Russell left quickly to get some medicine from the lab.
Philip stayed behind without moving.
"Philip, it was all my fault," Daniel said in a shaking voice. "I took Kane away to scare her. I caused the seizure. That gave Lone Wolf the chance to grab her. It was me. I said I’d make it up to her. I promised I’d treat her well. But I just ended up hurting her again..." He was so devastated while uttering these words.
"It’s all my fault!" he cried out loudly in a heartbreaking tone like a five-year-old child.
Philip had only seen Daniel once before. That was the day he thought Chantelle had died.
Daniel had grown up fighting against his ruthless uncles.
It made him cold and distant from everyone.
But five years ago, he stood on the rooftop of the Silver Crest Global District building, ready to join Chantelle in death.
If Railer hadn’t cried out just in time, Philip knew Daniel would’ve jumped.
Now, for the second time, Philip saw that same broken man in front of him. He gripped Daniel’s arms tightly, filled with worry.
"Daniel, you know I’m a good doctor. I promise I’ll do everything I can to help Chantelle get better," Philip said, trying to calm him. "She’s still alive. You still have time to make things right. Honestly, I think she still cares about you. And if something happened to you now, she’d be heartbroken too. You don’t want that, do you?"
Philip kept talking while checking Daniel’s pulse. It was fast—too fast. He was scared, but he didn’t show it. He couldn’t let anything happen to Daniel. Not now!
Then, he noticed something worse.
Daniel’s hand was growing cold. His eyes started to drift shut.
"Daniel, wake up! Don’t fall asleep!" Philip yelled. "Don’t you dare fall asleep on me!" He grabbed Daniel and shook him hard, but Daniel didn’t respond.
Russell ran into the room with a defibrillator from the lab. He moved fast, placing the paddles on Daniel’s chest and charging it.
A jolt shot through Daniel’s body as the current hit.
Every second after that felt endless. Then, finally—Daniel gasped and took in a deep breath.
Philip dropped to the floor, exhausted. The fear in him slowly faded.
"Philip, did you say... Chantelle would be upset if I died?" Daniel asked, as if nothing had just happened.
"Of course! My Chantelle is such a softie!" Philip said proudly, placing his hand on his chest. But the moment the words left his mouth, he knew he had messed up. He looked over and saw Daniel glaring at him.
"I mean... your Chantelle!" he corrected quickly.
Daniel finally relaxed and drifted off to sleep on the sofa.
Philip stood up and grabbed a blanket to cover him. Then, he returned to the computer and stared at the screen again. He had to find a cure for Chantelle. If he didn’t, Daniel wouldn’t survive either.
But the drug in her blood was strange. He had never seen anything like it. After making sure Daniel was sleeping soundly, Philip headed to the lab to run another test.
While waiting for the results, he felt the need to talk to someone—anything to ease the pressure building inside him. He sat down by the lab door and pulled out his phone.
He texted his "Little Brother."
"Kane, do you think Daniel has feelings for your mother?" Philip typed.
"Based on my observation, most likely. But my douchebag dad has a long history, so we’ll have to wait and see." Kane replied.
"Do you know your father almost fainted just now because he was too worried about your mother?" Philip texted.
"What? Douchebag dad fainted? Where is he?" Kane replied in a panic.
He had planned to head up to find Philip and Russell earlier, but Philip’s sudden message made him freeze. He was still sitting on a bench outside Chantelle’s room, and now a wave of worry rushed over him.
"It happened in my office! I even have photos!" Russell suddenly joined their conversation, sending two pictures he had secretly snapped of Daniel.
In the photos, Daniel looked pale and exhausted, lying weakly on the sofa.
"Is Daddy okay?" Kane quickly texted back, and his heart pounded nervously.
"He’s fine, don’t worry," Russell answered. "But Kane, what do you think of Daniel now? Do you... like him?"
"Of course! He’s my Daddy! My Mommy’s hero!" Kane replied instantly.
He stuffed his phone in his pocket and took off toward the elevator.
Moments later, he was standing outside Russell’s office on the top floor.
Daniel was alone in Russell’s office. Kane ran over to him, worry all over his face. He had never seen his dad look so pale and weak before.
Thinking Daniel was in pain, he reached out and gently smoothed the lines on his forehead with his small hands.
Daniel looked like he was asleep, but his lips were moving. Kane leaned in closer to hear him.
"Chantelle... it’s all... my fault... can you forgive me...?" Daniel mumbled in his sleep.
Did Dad do something wrong to Mom again? Kane wondered.
But seeing Daniel sick and alone made him feel sorry for him. Even in his sleep, he was still asking for forgiveness. That touched Kane’s heart deeply.
He pulled out his phone, turned on the camera, and started filming. Using his editing skills, he created a short video.
In it, Daniel looked like he was crying and asking Chantelle to forgive him. When he was done, Kane saved the video and sent it to his mom on Instagram.
Then, he put his phone away and gently pulled the blanket back over Daniel’s body. He climbed onto the sofa and squeezed into the space beside his dad, hoping to warm him up since he felt so cold.
Daniel was trapped in a nightmare. In his dream, he was losing Chantelle, his kids, and everything that mattered to him. He felt like he was drowning in a cold, dark place where no one forgave him.
As the icy despair pulled him deeper, he suddenly felt warmth on his chest and heard a tiny voice calling him out.
"Daddy! Daddy, wake up!" The voice became louder, pulling him out of the darkness.
He jolted awake and breathed hard, only to find Kane beside him on the sofa.
Slowly, the color returned to his face as he realized it was all just a dream.