Craved by the Wrong Volkov-Chapter 368: The prime suspect

Lucien’s POV

Why didn’t Lynn come herself? My chest tightened as the thought settled in deeper.

Lynn would never stay away. Not after hearing I was in critical condition. She would have forced her way into this room if she had to. That was who she was. Then why didn’t she come?

Something was wrong, and the thought terrified me. My heart started thudding violently in my ribcage.

"Wasn’t my emergency contact called?" I asked, my voice low, but there was an edge to it I didn’t bother hiding.

The doctor hesitated slightly before answering. "Braelyn Volkov was contacted, yes. However, she was unable to sign the consent forms at the time. Fortunately, another family member was present and handled everything," he explained smoothly, but the knot in my stomach only tightened.

My fingers curled tightly into the sheets. "What do you mean she was unable to sign?" My breathing grew heavier despite myself. "Who signed them?"

The doctor opened his mouth to respond but was cut off halfway by the door suddenly being pushed open. "He is currently in the hospital. It was—"

The door swung open, and my gaze snapped to it instantly. A familiar figure strode in, and my frown deepened.

It was the last person I expected, and honestly, in a strange way, Raphael was probably the only one in that family who could show up for me... at least before Braelyn.

Their relationship was twisted. Raphael was a psycho, but he had a tiny bit of conscience. But why was he here? From how convenient the accident was, Raphael was my top suspect, especially after he miraculously agreed to the divorce.

"Raphael," I muttered, unable to believe my eyes.

For a moment, everything in me went still. Why was it him?

He stood at the doorway for a moment, his eyes landing on me before shifting to the doctor as if this was nothing more than a routine visit. "How is he doing?" he asked calmly, like it was the most natural thing ever.

The doctor answered him without hesitation. "He is stable. There are fractures. The surgery was successful, and the wounds are healing as expected. He just needs time to recover," he said, and Raphael listened with a calm expression.

Raphael nodded. "Alright," he muttered.

I watched him carefully, my mind already running ahead of everything else. It didn’t make sense that he was here. If anything, my death would have benefited him.

Raphael was dressed casually in jeans. From my guess, the New Year was probably over, so why wasn’t he dressed for the office? Raphael had dark circles and looked dishevelled, and judging by how quickly he showed up, he had already been at the hospital.

The feeling worsened. Raphael most definitely wouldn’t have sleepless nights because of me being in the hospital. There was only one person who could put him in this state.

I clutched my chest as a weight pressed down, making it hard to breathe. "Viper..." The word slipped out.

Raphael’s voice snapped me from my thoughts.

"How long has he been awake?" Raphael asked.

"Only a few minutes," the doctor replied. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Raphael nodded again before glancing at me. "Can I speak with him alone?" he requested.

"Of course, Mr Volkov," the doctor agreed, and left with the nurse, the door closing behind them. Silence settled in the room.

I didn’t speak immediately. I just watched him. Raphael stepped closer, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"A bad weed never dies," he said casually.

My teeth gritted at his words. Was he really the one who targeted me? I couldn’t read him.

I let out a quiet scoff despite the pain in my chest. "Sorry to disappoint you."

My eyes stayed locked on his. There was no warmth there, no relief, just pure calculation. I didn’t have the patience for this. "Where is Braelyn?" I asked.

The smirk faded slightly. Raphael didn’t answer immediately. He walked closer to the bed, his gaze dropping briefly to my bandaged stomach before returning to my face. "You really took a deep blow. Heard the accident was likely planned?" he said, ignoring my question.

"What the fuck is your problem? Are you disappointed I didn’t die?" I snapped at him. "Why exactly are you here? To gloat?"

Raphael’s gaze darkened.

"You should talk to me kindly. You are in no place to give me an attitude after I saved your life," he retorted, and I really couldn’t stop my laugh. It came out wrong.

"You saved my life..." I sneered. "Do you think I’m dumb? I get attacked right after you suddenly agree to the divorce after shredding the agreement. I’m not that dumb."

Raphael laughed. He was amused. "Well, if you think I took the risk to kill you, then you are pretty dumb." His answer left me puzzled.

"The last thing I would do is kill you when I’m the prime suspect," he added, and I froze. Raphael wasn’t dumb enough to do something so reckless. "Let me break down the situation for you..."

He took a breath, then continued. "First, the one capable of spilling blood between us is you. And aside from that, why would I kill you knowing you have the Orlov backing? This family already has enough troubles with your mother."

"You were cornered, Raphael. People act carelessly when cornered," I retorted.

"That is also true, but my plan wasn’t to kill you. It was to kidnap Lynn. Even with your secret bodyguards, I would have pulled it off and disappeared with her... but you just had to get into an accident."

I was dumbfounded for a moment before the rage came surging in.

"You bastard. Did you capture her? The Voss family would never let you off," I barked, trying to grab his shirt, but he backed away. His eyes were ice cold.

"Oh, shut up. Don’t give me that holy act after what you did to Amelia?" he snorted.

My frown deepened. "What did I do to your mistress?"