Alexander nodded and left, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
Sophia sank onto the bed, her legs suddenly weak. The mattress was ridiculously comfortable. Everything here was ridiculously comfortable. She pulled out her phone and called the hospital.
"St. Mary's, billing department."
"Mrs. Palmer? This is Sophia Chen. I'm calling about Ethan Chen's account."
"Miss Chen, I'm afraid"
"Check the account, please. There should be a payment."
A pause. The sound of typing. Then Mrs. Palmer's shocked voice: "Miss Chen, there's… there's a payment here for the full amount. Five hundred thousand dollars, received this morning. How did you"
Sophia closed her eyes. It was real. This was all real. "Can you schedule the surgery? As soon as possible?"
"I'll contact Dr. Rahman immediately. Miss Chen, I don't know how you managed this, but… your brother is very lucky to have you."
Lucky. Right.
After she hung up, Sophia lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Somewhere in this massive apartment, Alexander Sterling her fiancé, her future husband was probably working or making calls or doing whatever billionaire CEOs did in the evening.
They were strangers. Complete strangers who'd be married in three days.
Her phone rang. Ethan's number.
"Sophie?" His voice was weak but excited. "The doctors just told me! They're scheduling the surgery for tomorrow morning! How did you"
"Don't worry about it," Sophia interrupted, her throat tight. "Just focus on getting better, okay? That's all that matters."
"But the money"
"I got a new job. A really good one. With a signing bonus." Not technically a lie. "Everything's going to be fine now, E. I promise."
"I don't know what I'd do without you, sis."
"You'll never have to find out. Get some rest. I'll be there first thing in the morning."
After she hung up, Sophia let the tears fall. Relief, fear, guilt they all tangled together until she couldn't separate one emotion from another.
A soft knock on the door made her sit up quickly, wiping her eyes.
"Come in."
Alexander entered carrying a tray. Tea, she realized. He'd brought her tea.
"Margaret mentioned you didn't eat this morning," he said, setting the tray on the side table. "There's also some fruit and cheese. The chef can make something more substantial if you prefer."
Sophia stared at him. This cold, ruthless businessman had noticed she hadn't eaten and brought her food himself?
"Thank you," she said, genuinely touched. "The tea is perfect."
He nodded, then hesitated in a way that seemed uncharacteristic. "Your brother. The surgery is scheduled?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"I'll clear my calendar. I'll go with you."
"You don't have to"
"You're my fiancée. Of course I'll be there."
His tone left no room for argument. "We might as well start playing the part convincingly. And…" He looked away, toward the window. "No one should go through something like that alone."
There it was again. That glimpse of humanity beneath the ice. Sophia wondered what had happened to him, what had turned him into someone who needed contracts and conditions to allow himself any kind of connection.
"Okay," she said softly. "Thank you, Alexander."
He met her eyes, and for a moment, something passed between them.
Understanding, maybe. A recognition that they were both trapped by circumstances, both doing what they had to do to survive.
"Try to get some rest," he said. "Tomorrow will be difficult."
He left, and Sophia was alone again in her beautiful cage.
She pulled out her laptop and opened her email, needing something familiar, something normal. Three new job rejections. A notice that her studio lease renewal was due. A forwarded article from her best friend Jenna about emerging architects to watch.
A month ago, that article would have made her cry with frustration, seeing people her age achieving what she'd dreamed of while she struggled just to keep the lights on.
Now she was engaged to a billionaire, living in a penthouse, and her brother would live.
But she'd never felt more lost.
Sophia looked at the engagement ring on her finger a stunning cushion-cut diamond surrounded by smaller stones, probably worth more than she'd make in a decade. It was beautiful and cold and felt like a shackle.
One year, she reminded herself. Just one year.
She could survive anything for a year.
Couldn't she?
The surgical waiting room at St. Mary's smelled like antiseptic and fear. Sophia had been pacing for three hours, her coffee cold in a paper cup, her nerves stretched to the breaking point. Ethan had been in surgery since 6 AM. It was past nine now.
"Sophia. Sit down before you wear a hole in the floor."
She turned to find Alexander watching her from one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, his suit jacket draped over the seat beside him, his tie loosened. He'd been there since five in the morning, showing up at the apartment before she'd even finished getting ready.
"I can't," she said. "If I sit, I'll think, and if I think"
"You'll drive yourself insane with worst-case scenarios." He stood and crossed to her, taking the cold coffee from her hands and setting it aside. "He's strong. The surgical team is the best in the country. I made sure of it."
"I know. I just" Her voice broke. "He's all I have left."
Alexander's expression softened. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms.
Sophia stiffened, surprised, then slowly relaxed against his chest. He was warm and solid, and his heart beat steady beneath her ear. For someone so cold, he was surprisingly good at this.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For being here. You didn't have to."
"Yes, I did."
They stood like that for several minutes, Alexander's hand moving slowly up and down her back in a gesture that was probably meant to be comforting but felt dangerously intimate. Sophia breathed in his scent expensive cologne and something uniquely him and tried not to think about how easy it would be to let herself lean on him, to pretend this was real.
The doors to the surgical wing swung open. Dr. Rahman emerged, still in his scrubs, his mask pulled down.
Sophia jerked away from Alexander, her heart in her throat. "Doctor?"
Dr. Rahman smiled. "The surgery was a success. We were able to repair the damaged tissue and implant the device without complications. Ethan's in recovery now. He'll need to stay in the hospital for about a week, then several months of careful monitoring, but his prognosis is excellent."
Sophia's legs gave out. Alexander caught her, his arm around her waist supporting her weight.
"He's okay?" she breathed. "He's really okay?"
"He's going to be fine, Miss Chen. You can see him in about an hour, once he's fully awake."
After Dr. Rahman left, Sophia turned to Alexander and burst into tears. Big, ugly, relieved sobs that she couldn't control. He held her through it, not saying anything, just being there a steady presence in the chaos of her emotions.
"I'm sorry," she gasped when she finally got herself under control. "I'm getting your shirt all wet."
"I have others." There was something almost gentle in his voice. "He's going to be okay, Sophia. You saved him."
"We saved him," she corrected, looking up at him. "I couldn't have done this without you."
Their faces were close, close enough that she could see the flecks of darker gray in his eyes, close enough to notice the small scar on his chin. His gaze dropped to her lips for just a second before he stepped back, creating distance.
"We should call Margaret," he said, his voice returning to its usual professional tone. "Let her know we'll need to adjust the wedding timeline if you want to wait until Ethan can attend."
The wedding. She'd almost forgotten.
"No," Sophia said. "The timeline stays the same. Your grandfather needs to see us married, and Ethan will understand. He can watch the video after he's recovered."
"Are you sure?"
Sophia straightened, wiping her eyes. "I made a deal, Alexander. I intend to keep my end of it."