Chapter 17 - WHAT POWER COULD NOT BUY
Maeve woke to white walls.
A monitor.
A stiff shoulder.
And Elias asleep in a chair beside the bed.
Not a wheelchair.
A normal chair.
His head rested against the wall.
His shirt was wrinkled.
There was dried blood on one cuff.
Maeve watched him for several seconds.
Then whispered, “You look terrible.”
His eyes opened instantly.
“You’re awake.”
“Apparently.”
He stood.
Maeve tried to move.
Pain stopped her.
“Don’t.”
Elias reached toward her.
Then stopped before touching.
That small hesitation mattered.
Maeve noticed.
“Was it bad?”
“Through-and-through wound.”
“No artery.”
“No bone.”
“You were lucky.”
She looked at him.
“What happened to Sienna?”
“In custody.”
“Victor?”
“Gone.”
“Dead?”
Elias’s expression closed.
“Gone.”
Maeve did not ask again.
“What about Finn?”
“Safe.”
“Margaret?”
“Being questioned.”
Maeve sank back.
For a moment, they said nothing.
Then Elias spoke.
“You stepped in front of me.”
Maeve looked toward the window.
“I thought she was going to shoot you.”
“She did.”
“And?”
“You should not have done that.”
Maeve almost laughed.
“You’re welcome.”
“I am serious.”
“So am I.”
Elias’s jaw tightened.
“You could have died.”
“So could you.”
“That is different.”
Maeve turned back.
“Why?”
He had no answer.
She continued.
“Because you are Elias Marchetti?”
“Because I created this.”
Maeve studied him.
“The fake paralysis?”
“The test.”
“Sienna.”
“Your danger.”
“All of it.”
His voice became quieter.
“I wanted certainty.”
Maeve said nothing.
“I wanted proof that someone could stay when power disappeared.”
He looked at his hands.
“And I became so obsessed with discovering whether someone else could be trusted that I stopped asking whether I was trustworthy.”
Maeve’s anger softened.
Not vanished.
Softened.
Elias continued.
“You were right.”
“About what?”
“Loyalty that must be tricked into proving itself is not loyalty.”
Maeve stared at him.
“I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“Nothing.”
He reached into his coat.
Placed an envelope on the bedside table.
“What is that?”
“Legal documents.”
Maeve’s stomach tightened.
“Annulment?”
“Yes.”
She looked at him.
“You already signed?”
“Yes.”
The answer hurt.
She hated that it hurt.
Elias noticed.
“You can leave without scandal.”
“Without debt.”
“Without my name attached to yours.”
Maeve touched the edge of the envelope.
“You want me gone?”
“No.”
His answer came too fast.
Maeve looked up.
Elias’s voice lowered.
“I want you free.”
Silence.
Maeve stared at the man who had built his life around control.
Now he was giving her the one thing he had refused to give anyone.
Choice.
“What happens if I sign?”
“You leave.”
“And you?”
“I handle Victor.”
“Your companies?”
“Yes.”
“Your throne?”
A faint smile touched his mouth.
“You really like that word.”
“It annoys you.”
“Yes.”
Maeve looked at the papers.
Then at him.
“What if I don’t sign?”
Elias went completely still.
Maeve continued.
“What if I decide I want to stay long enough to see whether the man underneath all these tests is worth knowing?”
His eyes changed.
“Maeve.”
“That wasn’t forgiveness.”
“I know.”
“That wasn’t a promise.”
“I know.”
“And if you ever fake paralysis again, I will personally put you in a real wheelchair.”
For the first time in weeks, Elias laughed.
A real laugh.
Maeve smiled despite herself.
Then pain caught her shoulder.
Elias immediately stopped.
“Sorry.”
Maeve shook her head.
“Don’t be.”
May you like
He sat again.
The envelope remained unopened between them.
