Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO

Chapter 174 - 174: Not This Time

hospital entrance, hearts pounding and adrenaline firing through their veins. The sliding doors hissed shut behind them as they crossed into the sterile hallway, searching for any familiar face.

A nurse behind the counter stood up immediately, clearly startled by the sudden burst of energy.

"Where's Elizabeth Winters?" Stefan asked, his voice firm but laced with urgency. "She was admitted here. Head trauma or something."

Before the nurse could answer, a voice cut through the air.

"Stefan?"

He turned sharply, blinking in shock as a woman in a white coat approached him.

She hadn't changed much—poised, graceful, the same piercing eyes just as he remembered. Noreen.

"Noreen?" he said, momentarily thrown. "What are you…?"

"Funny how your mom asked me the same question. I work here now," she said softly. "Transferred back just last week."

The air thickened with emotion. Six years had passed since he last saw her. His aunt Noreen, his late father's secretary's wife.

She had vanished after her husband and his father's death, mourning in private. Seeing her now, wearing a doctor's coat, was surreal.

"I operated Elizabeth," Noreen said, stepping closer. "She's stable—for now. She hit her head hard when she fell. We're keeping her under close observation."

Stefan exhaled shakily, his shoulders slumping just a little. "Thank God."

"And Eliana?" Ethan asked.

Noreen's eyes widened faintly, a small smile breaking through. "She woke up, Stefan. Minutes before the incident. She's weak, but she's conscious."

Emotion gripped Stefan's throat. "She's awake?"

"Yes. Still paralyzed, but she's responding. She saw everything—what Daniel tried to do."

"What really happened? Were you there too?" he asked and Noreen nodded as she went ahead to tell him everything she'd seen starting from how shocked Elizabeth had been hearing she was solely in charge of caring for Eliana.

jaw tensed. "I need to go see the officers. I want answers. I want to

gently. "She's going to need you. Both of them

nodded. "I'll go check on my mom and then head to the station.

chaos still lingered in the air like smoke after a fire. Nurses moved briskly from room to room, whispering updates, adjusting IV lines, checking monitors—but Stefan barely noticed them. His focus narrowed to one number. One door which

back as he watched

steady—reassuring, but haunting. Elizabeth lay pale against the pillows, her dark hair matted to one side with dried blood. A bandage wrapped around her forehead, stark against her skin. Oxygen tubes framed her face, and her chest rose and fell

looked fragile. Too still. Too

took a step inside and then another, until he reached the side of her bed. His breath caught. He'd seen his mother sick before—grieving, exhausted, crying—but never like this. Never

clenched at his

this," he said softly, his

hair from her forehead, careful not to disturb the gauze. "You were just trying to protect someone. Trying to

steady beep of the monitor

try something again. After everything with Eliana, after what Ivy's done before—how could I not see this coming? How couldn't I have thought they would

his throat burned. He swallowed

You—" He paused, exhaling shakily. "You're the reason she's alive right now. But you almost died for it. And I

that man. Or both of them. I don't care anymore who pulled the strings—because someone

eyes darkened. His jaw

what it takes. I don't care what I have to lose. Ivy will pay. Regina will pay.

movement. No flicker of

But it didn't matter.

whispered, "I love you, Mom.

room—his shoulders

by staying

until she was in it—and

him and

you feeling?" he asked quietly as they walked

I'll remain so until those two are locked

the driver's seat knowing Stefan was probably not in the right frame of

nodded, Ethan drove off without

as Stefan sat across from Officer Langford, the same detective

stood in the corner, arms crossed, eyes

sighed, tapping the file in front of him. "Daniel confessed. Completely. We arrested him at the

"Why?" Stefan asked flatly.