Chapter 119 – "Life After Section E"
Manila, Philippines
Three months later.
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Nobody warned them.
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Nobody.
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Because apparently adulthood arrived with bills, deadlines, responsibilities, and the shocking realization that professors had been easier to deal with than actual clients.
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Section E had officially entered real life.
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And real life was rude.
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Very rude.
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CIN
St. Peralta's Medical Center
Dr. Cin Peralta was learning that medicine was suffering.
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Pure suffering.
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Twenty-four-hour shifts.
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Emergency cases.
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Consultants yelling.
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Patients yelling.
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Nurses yelling.
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Everyone yelling.
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Cin
At 3:17 AM—
he stared at his coffee.
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The coffee stared back.
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Neither trusted each other.
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His phone buzzed.
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Section E Group Chat.
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JJ:
Good morning ☀️
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Cin:
It's 3 AM.
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JJ:
Positivity.
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Cin:
Blocked.
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EDRIX & RORY
Meanwhile—
the hacker of chaos were thriving.
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Unfortunately.
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Tech Division
Edrix was already becoming infamous.
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Not because he hacked things.
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Because he hacked things legally.
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Mostly.
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Rory
Sat beside him.
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Eating chips.
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Contributing absolutely nothing.
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Rory
"I think there's a bug."
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Edrix
"Where?"
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Rory
"I don't know."
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"Find it."
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Edrix
"I hate you."
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Rory
"Love you too."
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DAVID
David had joined the family business.
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Which sounded impressive.
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Until reality appeared.
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Reality
Meetings.
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More meetings.
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Even more meetings.
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Meetings about future meetings.
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David
One day he called JJ.
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"Please save me."
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JJ
"Why?"
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"I've attended seventeen meetings today."
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Silence.
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JJ
"That's actually a crime."
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ARIES
Fernandez Corporation
Aries had officially joined Angelo.
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A decision he regretted hourly.
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Angelo
The legendary businessman.
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The terrifying businessman.
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The businessman who somehow never slept.
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Aries
"Kuya Angelo."
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"Yes?"
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"Have you eaten?"
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"No."
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"Have you slept?"
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"No."
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"Have you—"
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"No."
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Aries immediately developed stress.
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Meanwhile
Ella worked nearby.
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Managing campaigns.
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Branding.
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Design concepts.
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Keeping Aries sane.
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An impossible task.
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KEIREN & KEIGAN
At home—
the younger Watson brothers were flourishing.
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And causing chaos.
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Tita Gemma
Had somehow become commander of the household.
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Again.
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Keiren
Now in high school.
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Still dramatic.
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Keigan
Preparing for university.
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Still somehow the more mature one.
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FREYA
Fashion Industry
Freya had entered the world exactly where she belonged.
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Fashion.
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Luxury.
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Beauty.
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Judging other people's outfits.
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Professionally.
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FREYA
"This collection lacks emotion."
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The designer cried.
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Freya considered it constructive criticism.
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ELLA
Thriving.
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Creating.
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Designing.
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Living her dream.
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RAKHI
Precise.
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Elegant.
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Disciplined.
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The only functional person in her department.
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MICA
Already producing concepts years ahead of trends.
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Terrifying everyone.
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GRACE
Balancing work.
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Marriage.
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Motherhood.
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And somehow doing all three successfully.
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Nobody understood how.
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Not even Grace.
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GRAZEL JAY
Age: 6.
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Occupation: Menace.
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Still unstoppable.
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Architecture Division
Felix
Denzel
Calix
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Three architects.
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Three disasters.
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Felix
Had already lost building plans twice.
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Denzel
Had already fixed Felix's mistakes twice.
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Calix
Had already questioned his career choices twice.
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Every day.
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EMAN
Meanwhile—
Eman was chasing a completely different dream.
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Food.
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Cooking.
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Restaurants.
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Flavor.
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Passion.
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Kitchen
Eman stood before a stove.
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Sweating.
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Focused.
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Happy.
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For the first time in years.
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Because this dream belonged entirely to him.
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JAPAN
Tokyo
One chair sat at the head of a massive boardroom.
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And in that chair—
sat Yuri.
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Hanamitchi Corporation
The company his family had built.
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The company waiting for its next leader.
