### Chapter 68 The fragile fortress around Avery’s heart began to disintegrate with just a few words from Elliot. Morning light filtered through the windows as she had slipped away from home at the crack of dawn, determined to silence the troubling thoughts that haunted her. It was a decision that led her to switch off her phone, rendering her unreachable—much to Elliot's growing concern, as he felt compelled to find her. “Ah, you must be Elliot!” Laura interjected suddenly, sensing the thick tension filling the air like a dense fog. “Avery had a rough day, so I thought a little outing would do her good. She's doing much better now. Would you like something to drink?” “Mom!” Avery exclaimed, her voice laced with urgency, intertwining with Elliot's curt “No, thank you,” creating an atmosphere that was both awkward and electric. “Oh, he’s just on his way out,” Avery quickly chided, guiding her mother towards the couch with a gentle but assertive nudge. “You should take a seat and relax, Mom.” It was a subtle dismissal, one that Elliot picked up on immediately. He straightened, reading the signals she laid bare before him. “I’ll take my leave now, then,” he said, a hint of resignation threading through his words. “I’ll stop by another day.” Laura moved to escort him out, but Avery's hand on her arm anchored her in place. “I’m heading out too. Just stay home and rest, okay?” With that, she turned on her heel and walked briskly to join Elliot outside. As they stepped into the cool air, a breeze ruffled her hair, but there was no comfort in it. She whirled around, her expression hardening. “Don’t ever come here again.” A visible chill settled over Elliot’s features; his jaw tensed as he struggled to contain a tempest of emotions clawing for release. She could see the restraint etched across his face, though it did little to soften her resolve. “I don’t need you pretending to care for me,” she continued, her voice firm yet trembling with suppressed anguish. “If you truly care at all, then just get a divorce.” With those final words, she turned her back and walked away, leaving Elliot standing amidst swirling emotions, his gaze like icy daggers aimed at her retreating figure. They stood as two worlds colliding yet remaining irrevocably apart, their hearts tethered by invisible chains of unresolved conflict. Meanwhile, within the sterile walls of the hospital, chaos reigned as Cole was abruptly whisked into the surgical theatre after a harrowing night. His condition demanded swift action; the dismembered finger, clutched in icy preservation, held the fleeting hope of recovery—but only if surgery was performed within what felt like an eternity of eight hours. The odds of regaining full functionality faded like the morning mist with each passing moment, but at least they would spare him from a life of permanent disability. By the next afternoon, two lifelessly anxious hearts awaited news. Cole emerged from the embrace of anesthesia, eyes wide with the wild panic of someone who had danced too close to the abyss. “Cole! Please don’t be frightened! You’re at the hospital, and you’re safe now! No one can harm you,” Olivia soothed him, her tears glistening as she spoke. “Your father has settled the debts you owed.” Henry's happiness, however, was an elusive specter. The weight of the money he had just coughed up to the loan sharks hung heavily over him, a bitter reminder of his son’s reckless gambling. He had always known Cole to be a disappointment, but this latest debacle was a staggering blow—the kind that shattered expectations into millions of pieces. The figure of eight million dollars lost was almost unfathomable, blazing like a red-hot brand upon Henry's conscience. He had only managed to pay back half; a grotesque trade-off for the physical price paid—a severed finger—a stark reminder of how far Cole had fallen into the depths of his own making. In that hospital room, pain and turbulence reigned, an unrelenting reminder of the lives intertwined in a cycle of despair and conflict, echoing Avery's own deep-seated turmoil.