"What are you two doing?" Langdon shouted in shock when the emergency room door suddenly burst open and he saw Hades and Casadin carrying Evadne's lifeless body. "Young Master... where are you taking Ms. Evadne?"
But neither of them answered. Both moved quickly, their faces pale, their eyes fixed on one goal. They walked straight past him and into the elevator.
No one dared to stop them... after all, they were the heirs of the families who owned the hospital.
"Fuck!" Langdon cursed, sprinting toward another elevator.
Inside, Hades pressed the button for the seventh floor, where the physical therapy rooms were located. There was an indoor pool there used for hydrotherapy... and that's where they were heading. They were sure the place would be empty at this hour.
"Hades! Casadin!" Caspian's furious voice echoed down the hallway as he exited the other elevator minutes later, having been alerted by Langdon. He caught sight of them just as they slipped into the pool room.
"Lock the door!" Casadin ordered sharply.
Hades frowned but obeyed. "Why?"
"What if she transforms?" Casadin said quickly, already stepping into the water with Evadne in his arms.
Hades immediately locked the door and pulled the blinds over the glass panel so no one outside could see in.
The water was icy, but Casadin didn't care. No physical cold could compare to the freezing weight in his chest at the thought of losing her. He moved deeper into the pool until the water reached his neck, Evadne's body floating just beneath the surface, her face tilted upward.
"You need to fully submerge her," Hades said from the edge of the pool, voice trembling but determined. "All of her."
Casadin nodded and, supporting her carefully, lowered her completely under the water.
"Casadin! Hades! Open this fucking door!" Caspian's voice thundered from outside, followed by the loud rattle of the handle. "What are you two doing?!"
"Nothing's happening," Casadin said breathlessly, panic creeping in. "What else did Nebyros and Lyxaria say? Maybe there's something else we have to do!"
"Casadin Sinclair! Hades Falcon! You open this fucking door right now, or I'll break it down!" Caspian's furious voice echoed through the corridor.
"Hades! Casadin! Open the door!" Jupiter's voice joined in from outside.
"What else, Hades?! What else do we need to do?!" Casadin shouted, desperation lacing every word.
Before Hades could answer, the door burst open with a violent crash. Caspian stood there, fury written all over his face, with Langdon, Jupiter, and Gideon right behind him, along with several bodyguards.
They all froze at the sight before them... Casadin waist-deep in the pool, holding Evadne's pale, lifeless body completely submerged in the water.
"Have you both gone mad?!" Jupiter roared, storming toward the pool.
"Sir, no!" Hades yelled, stepping in front of him and spreading his arms wide. "Please! Let them be... just give it time!"
"Give it time?!" Jupiter snapped, eyes blazing. "You're disrespecting her remains!"
"Casadin!" Caspian barked, marching forward. Casadin instinctively moved to the far corner of the pool, clutching Evadne tightly to his chest, keeping her body beneath the surface.
"Fucking... " Caspian began, but before he could finish, Hades blocked his path again.
"Just give it time, please! Caspian... please," Hades begged. His voice cracked under the weight of his plea.
If it were any other day, Caspian might have relented... Hades never begged. But this was different. What they were doing could be seen as desecration, a violation of Evadne's body. If the Monteverdes found out, it wouldn't just shatter their hearts... it would destroy their entire world.
"Get out of my way, Hades," Caspian said coldly.
"No!" Hades shouted, defiant for the first time in his life... especially toward Caspian and Jupiter.
Caspian's patience snapped. He punched Hades hard across the face, then kicked him in the stomach. The impact sent Hades tumbling backward into the pool.
"Hades!" Casadin shouted, but he couldn't go to him... not when Evadne needed to stay in the water. He had to keep her submerged, no matter what.
Caspian jumped into the pool, water splashing violently as he charged toward Casadin. But Hades, dazed and bleeding, forced himself upright and blocked him again, this time using every ounce of his strength to hold him back.
"Let go of me, Hades, or I swear to God... " Caspian snarled, struggling to push past him.
But Hades didn't budge.
Caspian punched him again, this time in the jaw. Blood poured from Hades' nose, but he refused to let go.
"Fucking hell!" Gideon shouted, jumping in as well. He grabbed Hades from behind, locking an arm around his throat to pull him off Caspian.
Langdon and the bodyguards stood frozen at the edge of the pool, unsure of what to do. None of them dared intervene. They couldn't lay a hand on the Falcon or Sinclair heirs... even if those two seemed to have completely lost their minds.