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The company currently tearing itself apart.
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The Conflict
Board members.
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Investors.
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Executives.
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Everyone wanted influence.
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Everyone wanted control.
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Everyone had opinions.
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Yuri
Already had a headache.
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Executive
"We disagree."
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Another Executive
"We strongly disagree."
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Another
"We oppose this."
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Yuri
Slowly looked around the room.
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Then smiled.
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A dangerous smile.
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The smile Section E knew very well.
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Yuri
"Wonderful."
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The room froze.
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Yuri
"Now that everyone has finished disagreeing..."
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Silence.
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Yuri
"Let me explain why you're wrong."
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The board meeting immediately became a battlefield.
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Elsewhere
Across countries.
Across time zones.
Across careers.
Across oceans.
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Section E was no longer together.
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Not physically.
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Yet somehow—
every group chat remained active.
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Every video call lasted hours.
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Every celebration was shared.
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Every problem became everyone's problem.
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Because some bonds survived distance.
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Some bonds survived adulthood.
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Some bonds survived everything.
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And Section E?
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They had never really learned how to let each other go.
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Which was probably a good thing.
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Because somewhere far away—
fate was already preparing their next storm.
🖤🌏✨📱🎓👨👩👧👦
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New York City
Meanwhile—
on the other side of the world—
chaos was alive and well.
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Because JJ Mariano existed.
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And unfortunately for everyone around her—
she was unsupervised.
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The Problem
Officially—
JJ was in New York for Mariano inheritance matters.
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Officially.
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Reality?
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She was creating problems.
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Daily.
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Percy
Had become her babysitter.
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Against his will.
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Percy
"Don't touch that."
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JJ touched it.
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"JJ."
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"What?"
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"You touched it."
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"I was testing your prediction skills."
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Percy briefly considered disappearing.
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Meanwhile
Keifer had work.
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Actual work.
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Important work.
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CEO work.
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Yet somehow—
his fiancée still occupied 90% of his brain.
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C2W Headquarters
Keifer entered one morning.
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Coffee in hand.
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Sanity missing.
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And immediately found Cole.
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Working.
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Again.
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Keifer
"When do you sleep?"
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Cole
"When people stop causing problems."
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Keifer
"So never."
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Cole
"Exactly."
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The Secret
For weeks now—
JJ remained completely unaware.
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Of several things.
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Secret #1
Her headquarters.
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Secret #2
The graduation gift.
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Secret #3
The full form of C2W.
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And honestly?
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Secret #3 was the dangerous one.
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The Discovery
It happened accidentally.
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Of course.
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Because JJ never discovered things normally.
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One Afternoon
JJ stormed into C2W headquarters.
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Looking for Keifer.
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And causing emotional damage to three receptionists.
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Receptionist
"Ma'am, do you have an appointment?"
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JJ
"No."
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"Then—"
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"I'm family."
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The receptionist immediately surrendered.
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Upstairs
JJ eventually found herself wandering.
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Very much not allowed.
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Very much doing it anyway.
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Then
She entered a corridor.
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Turned a corner.
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And stopped.
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The Wall
A giant silver company emblem.
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Massive.
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Elegant.
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Impossible to miss.
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And underneath—
the company name.
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Not initials.
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The full name.
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CARE & COLE WATSON
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Silence
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JJ
"..."
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JJ
"..."
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JJ
"..."
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The single brain cell left the building.
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Processing
She read it again.
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CARE & COLE WATSON
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Again.
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CARE & COLE WATSON
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Again.
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CARE & COLE WATSON
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JJ
The scream echoed across three floors.
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Elsewhere
Inside the CEO cabin—
Cole froze.
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Keifer
Immediately started laughing.
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Cole
"No."
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Keifer
"Oh yes."
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Cole
"No."
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Keifer
"She found it."
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Cole
"No."
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Keifer
"She found it."
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The Door
BOOM.
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The cabin door opened.
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Violently.
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JJ
Standing there.
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Holding photographic evidence.
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JJ
"EXPLAIN."
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Cole
"No."
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JJ
"EXPLAIN."
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Cole
"No."
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JJ
"YOU NAMED A MULTINATIONAL COMPANY AFTER CARE."
