Left for Dead Came Back for Everything novel Chapter 14

"Eliza, it's not the same! What happened back then was my professional instinct, and today... I just want to save your leg!"

"You have to believe me! I'm only doing this for your own good!"

Shocked by the raw hatred burning in her eyes, Zander scrambled desperately to explain.

Right then, a sudden ringtone shattered the suffocating tension in the room.

Zander's words caught in his throat.

He hesitated for a split second, freeing one hand to pull out his phone.

The moment he saw Yvonne's name flashing on the screen, his eyes shifted away in a guilty, knee-jerk reaction.

He glanced at Eliza's frail state on the bed, wavering for half a second before hitting answer anyway.

"Hello, Yvonne?"

The moment he spoke, the cold, impatient, and condemning tone he had just used on Eliza instantly melted into a puddle of affection.

It was a deeply ingrained, subconscious gentleness.

"I'm a little busy right now. What?"

Whatever tearful words were spoken on the other end caused the color to drain from Zander's face.

His tall frame shot straight up from the edge of the bed.

"Don't cry, don't be scared. Try to get somewhere crowded, I'm coming right now!"

He turned around anxiously, still murmuring reassurances into the phone.

In his abrupt panic to leave, he completely released the tight grip he had on Eliza's bleeding hand.

Blood resumed its steady flow down the back of Eliza's hand, the warm crimson drops pattering against the blanket.

Yet Eliza didn't so much as spare her own hand a glance.

She simply watched in dead silence as a single call from Yvonne transformed Zander into a completely different person, tossing her aside without a second thought.

An overwhelming wave of nausea violently churned in her stomach.

It was truly pathetic.

She felt nauseated with herself for having ever held onto even a fleeting second of hope for this man.

She slumped weakly against the mattress, staring at the ceiling as a single, cold tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

She hated her own weakness. Even knowing he was worthless, it still stung to watch him dote on another woman.

Barely two minutes later, the door was practically knocked off its hinges.

"Eliza!!"

A frantic, tearful voice rang out.

Gwen blew into the room like a hurricane.

Immediately, Gwen's eyes locked onto Eliza's deathly pale face and her swollen, blood-covered hand.

"Oh my God... your hand! Nurse! Get a nurse in here!"

Terrified and pale, Gwen aggressively slammed the call button, tears instantly streaming down her cheeks.

She threw herself at the bedside, carefully cradling Eliza's hand, looking as if she were drowning in guilt and regret.

"I'm so sorry, Ellie, I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!" Gwen sobbed uncontrollably, looking ready to slap herself. "I only heard that clinic had incredible bone specialists! I was so damn stupid for not checking who owned it! If I had known it belonged to the Roth family, I would have died before letting you step half a foot into that hellhole!"