“What happened?” Luke repeated.

Dr. Avery Bennett folded her arms. “Someone brought her in after she collapsed outside a pharmacy in Queens. According to the EMTs, she’d been living alone. The bruising on her wrist is recent.”

Luke looked at Elena again.

Something cold and ancient moved under his ribs.

“Who brought her in?”

“A man named Daniel Mercer.”

Marco swore quietly behind him.

Luke’s jaw locked so hard the muscle flickered.

Daniel.

His younger brother.

The same brother who had stood beside him at the divorce hearing pretending sympathy while quietly helping destroy everything.

The same brother Luke had once trusted with his life.

The same brother who had whispered six months ago:

You can save Elena, or you can keep her. You can’t do both.

Dr. Bennett continued, unaware she had just detonated a landmine.

“He stayed long enough to sign preliminary intake forms and left before we could ask additional questions.”

Luke’s eyes darkened.

“He left?”

“She was unconscious.”

For the first time in years, Marco saw something dangerous crack through Luke’s composure.

Not anger.

Something worse.

Fear.

Luke stepped closer to Elena’s bed.

Her fingers looked thinner than he remembered.

Three months ago, she had thrown her wedding ring at him so hard it struck his chest before falling across the marble floor of their kitchen.

“You don’t get to destroy me gently, Luke,” she had said through tears. “If you stopped loving me, at least be honest enough to say it without pretending it’s mercy.”

And he had stood there letting her hate him because Daniel had convinced him there was no other way.

Because Daniel had shown him photographs.

Threats.

Names.

Evidence that enemies from Luke’s old criminal life had discovered Elena’s existence.

Divorce her.

Push her away.

Make her disappear from your life publicly.

Or they’ll bury her beside you.

Luke had believed him.

Now Elena was starving.

Pregnant.

And unconscious.

The realization struck him with brutal force.

Daniel had lied.

Marco spoke carefully. “Boss…”

Luke never looked away from Elena.

“Find my brother.”

Marco nodded once.

“I already started.”

The hospital room fell silent except for the soft mechanical rhythm of Elena’s monitor.

Then her eyelashes fluttered.

Luke froze.

Slowly, painfully, Elena opened her eyes.

Confusion moved across her face first.

Then recognition.

Then devastation.

Her lips parted weakly.

“You…”

Luke moved instinctively toward her.

“Elena—”

“Don’t.”

Her voice cracked from dehydration.

Even now, half-conscious and exhausted, she looked at him like he was the sharpest thing in the room.

Dr. Bennett stepped forward gently. “Ms. Ross, try not to strain yourself.”

Elena ignored her.

Her eyes remained fixed on Luke.

“You signed the papers.”

Each word hit harder than shouting.

Luke swallowed.

“Yes.”

“And now you’re here pretending to care?”

Marco quietly stepped outside, shutting the door behind him.

Luke sat beside the bed slowly.

“I never stopped caring.”

A weak laugh escaped her.

Cruel.

Broken.

“You’re unbelievable.”

She tried to push herself upright but immediately winced.

Luke reached for her automatically.

Elena recoiled.

That hurt more than anything else had tonight.

“Don’t touch me.”

Dr. Bennett checked the IV. “Stress isn’t good for the baby.”

The room went still.

Elena’s face changed.

Slowly.

Completely.

She looked from the doctor to Luke.

Then down at herself.

“…Baby?”

Luke saw the exact second realization hit her.

Terror flooded her expression.

“No.” Her breathing quickened. “No, no, no…”

Dr. Bennett touched her shoulder carefully. “Your child still has a heartbeat.”

Elena pressed a trembling hand to her stomach.

Luke had imagined this moment a thousand different ways over the years.

Never like this.

Never with fear instead of joy.

Tears filled Elena’s eyes.

“I didn’t know,” she whispered.

Luke felt physically sick.

How alone had she been?

How desperate?

She looked at him again.

And suddenly the pain in her expression sharpened into suspicion.

A terrible suspicion.

“You can’t take this baby from me.”

Luke blinked.

“You already took everything else.”

The words sliced clean through him.

But before he could answer, the hospital room door opened.

Marco stepped inside.

His face had gone pale.

“Luke,” he said quietly. “You need to see this.”

He handed over his phone.

The screen showed security footage from outside the hospital less than ten minutes earlier.

Daniel Mercer stood near the emergency entrance speaking to a man in a dark coat.

The man handed Daniel an envelope.

Then Daniel pointed toward Elena’s hospital window.

And smiled.

The same smile he used at funerals.

Luke stared at the footage so long the image burned into his vision.

Daniel had always smiled when he was winning.

Even as children.

Especially then.

Their father used to call it “the Mercer grin.”