At that moment, the room was chaos.
Water splashed. Voices shouted.
And through it all, the desperate heartbeat of two young men trying to defy death itself filled the air.
"Motherfucker!" Gideon cursed when Hades bit him... hard... as he tried to pry him away from Caspian again.
Hades was like a wild animal, fighting tooth and nail. He kicked, punched, scratched, and bit... anything to stop anyone from getting close to Casadin and Evadne. His face was a bloody mess, his nose and lips split open, blood mixing with the pool water, but he refused to let go.
"Dad! Just give us time, please!" Casadin shouted, his voice shaking as he backed away from his father. He was still cradling Evadne in his arms, keeping her submerged beneath the cold water. "Princess, please wake up… you have to come back already… please… I beg you…"
His tears fell onto her pale face before dripping into the rippling pool.
"No!" Hades screamed when Caspian tried to push past him again, and in pure desperation, he bit Caspian's shoulder.
"Fucking shit!" Caspian shouted in pain while Gideon lunged forward again, trying to pull Hades off... but he was like a rabid dog who would rather die than let go.
"Gideon, knock him out now!" Jupiter barked. His voice was filled with panic... Evadne's body had been underwater for too long, and he feared the damage might already be irreversible.
"Don't blame me, old man," Gideon muttered darkly. He raised his hand, ready to strike Hades at the base of his neck to knock him out...
...when a sudden gasp echoed across the room.
"Princess!" Casadin cried.
Evadne had gasped for air, her eyes flying open for a brief second as she desperately sucked in breath... before going limp again in his arms.
Casadin caught her, trembling, staring down at her face in disbelief. Everyone froze.
"Princess?" he whispered uncertainly, his hand shaking as he gently caressed her face. He pressed his fingers under her nose... then turned toward his father, who was still being restrained by Hades.
"Dad… I think she's breathing."
"Let go, you bastard!" Caspian shouted, shoving Hades aside.
This time, Hades was too stunned to resist. He released him instantly.
Caspian rushed forward, wading into the pool. Casadin didn't move away this time... he couldn't. He was frozen, still holding Evadne close.
Caspian placed two fingers against the side of her neck, his eyes wide with disbelief. Then he looked at Jupiter.
"She has a pulse," Caspian said, his voice breaking, tears welling in his eyes. "It's faint... but it's there."
"Baby!" Hades pushed Gideon away and swam toward them, nearly slipping as he reached Evadne's side. He pressed his ear against her chest, desperate to hear what he hoped for.
"My God…" His breath hitched, and tears filled his eyes again... this time out of sheer joy. "Bro, she's alive!" he shouted, half-laughing, half-crying.
"Give her to me," Caspian said quickly, gently pushing both young men aside. He lifted Evadne from Casadin's arms and carried her out of the pool. "Call the doctors!" he ordered Langdon sharply.
"She's alive," Hades and Casadin said in unison, their voices breaking. Then they turned to each other... laughed through their tears... and hugged tightly. Their cries mixed with laughter, raw and unrestrained.
"Have them checked by the doctors too... and keep an eye on them before they completely lose it," Jupiter muttered to the bodyguards. There was frustration in his voice... but also relief, and something like pride.
He didn't know whether to be angry at Hades for defying them... fighting with everything he had, even bleeding and bruised... or proud of him for standing his ground, for believing in something when everyone else thought it was madness.
Jupiter just shook his head and followed Caspian out of the pool room, still hearing the wild, disbelieving laughter of the two young men echoing behind him.
The two bodyguards left behind jumped into the pool when Hades and Casadin, still laughing hysterically, lost balance and slipped back into the water.
They hauled the boys out, both half-choking with laughter and exhaustion, and carried them to the VIP emergency floor for examination.
Meanwhile, in a separate emergency room, Evadne was already being checked by the doctors after Caspian had carried her there himself.
"Casey... is it true?" Diana's tearful voice rang out as she ran to him, followed closely by Nissan and Romos, who had left Cielo's room the moment they heard the impossible news.
Romos had refused to wake his wife, who was still unconscious... he couldn't bear to shatter her again if it wasn't true.
"Yes, babe. Romos," Caspian said. He pulled Diana into his arms, then looked at Romos. "Vee is alive. The doctors are checking on her now... but it's real. She's alive."
