I never thought I’d see the most feared crime boss in New York sprint through a hospital like a desperate man. People said Ethan Caldwell never rushed, never panicked, never let anyone see fear. Yet there he was, charging toward the ICU because of me—the quiet housekeeper nobody ever noticed. What he discovered that night changed everything. For three years, I had silently protected the man everyone feared, and now my own life was hanging by a thread because of a secret I never should have heard. If I survived, nothing would ever be the same.

The sharp, sterile smell of antiseptic and the rhythmic, electronic beep of a heart monitor were the first things that greeted my consciousness.

I slowly opened my eyes, the cold, white fluorescent lights of the hospital's intensive care unit blinding me for one long, agonizing second.

A clear plastic oxygen mask was strapped tightly over my nose and mouth, its steady, warm hiss of air keeping my lungs inflating against a dull, throbbing pain in my chest.

The heavy, metallic door of the ICU was suddenly thrown open with a violent thud, vibrating against the stone frame.

I turned my head weakly toward the door, my breath catching as I saw Ethan Caldwell charging down the hallway like a desperate man.

His tailored black suit jacket was wrinkled and torn, his white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his hands covered in dark soot and dried blood.

The nurses and doctors in the corridor scrambled to get out of his way, terrified by the raw, animalistic fury radiating from his eyes.

"Emily!" Ethan gasped, rushing to the side of my bed and grabbing my hand with a tight, trembling grip that felt incredibly warm.

"Emily, stay with me."

"I never should have let you get close to me."

"I never should have let you carry my burdens."

I tried to speak, but the plastic mask muffled my voice, leaving me with nothing but a shallow, exhausted whisper.

"The doctor said you have three fractured ribs and a severe concussion from the blast wave, Emily," Ethan said, his voice dropping into a low, trembling register of pure, unadulterated guilt.

"But you are going to survive."

"I have transferred the city's top trauma surgeons to this private wing, and my personal security detail is guarding every entrance to the hospital."

He leaned closer, his dark eyes locking onto mine with a lethal, unyielding promise that made my heart hammer against the monitor.

"Whoever did this to you will pay for every single breath you have lost," Ethan whispered, his knuckles turning a stark, bloodless white as he gripped the bedrail.

"I don't care what syndicate they belong to."