Kaye's tears streamed down her face as she ran through the hospital hallway.
The moment she saw her husbands waiting outside the emergency room, her heart pounded violently in her chest. Panic and fear immediately overwhelmed her.
"Hubby!" she cried as she rushed toward Mikhail.
"Wifey, calm down..." Mikhail said gently, catching her before she could stumble.
But Kaye couldn't stop crying. Her tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
"W-What happened?" she asked between sobs. "W-Where's our daughter? And where's Ran?"
"Sweetie... please don't panic," Tristan said, trying to calm her.
"Just tell me what happened! Where are they?" she cried out.
"Boo, you need to listen to us first," Haru said.
"Please calm down first. We'll explain everything," Kyle added.
Kaye swallowed hard before nodding.
Her husbands guided her to a nearby chair and helped her sit down. Isaac gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"As we all know, Ran took Jinny away to stop the wedding," Isaac began. "They left J City. The rain was pouring heavily at the time. Ran said they had a fight while they were driving... and then..."
His voice trailed off.
"Then what?" Kaye asked nervously.
Isaac sighed heavily.
"The car crashed," Shin finally said. "And Jinny was rushed into the emergency room."
Kaye's face immediately crumpled.
"My daughter!"
She burst into tears again.
"Don't worry. Kurtis is doing everything he can. She'll be fine," Mikhail assured her, gently rubbing her back.
"B-But where's Ran?" Kaye asked through her tears.
The men exchanged uneasy glances.
"Raon is confronting him right now," Benjamin said. "I'm afraid he's being punished again."
"Tch... just what is that child thinking?" Haru muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Does he get that personality from Timothy?"
"Don't involve me in his actions. I'm not his father," Timothy replied coldly.
"Well, you did the same thing before. You're not giving him ideas, are you?" Haru teased.
Timothy shot him a deadly glare. "Wanna die?"
"Enough, Haru," Warren interrupted. "Today is not the time for jokes."
"Sorry," Haru muttered, scratching the back of his head.
The atmosphere immediately became tense again as everyone waited anxiously outside the emergency room.
After what seemed like an eternity, the doors finally opened.
Kurtis stepped out of the emergency room, still wearing his surgical mask.
Everyone immediately stood up and approached him.
"Love, how is she?" Kaye asked anxiously.
Kurtis slowly removed his mask.
"She's stable now," he said. "She lost a lot of blood, but thankfully, her brothers have the same blood type and didn't hesitate to donate blood for her."
Kaye covered her mouth, tears of relief filling her eyes.
"Her wounds have all been stitched, and we've managed to stop the bleeding. She'll need plenty of rest and close monitoring, but she's going to be okay."
Kaye finally released the breath she had been holding.
"Thank God..."
Without thinking twice, she threw her arms around Kurtis and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you..." she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "Thank you for saving her."
Kurtis gently wrapped his arms around her.
"Of course," he replied softly. "I'll do everything I can for her. She's your daughter... and that makes her family."
Kaye buried her face against his chest, crying quietly.
For the first time since she arrived at the hospital, she felt a little less afraid.
Her daughter was alive.
She lost a daughter before, and she doesn't want to lose another one this time.
.
.
.
At the back of the hospital building, Ran stood silently, his head lowered.
Suddenly—
BAM!
A powerful punch landed across his face.
Ran staggered to the side, nearly losing his balance. His hand immediately went to his cheek as tears welled up in his eyes.
"Dad!" Rin exclaimed, rushing toward them. "Please, calm down!"
Raon was breathing heavily, his fists still clenched.
"Are you really that stupid?" he shouted, his voice filled with anger and disappointment. "You dared to kidnap Jinny? And then what? Look at what you've done!"
Ran remained silent.
"She's in the emergency room because of your foolishness!" Raon continued. "Do you even understand how serious this is?"
Tears streamed down Ran's face as he clenched his fists tightly.
He knew his father was right.
It was all his fault.
He was the one to blame.
"I-I'm sorry..." he whispered.
"Sorry?" Raon repeated bitterly. "Now you're sorry?"
His anger slowly gave way to frustration and exhaustion.
"Don't you have any idea what the consequences of your actions could have been?" he asked. "Do you think your mother and Uncle Mikhail will simply forgive you after what you've done?"
Ran lowered his head.
"I know..." His voice trembled. "It's all my fault. I became selfish."
He wiped his tears with the back of his hand, but they continued to fall.
"But, Dad..." he continued, his voice breaking. "I only did those things because I love her so much. I was afraid of losing her. I just wanted to stop the wedding... I didn't know things would get this bad."
Raon's expression softened.
For a moment, he simply stared at his son.
Then he let out a long, weary sigh.
"I don't know what to say anymore, son."
The anger in his voice had disappeared, replaced by exhaustion and sorrow.
"I tried my best to become a good father to you..." Raon said quietly. "But maybe somewhere along the way, I failed."
Ran looked at him through tear-filled eyes.
"I'm sorry, Dad..."
Raon stepped closer and pulled his son into a hug.
Ran immediately broke down, burying his face against his father's shoulder.
Raon gently held him, despite the anger and disappointment he felt.
After a moment, he pulled away and placed a hand on Ran's shoulder.
"You should apologize to the entire family," he said firmly. "Not just to me."
Ran nodded silently.
