Chapter 5 The Choice He Never Hesitated To Make

On the third day after Nina left the hospital, Julian's order arrived.

"Seven tonight. Warehouse No. 7 at the docks. You're coming with me to a negotiation."

The note was delivered by one of Julian's bodyguards, his tone leaving no room for refusal. "Mr. Blackwell said you understand his injuries better than anyone. If anything happens, it's safest to have you there."

She had wanted to refuse.

But the contract had not yet expired. She was still his "concierge doctor." She had no choice.

Under the night sky, the salty scent of the sea filled Nina's lungs.

Nina wore a black turtleneck sweater, her long hair tied back. As she had done countless times before, she stood half a step behind Julian.

At his side, Aria held his arm, dressed in an elegant suit, her makeup flawless and her smile bright.

The leader across from them puffed on a cigar, his gaze moving between the three of them before he sneered. "You really know how to live. A woman on each arm. Aren't you worried that might cause a little trouble at home?"

Julian's expression didn't change. "Aria is my fiancée. Dr. Avery is my concierge doctor. If gossip is all you have to offer, we might as well move straight to the terms."

"Oh?" He narrowed his eyes. "I heard this doctor has been by your side for ten years. Even the honey trap your uncle sent lost her hands because of you. What happened? Change of taste?"

The entire warehouse fell silent.

Nina lowered her eyes, her nails digging into her palm.

She should have known. In their eyes, she was nothing more than a high-class mistress.

Julian suddenly spoke, his voice sharp and clear. "My heart has never changed. The one it belonged to ten years ago is still the same today."

Aria's eyes reddened instantly as she clung tightly to his arm.

Nina felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

Hearing those words felt like a giant hand closing around Nina's heart, squeezing until it bled, until she could barely breathe.

Five years ago, he had carried her through a hail of bullets, both of them soaked in blood. Through clenched teeth he had said, "Hold on, Nina. I'm taking you home."

Back then, she believed she had a place in that home.

Now she knew the home in his heart had always been waiting for only one person.

The negotiation collapsed without warning.

The opposing leader slammed the table. "Julian! You swallowed three of my docks. If you don't give them back tonight, you're not leaving here alive!"

Men rushed out of the shadows, and gunfire exploded through the warehouse.

In the chaos, Nina instinctively lunged toward Julian. "Watch out!"

But he had already pulled Aria behind him while drawing his gun to fire back.

He didn't even look at Nina.

The enemy had prepared an ambush. More than a dozen gunmen poured out from the shadows.

Amid the firefight, two masked men rushed forward. One grabbed Aria. The other seized Nina.

"Julian! Choose one!" the man shouted. "Or they both die!"

Time seemed to freeze.

Nina looked at Julian, a faint spark of hope still lingering in her eyes.

Maybe... maybe he would hesitate. After all, she had saved his life three times and stayed with him through his darkest nights.

But Julian's eyes held no hesitation.

He raised his gun and shot the man holding Aria, then rushed forward to catch her as she stumbled.

Meanwhile, the man holding Nina dragged her toward the warehouse's back door.

Julian's bodyguards started to chase after them.

"Leave her!" Julian shouted, tightening his hold on the trembling Aria. "Get Aria to the car first!"

Leave her.

At the moment between life and death, Julian had abandoned the woman who had stood beside him for ten years without hesitation.

As she was dragged away, Nina's back slammed into a metal rack, forcing a sharp breath from her lips.

She looked back and saw Julian checking Aria for injuries, his movements gentle as if she were a priceless treasure.

The thug shoved her into a van and kicked her hard in the stomach.

Nina curled up, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

So this was her ending. A discarded pawn thrown into the dark.

After an unknown amount of time, she was dumped at an abandoned shipyard.

The thug grabbed a steel pipe with a vicious grin. "If Mr. Blackwell doesn't want you, we'll cripple you and make him regret it for the rest of his life!"

As the pipe swung down, Nina closed her eyes.

She didn't try to dodge.

Her heart had already gone numb. What did a little physical pain matter anymore?

Just as the pipe came down, a gunshot rang out. Julian burst in with his men.

In the chaos, Nina felt a sharp explosion of pain in her abdomen.

She had been shot.