Elena Harper paced the sterile hospital corridor, bloodstains crusting her gala gown like war paint. Julian's graze wound—bullet tore through muscle, nicked artery—had surgeons scrambling for three hours. Love you. The words echoed, raw confession amid warehouse chaos. Her ice had melted; now vulnerability chilled deeper than any courtroom loss. Mom sat hunched nearby, blanket-draped, eyes hollow from Vic's chains. Reunion tasted of rust.
Mia's heels clicked urgent. "Victor's outside with cops—Vic's in holding, singing for deal. Sophia flipped: immunity for testimony. Your recorder? Gold. Drone feed viral—Reyes the hero."
Elena nodded numb. "Julian?"
"Stable. OR out. Room 412." Mia squeezed her arm. "Go."
Mom reached tentative. "Elena... I—"
"Later." Voice cracked. Elena fled to his door, slipping past beeping monitors. Julian lay pale, IV-dripped, bandages stark white across ribs. Awake, eyes finding hers instant. "Hey, Counselor. Billable hours?"
Relief buckled her knees. She sank bedside, hand engulfing his. "Idiot. Bullet for me?"
"Anytime." Grin crooked, pain-laced. "Love you sticks. Fight it."
Tears spilled free. "Love you too. Terrifying." Lips brushed his knuckles. Nurses bustled discreet; door clicked shut. Privacy sealed. Elena leaned in, forehead to his. "Vic's down. Mom's... real."
His fingers traced her jaw. "Heal together." Pull gentle, mouths met soft—comfort first, then heat. Hands wandered careful: hers under gown tracing unbandaged skin, his tangling her hair. Kisses deepened, breaths syncing desperate. Fabric whispered; boundaries blurred in dim light. Worlds narrowed to touch, wounds forgotten. Passion crested quiet, gasps muffled against skin—fade to shared afterglow, hearts pounding tandem.
Exhaustion claimed him; Elena held vigil, fingers laced.
***
Ethan burst in at dawn, laptop glowing. "Sophia's hoax exposed—hacked ultrasound leaked. Agency dropping her cold." He synced screens: warehouse feed dissected. "Vic's confession ties Dalton too. Framed you via old debt—your dad owed him gambling markers. Mom fled protection racket after."
Elena's gut twisted. "Dad's debts chained her to Vic?"
Mom hovered doorway, voice small. "Yes. He 'cleared' them—hit on collector. I witnessed. Left you safe from fallout." Tears carved fresh. "Cowardice. Every gala sighting? Forced smiles, his leash."
Julian stirred, squeezing Elena's hand. "Forgive later. Evidence first."
Ethan nodded. "Vic's dead man's switch? Encrypted drive in his office. Raid tonight."
Victor's growl preceded him: gray suit impeccable. "Agency execs calling—Reyes cleared, contracts renewed. Harper, you're lead prosecutor. Unofficial. Bar hearing quashed."
Netizens shifted tide:
"Reyes took bullet for lawyer! #HeroKing"
"Vic's empire crumbles—Harper unbreakable #Justice"
***
Night raid: SWAT breached Vic's agency HQ, Elena/Mia in tac van feeds. Safes cracked; drives seized. Julian wheeled in ambulance bay, insisting: "Watch it live."
Vic's office yielded trove: Dalton forgeries signed by Vic, Julian's therapy twisted, Sophia's scripts. But deepest file: Mom's witness statement—dated Elena's bar hearing. "Vic planted evidence, framed Harper to silence inquiry."
Elena's breath hitched. "He targeted me back then?"
Ethan paled. "Explains the push. Covering tracks."
Vic's holding cell feed patched: smug through bars. "Switch ticks. One leak left—Reyes' real skeleton."
Julian tensed. "What?"
Cops dragged him; raid secured. But burner in evidence pinged—all phones.
Distorted voice—not Vic's: "Half-sister knows, Reyes. Blood calls."
Julian blanched. "Impossible."
Ethan avoided eyes. "The PA I fired? Her kid—your age. Vic's play?"
Family secrets fractured wider. Elena gripped Julian tight. "Whatever it is—we face it."
Mom entered hesitant. "Like I should have."
Hospital hummed toward dawn. Wounds stitched, but scars deepened.
Vic's final leak loomed. Blood ties unraveled.
Whose half-sister? And what buried truth?