Chapter 212

Less than three millimeters from the heart. The surgery was a nightmare-level challenge. One wrong move and Ethan Blackwood wouldn't have made it off that table. Everyone knew it, from the surgeons inside to Arthur Blackwood standing motionless outside. Not a single muscle on his face relaxed—he was tight as a wire the entire time. He hadn’t said a word since that first sentence hours ago. An old man nearing seventy, but in that moment, he was standing there like stone, ignoring every attempt to nudge him away from the OR doors. Time crawled by. Arthur lost track of how long it had been. The doors stayed shut. Lucy Hampton had stayed with him the whole time, clearly just as tense. Eventually—right when Arthur was starting to think he couldn’t hold on any longer—the door finally opened. The doctor came out soaked in sweat. Arthur stepped up immediately. “How is Ethan?” The doctor let out a breath, but his voice still held tension. “Mr. Blackwood, the operation went well for now, but tho