A Moment too Late

Orion’s POV

The door to the hospital burst open, slamming against the wall with a deafening crash. My head snapped toward the sound, my chest tightening at the sight before me.

Ava.

She stumbled inside, followed by Rose, an unfamiliar man, and—of all people—Mason fucking Brown. He was cradling someone in his arms.

My stomach dropped as my eyes locked on the figure he held. Holly.

Blood stained Mason’s shirt, dripping onto the floor in thick, sickening splatters. Ava’s clothes were no better, smeared with crimson, and her face was pale, a wild mix of anger, fear and devastation etched across it. Even Mason, who always seemed composed, looked disheveled, his jaw clenched tight as he carried my sister in-law like she was the most fragile thing in the world.

Panic, guilt, and regret tore through me like claws. My feet felt rooted to the floor, but my mind was screaming at me to move.

This is my fault.

I let Ava go this evening. If only I had fought to make her stay. Even chained her to myself like the last time. But I didn't.

Coward

I didn’t fight to help Holly too. I stayed behind like a coward while Ava faced this nightmare. And now Mason had stepped in—Mason, of all people. What right did I have to be angry at him? He’d done what I should have.

What I failed to do.

But despite my turmoil, my body finally responded. I pushed the guilt aside, straightened my shoulders, and strode toward them.

Ava’s eyes landed on me the moment I approached, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Her expression, already hard, twisted into something colder, something filled with raw hatred.

I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off, her voice like a dagger.

“Don’t,” she snapped, her tone venomous. “You don’t get to play the concerned husband now, Orion.”

Her words hit me harder than any physical blow ever could.

I stopped a few feet away, my gaze flickering to Mason, who shot me a look of contempt before carefully setting Holly onto a stretcher that a nurse had wheeled over.

“What happened?” I asked, my voice low and strained, ignoring the venom in Ava’s tone.

Ava let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “What happened?” she repeated, her voice rising. “What happened is that you weren’t there, Orion. You weren’t there for me. Or for Holly even after Rose told you what happened.”

I flinched, her words cutting deep, but I forced myself to stand my ground. “Ava, I—”

“Save it,” she spat, her eyes blazing. “You chose her. You stayed behind with Chloe while I was out there fighting to save myself and my sister. Why do I keep making useless excuses for you in my head!”

The guilt I’d been shoving down threatened to suffocate me. “Ava, I didn’t know—”

“Of course you didn’t!” she interrupted, her voice breaking. “Because you didn’t care enough to find out! You had a choice, Orion. And you chose her.”

I glanced at Rose and then at Mason, whose gaze burned with silent judgment. His shirt was soaked in blood—Holly’s blood, or maybe someone else’s. My eyes darted back to Ava’s blood-streaked figure. Whose blood was on her? Is she okay?

“Ava, I—”

She took a step closer, her voice dropping to a low, venomous whisper. “Don’t you dare pretend to care now. Don’t you dare.”

Her words crushed me, but I couldn’t let her see it. I clenched my fists, my jaw tightening as I fought to keep my composure.

“You think I don’t care?” I said, my voice trembling with restrained emotion. “You think this doesn’t tear me apart?”

“You don’t get to feel torn apart, Orion,” she hissed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Not when you weren’t the one bleeding. Not when you weren’t the one risking your life for Holly and I. I hate you so much, Orion Miller,” she whispered.

She turned away, brushing past me like I was nothing. My hand shot out instinctively, grabbing her arm. She froze, her body stiffening, and when she turned back to me, her eyes were blazing.

“Don’t touch me,” she said coldly, yanking her arm free.

Mason stepped forward, his presence looming, but Ava held up a hand to stop him. “I don’t need your help, Mason,” she said sharply, though her voice softened slightly. “Stay with Holly. Make sure she’s okay.”

He hesitated, his eyes flicking between us, before nodding and following the nurses who were wheeling Holly away.

Ava turned back to me, her gaze colder than I’d ever seen it. “You made your choice, Orion. And it wasn’t us. So stay out of my way.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came. She didn’t wait for me to recover. She spun on her heel and walked away, leaving me standing there, paralyzed by the weight of everything I’d lost.

The air felt suffocating, the hospital’s fluorescent lights too bright. I pressed a hand to my chest, my heart pounding as if it might break free.

Her words cut deeper than I expected, each one slicing through whatever fragile control I had left. I couldn't let her leave. Not again. I ran after her and pulled her to me.

“Don’t twist this, Ava,” I snapped, my frustration boiling over. “I was trying to—”

“To what? Sit by her bedside while she bled crocodile tears for you? While she pretended to be a martyr?”

Her voice cracked, and for the first time, I saw tears brimming in her eyes. “Holly almost died tonight, Orion. And you weren’t there. You chose not to be there.”

I flinched as if she’d struck me. My chest felt like it was caving in, the guilt and regret eating away at every defense I had.

The unknown man that came in with them stepped forward, his expression unreadable but his presence commanding. “That’s enough Ava,” he said quietly.

“Let’s make sure Holly is ok before getting into all these.”

Ava’s jaw tightened, but she turned away, her movements sharp and rigid as she followed the man toward the ER.

My feet refused to move again, rooted to the spot as I watched them go. Ava didn’t glance back once.

Rose lingered for a moment, her face pale and guilty. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but seemed to think better of it. With a small, shaky sigh, she followed the others.

And just like that, I was left standing alone in the hallway, the echoes of Ava’s words ringing in my ears.

I had failed.

Failed Holly. Failed Ava. And it fucking feels like I've failed everyone who had ever believed in me.

I turned, my fists clenching at my sides as the weight of my decisions bore down on me. My chest heaved with the effort to contain the storm building inside me, but it was no use.

I had made my choice. And it has cost me the only person that I care about.

As the hospital doors swung shut behind them, I whispered the words that had haunted me all night.

“What am I supposed to do now?”