Chapter 5

Sienna's POV

The moment I stepped into the elevator lobby, darkness washed over my vision and I collapsed. Logan rushed me to the emergency room in the middle of the night.

When I opened my eyes, my head was wrapped in heavy medical gauze.

Lucian was sitting on a folding chair beside the hospital bed, a fresh adhesive bandage over his knuckles—a scrape from diving onto the rooftop concrete.

A thick stack of specialist consultation sheets sat on the nightstand.

Seeing me stir, Lucian poured a cup of warm water and held it out.

"You're awake? Drink some water."

I didn't take it. Pushing against the mattress, I hauled myself into a sitting position.

Lucian set the cup down and leaned forward.

"I picked Chloe because she was carrying a child, not because I don't love you. Sienna, you have to believe me."

I leaned back against the headboard, watching him.

The room was deathly quiet, punctuated only by the steady, rhythmic hum of the wall monitors.

"Back on that roof, Tyler told you to pick one woman to walk."

Lucian's shoulders locked rigid.

"You picked me, Lucian. You chose me to take the fall."

"Tyler had a gun!" Lucian insisted desperately. "If I didn't say her name, that gun would have gone off right then and there!"

"So I was the one who was supposed to be traded for her life."

"Sienna, I tackled you! I threw my own body in front of that bullet for you!"

"You didn't block anything. I kicked his wrist off target. You were half a second too late."

Lucian sat there, struck dumb.

I reached under my pillow, pulled out the neatly folded divorce papers, and tossed them beside his hand.

"Sign it."

Without even glancing at the pages, Lucian shoved the folder right back toward me.

"I'm not signing. We are not getting a divorce."

A knock sounded at the door, and Logan stepped inside holding a velvet jewelry box.

"Miss Vance, Lucian had this rare gemstone set flown in overnight from an overseas auction for you."

He set the box on the nightstand, exchanged a brief look with Lucian, and lowered his voice to deliver the rest of his report.

"Lucian also reassigned twenty-four executive protection guards to Miss Miller, rotating in three shifts. The entire floor where she's staying has been locked down, and all keycard access was recoded overnight."

I turned my gaze back to Lucian's face.

"Twenty-four men? Are you planning to hide her away in that room until she pops out your heir?"

Lucian reached out to pull my blanket up, not bothering to deny it.

"She went through trauma while pregnant. I have to protect her. Nothing can happen to that child."

"Protect her? Or protect that unborn son of yours?"

"Sienna." Lucian's brow furrowed in irritation. "Stop making it sound so ugly. We've been together all these years. Don't you know who has my heart?"

A dry laugh escaped my lips, utterly devoid of warmth.

"Lucian, do you remember what you swore in front of everyone years ago?"

Lucian looked away, avoiding my eyes.

"You said your life was dug out of a pile of corpses by my hands, and from that day on, every breath in your body belonged to me," I said, my voice completely steady. "You swore that out loud in front of the entire crew."

Lucian stared blankly out the window at the overcast sky.

"A man can't live in the past forever."

"Fair enough." I nodded, slipping the divorce papers back beneath my pillow. "Then let's look at the present."

Twenty-four personal bodyguards to guard one woman, while my legal documents remained locked tight inside his safe.

That was what he called caring about me.

I didn't spare him another look. I slid back under the covers and closed my eyes.

Three days later, my bandages were removed and I checked out of the hospital.

The velvet jewelry box on the nightstand was left completely untouched.

The moment the official overseas transfer order cleared the system, I instructed Logan to host an annual VIP client appreciation gala in the penthouse ballroom.

Every high-value client, executive partner, and retired board member from the old days was invited.

As Logan finalized the guest list, he couldn't help but keep his voice low.

"Miss Vance, hosting the gala right at this moment... what are you planning...?"

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, I pulled my long hair back into a clean, tight ponytail.

"The final score needs to be settled in front of everyone."