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Instead, his jaw clenched, and his gaze shifted away, clearly upset. Without a word, he sat on the bed, turning his face from her.
"Christian?" she called, stepping further into the room.
He remained silent, his hands clenched on the bed.
Ivy exhaled slowly before walking around the bed, standing in front of him. She reached for his hand, gripping it in hers.
Only then did he lift his gaze to meet hers. His fingers instinctively tightened around her hand, his thumb brushing over her skin in a slow, absentminded stroke.
"Why didn’t you hit my car when I told you to?" he questioned, his voice low but laced with anger. "You were about to ram into a damn wall, Ivy."
"It was just the situation," she said softly. "Ramming into your car wasn’t an option for me."
His rage flared. "So you’d rather fucking die than let me help you?"
"No," she answered quietly. "I didn’t want to injure you."
As soon as the words left her lips, the fury in his eyes vanished, replaced by a flicker of surprise, as if he hadn’t even considered that possibility.
Without another word, he shot to his feet, pulling her into a fierce embrace. His hold was firm, almost desperate, his hand cradling the back of her head as he buried his face in the curve of her neck.
"There is nothing more important to me than you, Ivy," he murmured, his voice hot against her skin, trembling slightly. "So, please…" His grip tightened. "If something like this ever happens again, let me save you. Don’t worry about me. Just don’t even fucking think about me. Let me protect you. I will take care of you."
His warmth enveloped her, his words sinking into her heart.
After a long pause, Ivy exhaled softly. "Christian," she whispered, "I forgive you for what you did five years ago."
The words hit him like a punch. His fingers tightened on her shoulders, and he froze. His eyes searched hers, hurt and desperation clearly visible in his gaze.
"Ivy..." His voice broke, but she gently pulled away, getting up and walking out of the room.
Christian’s hands curled into fists, his jaw clenching as he watched her leave. Every part of him ached. Her words had cut through him, leaving a storm of emotions raging inside. The pain felt like it was tearing him apart. A wound bleeding through him.
The pain was unbearable, and yet, it only made him more determined.
He wasn’t going to lose her again. Not this time.
As the door slammed behind her, he turned away immediately, his heart clenching painfully.
A moment later, Sawyer stormed in, his face twisted with anger, but Christian barely noticed. His mind was consumed by the ache of Ivy’s words, the sharp sting of her rejection echoing through every part of him.
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?" he snapped. "Driving in front of her car just to block her from crashing, without a single damn care for your own life?!"
Christian remained unfazed, peeling off his shirt again to put on the hospital gown.
Since Ivy was going to stay in the hospital for another day or two, he had decided to stay as well. He wanted to be with her.
Sawyer marched up to him, his glare sharp enough to cut. "Goddamn it. When I got into an accident last year, the least you did was buy me a new fucking car as compensation for not showing up that day. And I’m your best friend!" He threw his hands up. "But for that girl, you throw your entire goddamn life on the line? Is that your idea of friendship?"
Christian scoffed, stretching back against the bed. "Stop acting like a jealous mistress."
Sawyer gritted his teeth. "One of these days, I will murder you in your sleep."
Christian ignored him and asked, "Did you find out what I asked for? Who tampered with Ivy’s car?"
Sawyer exhaled sharply, then handed his phone to Christian. "This chick," he muttered, the screen showing a photo of a woman. "She was jealous that Ivy got her own office and a good position right after joining. She’s been working in the same position in the company for five years. So, this idiot thought thatinjuring or killing Ivy would get her that promotion and she’ll replace Ivy."
Christian’s jaw tightened, his expression darkening with anger.