Page 115 of Code of Heart

The physician continued, his voice clinical and detached as if he wasn’t tearing open fresh wounds with every word.

She had several fractured ribs and deep tissue bruising. Miraculously, there were no major internal injuries, but six to eight weeks of recovery lay ahead. Her left ankle was twisted, most likely from stumbling in her heels, and her right wrist was mildly sprained, a textbook injury from bracing herself in a fall.

At the mention of falling, her breath hitched, her gaze locking on a distant memory she couldn’t escape. How many times had she fallen before at Kyle’s hands? Too many to count.

It was the ribs that were the worst of it. Six to eight weeks to heal…if she rested. If she let herself recover.

Aurelia didn’t allow herself to believe in the illusion of recovery. Not anymore.

The doctor said she could go home in a few hours once the paperwork was done and the police had their interviews.

Home.

The word was foreign and out of place. Did she even know what it meant?

Beside her, Owen was strategizing how to rally the rest of their friends to help with her recovery—minus one glaring exception.

Then came the part she dreaded most. The officers began their questions, their pens poised to capture every tarnished piece of her story.

Aurelia answered numbly, her voice flat, as if these events had drained every last trace of feeling from her that not even an injury could summon a reaction.

She told them about the drinks, how she had only had soda and water. She explained Kyle’s history of violence, how their relationship had ended, and how she had spent the final hour in that hotel room waiting him out while he took a mysterious phone call with someone she couldn’t identify.

Owen stiffened so abruptly in his seat that it was almost comical. When it was his turn, Owen gave his account, explaining how he found her and what he saw when he arrived.

Aurelia shot him a sharp glare when he casually mentioned the tracker he had slipped into her phone—something she didn’t know about…or consented to.

Owen met her glare with a flat, unapologetic stare and kept talking. A complete invasion of privacy that saved her life. He was finishing up when the sound of raised voices echoed through the corridor.

Aurelia paled, her turbulent brown eyes locking onto him with a silent, desperate plea. She didn’t need to say a word; his curt nod relaying his understanding.

Owen rose immediately, his chair scraping harshly against the floor. Without hesitation, he strode for the door, a police officer falling in step behind him.

He was more than ready to handle whoever dared disturb her peace.

CHAPTER 49

Isaac

Isaac’s stomach turned as he watched the ambulance disappear down the street. Only two people were in that hotel room. And only one with that hair could have been on that stretcher.

He didn’t need to hear the strangled sound from the passenger seat to know the moment Levi figured it out, too. That sound was raw and soul-crushing…and one Isaac knew he would never forget.

He trailed the ambulance to the hospital on autopilot, hands clenched on the wheel, Levi frantically working his phone beside him.

Call after call went straight to Owen’s voicemail.

The car echoed with each unanswered ring, Levi’s curses growing louder, more desperate with every failed attempt. He kept trying, again and again, the entire ride there—every rejection hitting like a fresh blow.

At the hospital, they were forced to park farther away in a separate lot, nowhere near the emergency entrance. Once they made it inside, Levi called, searching frantically for Owen, prompting the approach of two police officers. They were questioned about the incident, which only separated Levi from Aurelia further.

Isaac answered numbly. Levi paced like a caged animal, his agitation barely contained. When the officers vanished behind the double doors to the patient’s wing, Levi snapped.

He stormed the reception desk, demanding answers, his voice thundering through the waiting room.

“I need to see my wife!” he roared, slamming his hands against the counter.

The staff couldn’t tell him anything. She had no assigned room yet, was only allowed one visitor…and someone was already with her.