Contract Marriage With My Billionaire Boss (Venus and Aaron) novel Chapter 190

Chapter 190

VENUS

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The world swam back slowly, softer this time. No stabbing light. No sharp alarms. Just the quiet hum of machines and the faint rhythm of footsteps echoing down a hallway somewhere beyond my door.

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I blinked, my lashes fluttering against the weight of sleep. The ceiling came into focus-sterile white, a little cracked in the corner, as though time itself had chipped away at it. My chest rose, shaky, the air sharp in my lungs.

Not Rosemary. Not Gianna. Not Colton.

This time it was Connor.

He sat slouched in a chair by the window, broad shoulders folded in on themselves, his hand scrubbing over his face. His tie was loose, his shirt wrinkled, his hair a dark mess like he’d been running his hands through it a hundred times.

When he lifted his gaze and saw mine open, his whole body stilled.

“Hey,” he said softly, his voice hoarse but steady. He pushed up from the chair, the weight of exhaustion clinging to him but not slowing him down. “Take it easy. Don’t rush it.”

I swallowed, my throat dry, words breaking through like a whisper. “Connor.”

He was at my side instantly, helping me adjust against the pillows. His grip was firm, grounding, the kind of steady touch I hadn’t realized I’d been craving.

“Where’s everyone? Sabine?” I asked, my voice scratchy.

He smirked faintly, but it didn’t hide the hollowness in his eyes. “I sent them home. Shower, food, actual beds. They weren’t going to last much longer like that, and you’re safe now. Sabine is safe with Rosemary.

Safe. That word again. I wasn’t sure it belonged to me anymore.

My lips trembled. “Aaron?”

The silence that followed stretched too long, too sharp. My chest tightened until I thought I’d choke on it.

Finally, Connor’s voice broke the air, low, careful. “Aaron’s out of the OR.”

I sucked in a breath, clutching at his arm. “And-?”

“They removed the bullets.” He paused, his throat working. “He’s still unconscious, but…” He hesitated, then forced a small nod. “He made it through the surgery. He’s fighting.”

Relief hit me so hard it almost broke me. My chest caved, a sob clawing free before I could stop it. My eyes burned, hot tears spilling over.

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Chapter 190

“He’ll be alright?” I whispered, my voice trembling like glass on the edge of breaking.

Connor didn’t flinch. He looked me square in the eyes, steady as steel. “Yeah. He’ll be alright.”

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I wanted to believe him so badly it hurt. My body sagged against the pillows, the weight of relief pressing heavy into my chest until I thought I couldn’t breathe around it.

“Take me to him,” I said, the words raw, urgent.

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“I can,” Connor answered, but instead of moving, he straightened and walked toward the small table by the wall. When he turned back, he was carrying a tray.

The scent hit me first-warm broth, the tang of fresh fruit, the earthy bite of vegetables. My stomach twisted, recoiling.

“I need you to eat first,” he said simply, setting the tray across my lap.

“I” I shook my head, bile rising in my throat. “I don’t have an appetite.”

His brows shot up, and for a second, I saw the steel that made Connor unshakable in boardrooms, courtrooms, or wherever else Aaron trusted him to hold ground. He leaned closer, his voice low, firm, brooking no argument.

“You want to see Aaron?”

“Yes.”

“Then eat.”

“Connor-”

“You’re not just eating for you anymore, Venus.” His gaze flicked briefly to my stomach, then back to my face. “Two more lives depend on you. Aaron would rip me apart if I let you starve yourself while he’s lying unconscious down the hall.”

The words hit, sharp and merciless.

I looked at the tray, my stomach twisting, nausea pressing tight against my throat. But his words stuck. Aaron. My babies. The pieces of my heart spread across this hospital.

My hand shook as I picked up the spoon. The broth was lukewarm, sliding down my throat with no taste at all, but I forced myself to swallow. Bite after bite, tiny pieces of fruit, a spoonful of vegetables, the soup.

Halfway through, I pushed the tray gently away, my body trembling. “That’s all I can do.”

Connor’s eyes narrowed.

“If I eat more, I’ll throw up,” I said quickly, my voice soft but firm.

For a long moment, he just looked at me, like he was weighing whether to argue. Then, finally, he gave a short nod. “Good enough.”

20:50 Wed, Jan 14

Chapter 190

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420

Relief washed through me, weak but real.

He stood, moving with brisk purpose, and called down the hall. Within minutes, a nurse rolled in a wheelchair. Connor guided it close, his hand steady on my arm as he helped me ease into it.

The cold leather pressed against my back, the wheels squeaking faintly as he adjusted them.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded, my throat tight.

Connor pushed me forward, out of the room, into the corridor bathed in dim hospital light. The walls were pale, the air heavy with disinfectant. My fingers curled tight in my lap as the wheels squeaked against the linoleum floor, carrying me closer, closer to the room where my heart lay unconscious.

Every turn of the corridor felt endless. Every sound-the distant cry of a baby, the sharp call of a nurse, the beep of a machine-made me flinch.

I pressed my hand against my stomach. The babies. His babies.

Hold on, Aaron. Please hold on.

Connor’s pace slowed as we reached a door at the end of the hall. The plaque read ICU – Restricted Access. My chest constricted, breath catching in my throat.

He leaned down, his hand resting lightly on my shoulder. “He’s in there,” he said quietly. “But you need to be strong. He doesn’t need your fear, Venus. He needs your fight.”

I nodded, my tears blurring the sign until it dissolved into silver streaks.

Connor pushed open the door.

And there he was.

Aaron Sinclair-my impossible, infuriating, relentless Aaron-lying pale and still against the stark white sheets. Machines beeped steadily at his side, tubes and wires snaking across his body. His chest rose and fell in shallow rhythms, each breath a fragile tether holding him to me.

My heart shattered and mended in the same breath.

“I’m here,” I whispered, my voice breaking as Connor wheeled me closer. “Aaron, I’m here.”

I reached out, my trembling fingers brushing over the back of his hand, cold but alive.

Alive.

Tears spilled freely now, dropping onto the sheets between us. “You promised me,” I whispered, leaning closer, my lips almost brushing his knuckles. “Don’t you dare break that promise. Don’t you dare leave me.”

The machines kept their steady rhythm, beeping into the silence like a heartbeat borrowed from fate.

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