Please Come Back, My Love novel Chapter 179

Her face went white.

“What?”

“The baby was healthy.” I forced myself to hold her gaze, tot her see the self-loathing eating me alive. “Everything 1 said about potential complications, about being practical-it was bullshit. I was scared, hesitated. And because I hesitated, because I made you doubt my commitment, you tried to run. And

those bastards-”

I couldn’t finish. The image of her broken on that Brooklyn street, blood pooling beneath her body, would haunt me until I died.

Elena’s breathing had gone shallow. “You’re lying. You have to be lying because if you’re not-

“I’m not.” I cupped her face between my palms. “I fucked up, baby. In every possible way. But I’m begging you-give me a chance to make it right. Come

home. Let me protect you while your mother fights this. After she’s better, if you still want to leave, I won’t stop you.”

“Won’t stop me?” Her laugh was slightly hysterical. “You threatened to destroy Ethan’s entire career. You broke into my hotel room. You-you fucked me

against my will and then-*

“You wanted it.” The words came out harsher than I intended. “Your body doesn’t lie, Elena. You came apart in my arms. You—*

Her palm cracked across my face. Hard.

The sting felt like absolution.

“Don’t,” she hissed, “ever say I wanted what you did to me last night. Don’t you dare minimize what you-”

“Five minutes to landing,” Dr. Morrison announced, cutting through our standoff.

I grabbed Elena’s hand, laced our fingers together despite her attempt to pull away.

“Just think about it,” I said quietly. “Your mother needs treatment. The best treatment. And I can give her that. No strings attached. No conditions. Just let

me help.

She looked at our joined hands. At her mother’s unconscious form. At the glittering Manhattan skyline visible through the helicopter window.

“Fine,” she whispered. “But only until Mom’s stable.”

I nodded, even as every cell in my body screamed that I’d never let her go again.

Here’s a revised version with better buildup for the gunmen’s appearance:

The helicopter touched down on the hospital’s rooftop helipad with a mechanical whir that gradually died to silence. Medical staff swarmed immediately.

transferring Josephine to a gurney with practiced efficiency.

Elena tried to follow, but I pulled her back.

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4:29 pm

Chapter 179

PP

Let them work. They know what they’re doing.”

She watched her mother disappear through the rooftop access door, looking lost. Fragile. Like she might shatter if I breathed too hard.

“Come on.” I guided her toward the elevator. “We’ll wait in-”

I stopped mid-sentence. Something felt wrong.

The rooftop was too quiet. The medical team had vanished with Josephine, but the usual hospital security that should have remained behind was nowhere to

be seen. The helicopter pilot was slumped forward in his seat-unconscious or worse.

“Julian?” Elena’s voice was tight with fresh fear. “What’s wrong?”

A shadow moved behind the air conditioning units. Then another.

My blood turned to ice.

‘Get behind me,” I ordered, my voice low and urgent. “Now.”

“What-”

द

“NOW, Elena!”

The first gunman emerged from behind the rooftop equipment, weapon already drawn. Then a second. A third.

All of them aimed directly at Elena.

The gunshot cracked through the air before I could process anything beyond pure, animalistic instinct.

I shoved Elena behind me, my body moving before my brain could catch up,

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