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The entire executive floor became interested.
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Very interested.
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Cole
Looked at Keifer.
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Keifer
Already dying.
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Actually dying.
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JJ
"YOU ARE DOWN HORRENDOUS."
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Cole
"Leave."
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JJ
"NO."
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Cole
"Please."
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JJ
"NO."
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Keifer
Laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.
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JJ
"WAIT."
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A horrifying realization appeared.
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JJ
"DOES CARE KNOW?"
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Cole
"No."
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JJ
The grin appeared.
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The dangerous one.
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The Mariano grin.
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The one that ended lives.
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Cole
Immediately noticed.
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Cole
"No."
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JJ
"Oh yes."
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Cole
"No."
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JJ
"Oh yes."
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Cole
"Jasper Jean Mariano."
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JJ
"Care is getting screenshots."
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Cole
"Don't."
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JJ
"I'm going to."
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Cole
"Don't."
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JJ
"I'm absolutely going to."
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Keifer
At this point—
he wasn't helping.
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Not even slightly.
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The Future
Somewhere in Bengaluru—
Care was peacefully living her life.
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Completely unaware.
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Completely innocent.
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Completely doomed.
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Because JJ Mariano had discovered information.
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And JJ Mariano had WiFi.
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A combination feared by governments.
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As JJ walked out triumphantly—
phone already in hand—
Cole leaned back in his chair.
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Defeated.
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Utterly defeated.
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Keifer
Still laughing.
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"Imagine explaining this to Care."
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Cole
Without looking up:
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"I could replace you as CEO."
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Keifer
"Fair."
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A pause.
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Then he grinned.
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"You still named a company after her."
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Cole
"..."
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Keifer
"..."
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Cole
"Get out."
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And for the first time in New York—
the mighty founder of C2W realized something terrifying.
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He could negotiate billion-dollar deals.
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Manage global corporations.
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Defeat powerful enemies.
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Control entire industries.
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But he could not survive one Jasper Jean Mariano with gossip.
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Nobody could.
🖤😂🏙️📱✨
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Bengaluru
Trinity Hospital
The day began at 6:00 AM.
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And for Dr. Care Patel—
it never really ended.
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Because some days in medicine were ordinary.
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And some days demanded everything.
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Today demanded everything.
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The Case
A young mother.
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Complicated condition.
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Critical.
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Unstable.
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And getting worse.
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Fast.
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The operating room had become a battlefield.
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Machines.
Monitors.
Surgeons.
Nurses.
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Everyone fighting.
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Everyone trying.
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Everyone refusing to give up.
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Hour 1
Care led the surgery.
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Focused.
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Sharp.
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Calm.
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Hour 5
Rhys arrived.
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Took over briefly.
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Argued with Care about hydration.
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Lost.
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As usual.
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Hour 9
Lyra came.
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Checked the patient.
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Checked Care.
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Immediately noticed Care hadn't eaten.
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Again.
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Lyra
"You need food."
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Care
"No."
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Lyra
"Care."
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Care
"No."
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Lyra
Sighed.
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Left.
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Returned with coffee anyway.
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Hour 14
Aera arrived.
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Hair messy.
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Still half exhausted from her own shift.
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Aera
"You look terrible."
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Care
"You too."
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Aera
"Fair."
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Then both continued working.
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Hour 18
The entire surgical team looked exhausted.
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But Care remained there.
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Still fighting.
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Still refusing to leave.
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Because somebody's life was on that table.
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And she wasn't ready to surrender.
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Hour 22
Silence filled the operating room.
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A different kind of silence.
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The kind every doctor hated.
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The kind every surgeon remembered forever.
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Despite everything.
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Despite every attempt.
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Despite every decision.
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Despite every effort.
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They couldn't save her.
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Afterwards
Nobody spoke.
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Not immediately.
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Because there were no words.
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Only exhaustion.
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Only disappointment.
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Only grief.
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Care
Removed her gloves slowly.
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Mechanically.
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Like her body was moving but her mind wasn't.
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Outside
The family had been waiting.
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Praying.
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Hoping.
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Begging fate for a miracle.
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And miracles didn't come.
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The Grief
When the news arrived—
their world shattered.
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The pain was immediate.
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Raw.
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Unfair.