Raon then glanced at Rin.
"Rin, bring your brother back inside the hospital. His wounds need to be treated too."
Rin immediately nodded.
"Yes, Dad," he quickly approached Ran and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, brother."
Ran followed him quietly.
Raon watched his sons before taking a deep breath.
He then walked back inside as well.
His wife had been crying ever since Ran and Jinny left. He needed to check on her.
But deep inside, Raon knew there was something else he needed to do.
He needed to apologize.
Not only for Ran's actions, but also for himself.
He had failed to be the father he wanted to be.
And he knew he had disappointed his wife.
Tonight, there were many things that needed to be fixed.
.
.
.
Ran stood before his family with his head bowed low.
No one spoke for several seconds.
His brothers were still in disbelief. Some rubbed their temples in frustration, others sighed heavily, while a few covered their faces with their hands. The rest simply shook their heads, unable to believe what Ran had done.
His uncles weren't any different.
They were disappointed in him.
They all loved the same woman once. They had all experienced jealousy, desperation, and the fear of losing the person they loved. But none of them had ever stooped so low as to kidnap Kaye or become so consumed by their own desires that they were willing to put her life in danger.
Well... Timothy had done something similar in the past.
But he had changed.
And perhaps more than anyone else in the room, Timothy understood exactly what Ran was going through. He had once allowed his love and selfishness to cloud his judgment too.
Still, understanding Ran didn't mean he could excuse what he had done.
Suddenly, Matias stepped forward.
Before anyone could stop him—
BAM!
His fist struck Ran hard across the face.
Ran stumbled backward, but Matias immediately grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer. Anger burned fiercely in his eyes.
"How dare you kidnap my fiancée!" Matias growled.
Ran remained silent.
"Because of you, she's lying in that hospital bed unconscious!" Matias continued, his grip tightening around Ran's collar. "Because of your madness, she almost died!"
Ran's eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry..." was all he could say.
Matias stared at him for a long moment before finally shoving him away.
"You're a loser and a jerk," he said coldly. "Don't you dare get near her again."
Ran swallowed hard.
He lowered his gaze and nodded. "Yes..."
He took a deep breath before bowing deeply once again to his family.
"I'm truly sorry."
The anger in the room slowly faded into silence.
Then Kaye stood up.
Despite everything that had happened, she couldn't bear to see her son suffering alone.
She walked toward him and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Ran..." she whispered.
Ran froze in his mother's arms.
"Please don't ever do something like this again," Kaye said, tears falling from her eyes. "I don't want to lose both of you..."
Her voice trembled.
"I almost lost Jinny today... I don't want to lose you too."
Those words shattered the last bit of strength Ran had left.
He broke down in his mother's arms, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
"I'm sorry, Mom..." he sobbed. "I'm truly sorry."
Kaye held him tighter, silently crying with him.
For the first time that night, Ran finally understood the weight of what he had done.
He hadn't only risked losing Jinny.
He had nearly torn his entire family apart.
.
.
.
After the confrontation with his family, Ran quietly made his way to Jinny's hospital room.
She was still unconscious.
The room was quiet, except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor beside her bed.
Ran approached slowly, carrying a small bouquet of flowers in his hands. He placed them carefully on the side table before pulling a chair closer to her bed.
For a long moment, he simply stared at her.
Her face looked peaceful despite the bruises and bandages covering her body.
Ran reached for her hand and gently held it between his.
The moment he felt her warmth, tears began to fall from his eyes.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered.
His voice trembled.
"I'm so sorry, Jin."
He lowered his head, his tears falling onto the back of her hand.
"Because of me, you're lying here. I became selfish. I let my feelings control me, and I didn't think about what could happen to you."
His grip on her hand tightened slightly.
"If only I hadn't done those things... you wouldn't be here right now."
He took a shaky breath.
"I regret everything."
Slowly, Ran lifted her hand and pressed it against his cheek.
"Please wake up now, Jin..." he whispered desperately. "Please."
His tears continued to fall.
"I promise I won't bother you anymore. I'll stay away from you from now on."
His voice broke.
"I'll let you marry Matias. I'll let you be happy with him."
He closed his eyes and leaned his cheek against her hand.
"So please..." he whispered. "Wake up."
For several minutes, Ran remained there, holding her hand and silently crying.
Slowly, he released her hand.
He stood from the chair and gave her one last look before forcing himself to turn away.
Ran walked out of the room and left the hospital.
Inside his car, Ran sat silently behind the wheel.
His eyes were still swollen from crying.
He started the engine and drove away from the hospital.
After a few minutes, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.
When the call connected, his voice was calm, but there was pain hidden beneath it.
"Book me a flight for tomorrow night."
He ended the call.
Ran stared through the windshield as the city lights blurred before his tear-filled eyes.
He wouldn't wait for Jinny to wake up.
He was afraid that the first thing he would see in her eyes would be hatred.
He wasn't sure he could bear it.
So before that could happen, he decided to leave.
And perhaps it was better that way.
If leaving was the only way to give her peace, then he would leave.
From now on, he would keep his distance.
He would let Jinny live the life she wanted.
He would let her marry Matias.
And most importantly, he would let her be happy.
Even if that happiness no longer included him.
Ran sighed as a final tear slipped down his cheek.
"Goodbye, Jin..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"I hope you can forgive me."