Page 124 of Iced Up Love: Part Two
Piece by piece.
I will make him understand exactly what he did.
Exactly what he took.
Exactly what he almost cost me.
The doors open.
All three of us look up at once.
The doctor steps out, his expression professional, controlled, the kind of look that doesn’t give anything away, and that alone puts something sharp in my chest because I know what that means.
I know what it looks like when someone walks out with bad news.
“Are you the ones who brought in the young woman?” he asks.
I’m already on my feet before he finishes the sentence.
“Yes,” I say. “That’s my wife. Liana Bellandi.”
The wordwifelands heavier now.
Different.
“My name is Elijah Bellandi.”
His eyes flick briefly to Jackson and Zach before settling back on me.
“Alright,” he says, nodding once. “She’s made it through surgery.”
The words land.
And for a second nothing happens.
Not relief.
Not reaction. Just stillness.
Like my body doesn’t know what to do with it yet.
Then Jackson exhales sharply, the sound tearing out of him like something that’s been trapped in his chest for hours.
“Fuck.” he breathes, dragging a hand through his hair. “Thank God.”
Zach’s head falls back against the wall, his eyes closing again, his chest rising in a slow, controlled breath that looks like it hurts.
Relief.
Thin.
Fragile.
Barely there.
I don’t move.
Because I’m waiting.
