Chapter 1363

And suddenly, Cole understood what Elliana had sought all along—total honesty. No matter how brutal, how dangerous, how devastating the truth, she wanted to know everything, wanted to stand beside him through every nightmare, not be sheltered from the darkness.

That was what marriage was supposed to be. Partners facing hell together, or not at all. Elliana had understood this long before Cole ever did. She’d watched her mother make that same catastrophic choice years ago—witnessed how a “noble departure” draped in love had only carved suffering into everyone left behind.

Cole’s entire perspective fractured and reformed in that single breath. Elliana was right. He’d been devastatingly wrong.

The emergency room doors burst open. A doctor emerged, exhaustion weighing down every line of his face.

Cole lunged forward. “My father—how is he?”

The others pressed in behind him, a wall of desperate hope.

“I’m sorry.” The doctor pulled down his mask, the gesture somehow making everything more final. “We’ve done everything possible, but we can’t bring him back to consciousness.” He paused, and that pause stretched like a blade. “He has some awareness left. Two hours, maybe. If there’s anything you need to say to him, say it now. He’ll hear you.”

The words settled like stones in Cole’s gut. Two hours. His father would spend his final moments as a prisoner in his own body—able to listen, but never able to respond. Never able to speak his mother’s name one last time.

Trapped inside his own body, hearing the world move around him but powerless to respond, feeling life slip through his fingers like sand—for Jarrett, this was agony that transcended language itself.

The instant the doctor’s words landed, Cole’s heart clenched, a vicious ache spreading through his chest. He cursed himself for the secret he’d kept buried. If he’d spoken up sooner, his father might have seen his mother one final time. In that crushing moment, he felt he was responsible for any regret his father still harbored.

: gν

Ruben and Diane fell into each other, their bodies shaking with grief too big to contain. They had to release it here, now, in this sterile hallway, so that when they stepped into that room, their faces could carry nothing but forced smiles. They wouldn’t let Jarrett leave this world drowning in their sorrow.

Bertram suddenly grabbed Cole’s sleeve, his fingers trembling, voice cracking with urgency. “Cole, your father’s biggest regret is never seeing your mother again. Call her—right now. Let her say goodbye. It’s the one comfort he deserves before the end.”

Emmanuel jumped in, his words tumbling out fast. “Yes, do it now, Cole! He’s only got two hours left. She’ll never make it here in time, but at least let him hear her voice once more.”

Cole knew they were right. But something in him refused to accept it—refused to hand his father over to death without a fight. His thoughts flew to Elliana. If anyone could drag his father back from the edge, it was her.

So instead of dialing Sophie, Cole’s thumb found Elliana’s name. He’d barely hit the button when a ringtone echoed down the corridor.

Everyone turned. Elliana was racing toward them, her footsteps quick and purposeful.

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