, I brushed a stray lock of hair from his clammy forehead. He had to pull through this.

Hushed voices suddenly echoed from the hallway outside. "Which room is that bastard son of mine in?"

The gruff, authoritative tone was unmistakable - Trent's father. Fear gripped me anew as I realized he was coming here. He mustn't spot me, never.

I scanned the room before ducking behind the folding screen in the corner, holding my breath. A moment