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And grief needed somewhere to go.
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The Blame
The accusations came quickly.
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Emotional.
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Desperate.
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Born from heartbreak.
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Family Member
"You were supposed to save her."
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Another
"You said you would try."
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Another
"Why didn't you save her?"
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Each word struck harder than it should have.
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Because part of Care was already asking herself the same questions.
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Later
The shift finally ended.
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The hospital became smaller behind her.
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The city lights blurred.
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And for the first time all day—
she felt tired.
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Not physically.
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Emotionally.
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Mansion
The front door opened quietly.
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No chaos.
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No laughter.
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No noise.
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Just Care.
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And Lyra.
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Because Lyra took one look at her.
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And immediately knew.
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The Silence
Care didn't say anything.
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Not at first.
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She simply stood there.
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Trying.
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Trying very hard.
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To remain okay.
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Then
She wasn't.
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And suddenly—
she was crying.
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The kind of crying that comes after holding everything together too long.
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The kind that appears when nobody is watching.
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The kind that hurts.
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Lyra
Immediately wrapped her arms around her.
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Without questions.
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Without advice.
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Without explanations.
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Just there.
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The same way she had been years ago.
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In university.
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During exams.
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During breakdowns.
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During impossible nights.
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Always there.
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Care
"I did everything."
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Her voice broke.
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"I did everything right."
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Lyra held her tighter.
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"I know."
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Care
"Twenty-two hours."
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Tears fell again.
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"I didn't stop."
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"I didn't leave."
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"I tried everything."
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Lyra
"I know."
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And she did.
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Because she had been there.
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Because she had watched.
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Because she knew exactly how hard Care fought.
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Night
Hours passed.
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Eventually the tears slowed.
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Eventually the pain became quieter.
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Not gone.
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Just quieter.
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Then
Care's phone vibrated.
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A familiar name appeared.
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Cole
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For a moment—
she just stared.
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Lyra
Noticed.
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Immediately.
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And smiled softly.
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Care
"Lyra—"
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Lyra
"I'm leaving."
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Care
"What?"
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Lyra
"You need privacy."
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Care
"No I don't."
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Lyra
"You absolutely do."
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Then she walked away.
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Ignoring all protests.
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The Call
Care answered.
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Silence.
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Neither spoke immediately.
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Thousands of miles separated them.
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Yet somehow—
Cole noticed.
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Immediately.
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Cole
"Bad day."
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Not a question.
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A statement.
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Care
Silence.
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Cole
"How bad?"
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More silence.
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Then
A quiet answer.
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"I lost her."
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The words hurt.
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Even saying them hurt.
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Cole
Understood instantly.
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Because he knew her.
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Because he knew her silences.
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The same way she knew his.
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Care
"The family blamed me."
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A pause.
---
"And maybe they're right."
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Cole
"No."
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Immediate.
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Certain.
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Care
"You don't know that."
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Cole
"I do."
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Care
"How?"
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Cole
"Because I know you."
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Silence returned.
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His Voice
Calm.
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Steady.
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The kind of voice that made storms feel smaller.
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Cole
"If there was a way to save her..."
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A pause.
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"You would've found it."
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Care
Closed her eyes.
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Because part of her needed to hear that.
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Cole
"You stayed twenty-two hours."
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"You fought."
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"You gave everything."
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Another pause.
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"The outcome doesn't erase the effort."
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Care
Tears threatened again.
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Not because he fixed anything.
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Because he understood.
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Cole
"You know what's funny?"
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Care
"What?"
---
Cole
"You're angry at yourself for caring too much."
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A small laugh escaped her.
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Broken.
---
But real.
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Cole
"And somehow that's the most Care Patel thing I've ever heard."
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For the first time that night—
a tiny smile appeared.
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Tiny.
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But there.
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They talked for another hour.
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About nothing.
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About everything.
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About work.
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About New York.
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About life.
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Until eventually the heaviness became lighter.
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Not gone.
---
Just lighter.
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And when the call finally ended—
Care sat quietly in the dark.
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A little less alone.
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Because sometimes people couldn't fix your pain.
---
Sometimes they couldn't change what happened.
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But they could stay.
---
And tonight—
that was enough.
🖤📞✨🏥🌙