My Cold-Hearted Husband Wants Me Back
Chapter 182: Poor Judgement?

Chapter 182: Poor Judgement?

Callum rushed to the scene, his car screeching to a halt just outside the gate. He had driven straight there the moment Eryx abruptly ended their call. His instincts told him something was off and he had been right.

He burst through the gate, eyes scanning wildly until they landed on the trio in the front yard.

Valerie was on her knees, trembling, her eyes red and swollen. Lunara stood still, pale and wide-eyed, and in front of her, Eryx.

Blood dripped steadily from his hand.

Callum’s breath caught.

"What happened, sir?!" he exclaimed, rushing forward.

Eryx turned slightly, keeping his body half-shielding Lunara. His voice was low, calm despite the situation. "She tried to hurt herself."

Callum’s eyes darted to the knife lying on the grass.

"Callum..." Lunara’s voice trembled, her lips quivering slightly. "Call an ambulance. His wound is deep... the blood won’t stop." Her hand remained pressed tightly against Eryx’s palm, trying desperately to slow the bleeding.

Callum didn’t waste a second. He pulled out his phone, quickly dialing emergency services while casting worried glances between Eryx and Valerie.

Eryx remained steady, but his jaw was clenched and his skin had started to pale. "I’m fine," he muttered, though the tension in his voice betrayed the pain.

"No, you’re not," Lunara whispered, her voice tight with fear. "You tried to stop her and now, you’re bleeding like this." Her worried eyes shifted as she stared at Valerie who looked lost. "Callum, call the police too."

Callum nodded at once, pulling out his phone again to place the second call. His gaze briefly flicked to Valerie, who sat motionless on the grass, her expression vacant and distant, as if reality had slipped just out of reach.

Lunara turned back to Eryx, pressing harder against his wound with her trembling hand. "I don’t understand how it turned into this," she murmured, almost to herself. "I–I really don’t know it was her earlier."

"It’s okay, it is not your fault." Eryx tried to calm Lunara.

Lunara closed her eyes, "Why? Why is this happening? When I think peace is finally with us, something happened. When I could finally breathe calmly, something happened again. When will all of this stop? I could lose my mind if I keep watching you getting hurt."

Eryx’s eyes softened, even through the pain. He reached up with his uninjured hand, his fingers gently brushing against Lunara’s cheek. "Hey," he said quietly, "look at me."

She opened her eyes, and they shimmered with tears.

"You didn’t do anything wrong," he said firmly. "None of this is on you. Valerie made her choice. And I made mine...stepping in front of you wasn’t a mistake. I’d do it again."

"But why does it have to be like this?" Lunara’s voice cracked. "Every time I start to believe we’re safe, that you’re safe, something breaks again. What if one day..." Her voice faltered, trembling. "What if one day you get hurt worse than this? What if... I lost you?"

Her eyes searched his face, wide with fear.

Eryx didn’t flinch at the pressure. His free hand rose, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his gaze steady. "You won’t lose me," he said softly. "I’d fight the whole damn world to stay by your side, Lunara."

She shook her head, tears welling up. "I don’t want you to fight anymore. I just want us to live... quietly, safely. Without getting hurt. Without fear."

Eryx gave a small, pained smile. "Then that’s exactly what we’ll have. I promise you... we’ll get there."

And just then, in the distance, the approaching wail of sirens broke through the silence.

====

The emergency room doors burst open, drawing several glances from staff and patients alike. Eryx looked up from where he sat on the hospital bed, exhaling a long, tired sigh as his mother, Regina, swept into the room like a storm, with Naomi close behind her and Lucas trailing quietly in the back.

"Eryx!" Regina’s voice rang sharply, eyes darting straight to the bandage on his hand. "How could you not call us the moment this happened?"

Naomi reached his side quickly, worry etched all over her face. "You scared the hell out of us."

Eryx raised his hand slowly, palm wrapped neatly in white gauze. "It’s just this. This much." His tone was flat, edged with dry sarcasm. "I didn’t get stabbed in the heart. You can all go back now."

Naomi huffed. "That’s not funny."

Regina ignored the remark, already talking over him to the nearest nurse, but Eryx’s eyes wandered past her to Lucas, who stood a little bit behind them.

He wasn’t looking at Eryx. Just looking around at other places.

Eryx’s jaw tensed for a second. He didn’t know whether Lucas had come here of his own will or if their mother had dragged him out. He hadn’t heard anything about him since he left home more than a week ago. And now, here he was, standing stiffly like an outsider in his own family.

"Where is this Valerie?" Regina’s pitch was high after she was done talking to the nurse, "I never agreed before when you decided to send her back to her dad. I really couldn’t figure out how your brain works."

Eryx instantly laid back down, an irritated sigh slipping through his teeth. "If you’re here to nag, it would be better for you to go back home. I’m thirty, not thirteen. I don’t need a lecture right now."

Regina’s eyes narrowed. "Clearly, you do. You’re bleeding on a hospital bed because of your own poor judgment, Eryx."

"Mom," Naomi said quietly, stepping between them. "Maybe not now?"

Regina scoffed but didn’t argue further. Her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she paced near the entrance of the emergency room, muttering, "What a mess this all is."

Eryx parted his lips, about to respond, when Lunara suddenly placed her hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him to sit up straighter.

"As you said, your wound is just that much, right?" she said, her voice low but steady. "Then get up. We’re going home."

Eryx blinked, then let out a soft breath, somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle. "Bossy."

"You scared me half to death," Lunara muttered, not meeting his eyes as she helped him ease off the bed.

From the other side, Regina started, "At least let the nurse double-check the bandage before—"

"No need," Eryx interrupted, already sliding his coat over his injured hand with Lunara’s help. "It’s wrapped. It’ll heal."

Eryx stood, steady on his feet now. The air in the emergency room felt colder than when they arrived.

Lunara moved closer beside him, her presence quiet but grounding. "Let’s go," she whispered.