Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO

Chapter 182 - 182: I Can't Lose Her

Stefan's jaw clenched. His fists trembled at his sides. He couldn't stop the worst-case scenarios from crashing into his mind. Ruby tied up somewhere. Ruby bleeding. Ruby calling for him. Ivy trying to hurt her.

His chest heaved, the panic clawing at him. He couldn't afford to think like that. He couldn't afford to fall apart now.

He had to stay sharp.

He had to get her back.

But deep down, a part of him—terrified and wounded—kept whispering… What if you're already too late?

Walter's eyes flicked to Stefan, catching the torment in his expression. "We're going to find her. Ivy won't get far."

But Stefan barely heard him. His thoughts were with Ruby.

The woman he loved.

The mother of his unborn child.

And she had been taken, right from under his watch.

"I was right there," he murmured, his voice breaking. "I was right beside her."

"She's tough, Stefan," Rayna whispered, her voice trembling. "She'll hang on. We'll get her back. This isn't the time to blame yourself. We have to find her as soon as possible."

"Yes, you're right. This isn't the time." Stefan turned toward Ethan. "We have to search this building. Ivy's not going to stop and we can't wait till the police finds her."

was in more

hospital. His jaw was set,

much time," Walter said, scanning the hallway like he was already calculating all the places someone could hide. "If she's still in here, we'll find her. But if she's not…" His voice trailed for a beat, and his eyes locked with Stefan's. "What do you think might've happened to her by the time we've searched everywhere and start searching elsewhere after wasting

stone, heat flooding his chest. His hands curled into fists at his sides. "So what are you saying, Detective? That we just stand here and wait while she's—" He stopped himself,

flinch. "I'm saying there's another way to move faster.

she was taken. How would we even see where

"The blackout killed

spoke to hospital management earlier when I was making sure we'd catch Ivy if she showed up to see her mother after Regina's death. They assured me the cameras here run on a separate battery supply. They're not connected to the general power grid. Even in a blackout, they're still recording. Besides, we'd see who had

go. I don't trust Ivy one bit—and every second we waste is another

short nod and gestured for them to follow.

were long, purposeful, but inside his chest, his

kept pace, their footsteps echoing down the hallway as Walter led them toward

was: If we can see her on those cameras,

And if they didn't?

to

a cruel contrast to the chaos in Stefan's chest. Every step brought him closer to the stairs—closer to an

scream, the sound of her hand tearing away from his,

somewhere? What if they waste precious minutes walking to the security room while she's locked in a storage

stopped completely before they reached

Ethan asked, forcing Walter and Rayna

turned to face them, his eyes sharp but haunted. "You all go check the cameras. I'm not waiting until you've watched the footage before searching. I'll check the storage rooms, the abandoned wards—anywhere someone could hide her.