Romos' knees gave out beneath him. Relief, disbelief, and gratitude all crashed into him at once.
A few moments later, the doctor stepped out of the room. Unlike earlier... when his face carried deep regret... this time there was something different in his expression. It was awe, disbelief… as if he had just witnessed a miracle.
"Doctor? My daughter?" Romos asked immediately, voice trembling.
"She's stable," the doctor replied with a soft smile. "We'll need to run a series of tests to make sure everything is truly fine, but for now, let me assure you... she's very much alive. All her vitals are normal and functioning properly."
"Doc… how did this happen?" Gideon asked, still drenched from head to toe like Caspian.
The doctor sighed and shook his head slowly. "I'm a man of science, but I've always believed in miracles. And Ms. Evadne… she is a miracle. That's all I can say for now. Once the test results are in, we may have an explanation... but for now, what matters is that she's alive. She doesn't need to stay in the ICU, but she'll remain here under observation for an indefinite period until we're certain she's completely stable."
At that moment, the emergency room doors opened again... and everyone turned.
Evadne was being rolled out on a stretcher. Her face was still pale, her lashes fluttering faintly... but she was breathing. They could all see it.
"Honey, what on earth happened? Why are you and Caspian soaking wet?" Nissan asked her husband, her voice a mix of confusion and disbelief.
Gideon groaned, rubbing his face. "Hon, don't ask. Because honestly, if I hadn't been there myself, I wouldn't have believed it either." He shook his head as if still trying to process what he'd witnessed. "Casadin and Hades took Vee to the indoor therapy pool. They submerged her completely in the water. Hades went absolutely rabid... he bit and fought both me and Caspian when we tried to pull her out. And then… she just breathed."
Diana, Nissan, and Romos all stared at them, stunned into silence.
"Babe?" Diana asked, turning to her husband in disbelief.
"Yup," Caspian said with a half-laugh, holding up both hands. "It's true, babe. Look what that boy Hades did to me." He pointed at the bite mark on his shoulder with a mix of pain and amusement. "I honestly don't know whether to get angry or to be proud. He fought like hell. I'm not even sure what kind of voodoo those two were thinking, but I really believe what they did brought Vee back. They were so sure it would work... pleading, fighting, begging us to give them more time to keep her submerged."
"Where are they now?" Romos asked, looking around when he realized neither of the boys was there. Evadne was alive, surely they would've been by her side.
"They're in another emergency room," Caspian said. "As Gideon mentioned, Hades really turned feral. I had no choice but to throw a few punches to stop him. Uncle Jupiter's with them now." He leaned close to Diana and muttered under his breath, "And I think they both need to see a psychiatrist. We left them in the pool earlier laughing like maniacs."
Diana snorted softly, shaking her head. "Well, Casadin is our son. His insanity is a given. I'm more worried about Hades. I hope you didn't punch him too hard."
Everyone chuckled lightly, the tension breaking just a little... until Romos suddenly started walking away.
"Uncle?" Diana called, but he didn't stop.
He headed straight to the other wing, where Hades and Casadin were being treated, and everyone quickly followed.
It was a non-critical emergency room... open for family entry... and when they stepped inside, the sight that greeted them left them speechless.
Both young men had changed into hospital gowns. Casadin was seated on one bed, drinking something warm under the nurse's orders to raise his body temperature after being soaked in freezing water. Hades, on the other hand, looked like he had just walked out of a brawl with death itself... bruised, bloodied, and swollen. His lip was split, one eye was puffed and dark, and his nose looked slightly crooked.
Diana's mouth fell open as she turned to her husband. "Caspian!"
"Look," Caspian said defensively, both hands raised in mock surrender. "I can't be held responsible. I was acting in self-defense!"
"You do remember he's just nineteen, right?" Diana said incredulously. "And you can knock out an elephant with one punch! You should've held back!"
"I did hold back," Caspian argued. "If I hadn't, Hades would still be unconscious until next year. And you can't blame me... that old man Jupiter told Gideon to knock the brat out because he was about to bite a chunk out of my shoulder!"
That earned a round of laughter from everyone in the room... including Romos, who was still teary-eyed but finally smiling again.
They walked farther in, surrounding the two young men... their unlikely heroes.
These boys had fought everyone, even their own fathers, to do something utterly insane…
And yet, because they refused to give up hope... when the adults already had... Evadne Monteverde was alive.
Their miracle.