Amara immediately opened her mouth to argue back, but Elias continued before she could interrupt him.
“I was there because of Zoe.”
Amara froze slightly.
Confusion instantly appeared on her face.
“...What?”
Elias looked tense now, almost like he was struggling to figure out how to explain everything properly.
His fingers slowly released one of her wrists while the other hand remained around her waist to keep her from moving away.
After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke again in a low voice.
“After Zoe got into that car accident with your car… she slipped into a coma.”
Amara’s body instantly went still. Her eyes widened in shock.
“What?”
She had known Zoe had been in an accident on the same day as her.
But she had never known—
It was the same accident.
For a second, her breathing became uneven.
Elias immediately noticed the change in her expression. His gaze softened slightly.
Still holding her wrists with one hand, he slowly lifted his other hand to her face and gently cupped her cheek.
“Don’t,” he muttered quietly when he saw panic and guilt appearing in her eyes. “Don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault.”
Amara stayed silent, her mind visibly spinning.
Elias took a slow breath before continuing.
“After the accident, Zoe never woke up.” His voice lowered further. “She slipped into a coma.”
His expression darkened slightly as he continued explaining.
“Maverick was in the same car with her that night. He injured his spine badly.”
Amara listened quietly while Elias spoke.
“You know they don’t really have anyone,” he continued tiredly. “It’s just Zoe and Maverick. No parents. No family.”
His jaw tightened.
“So when both of them got hurt, everything became a mess.”
He looked away briefly before continuing.
Amara’s eyes widened slightly.
Elias exhaled slowly.