LOGIN[Damon]
“What do you mean you can’t hand over my brother’s body?” I ask, furious.
The organizer of the event merely lowers his gaze to his tablet, taps it a few times, and turns the screen toward me.
“Mr. Nolan Blackwood and the members of the Dark Knights signed a legally binding agreement prior to participating in the trial. Under the
[Griffin]“Things at the Magnus Estate are heating up rather quickly, sir,” Liam informs me. “Just like you predicted, your father has allied with two of your uncles. They plan to challenge your position as the heir.”“They can try,” I say, finishing my drink in one go. “You just make sure the evidence we prepared is safe and no one gets wind of it. This time, I plan to crush them for good.”“Yes, sir.”After Liam leaves, I grab my coat and take the elevator to the private floor. When I reach Cora and Vera’s room, Elara is already pacing outside, her phone pressed to her ear, a serious expression on her face.By the time I’m standing right behind her, she’s done with the call and disconnects. When she turns to head back inside, she bumps into me instead.“What the—” She looks up, scowling in pain. “Oh. You.”“Yup. Who was on the phone?”“Our lawyer. He said Damon had a mental breakdown outside the courthouse after I left. The police took him to the hospital, where doctors diag
3 Days Later [Damon] “What the hell, Harrison? You assured me everything would go smoothly. So what the hell was that? My application was rejected in less than five minutes. The judge barely gave me a chance to speak!” “I told you from the beginning that your chances would be significantly better if your wife didn’t object. Instead, she not only objected, but presented evidence that you interfered with your daughters’ medical care and made last-minute decisions that potentially put their lives at risk. The court isn’t going to overlook something that serious when deciding whether restoring your parental rights is in their best interests.” “Dammit!” I run a hand through my hair and pace a few steps, frustration simmering beneath my skin. But then I catch sight of Elara walking out with the same brunette from the hospital. I don’t care about that right now. I stride toward her, desperate for answers. “What the hell, Elara? I thought we were on the same page. I thought you—”
If I’m being honest with myself, then yes, I have an enormous amount of problems with that.But instead of saying all that, I keep my mouth shut and nod slowly.I return the file to him, almost with a bored expression. “Do whatever you want, Damon. I’m not your mother who wants to know about everything that’s happening in your life.”My words must have sounded harsh. Why else would he frown and look at me like I have struck some kind of nerve? Though, surprisingly, he doesn’t chase that conversation and moves his attention to Cora and Vera’s sleeping forms.He walks up to Cora’s bed first, reaching for her tiny, limp hand but thinking better of it. Pulling his hand back, he sighs.“Daddy’s gonna make this right, okay? No matter how, but I will.” He adjusts the blanket over her and does the same with Vera’s blanket.From the corner of my eye, I catch Nora rolling her eyes and pretending to barf.I barely hold back a smile.When Damon finally returns, he looks more determined th
[Elara]For some reason, I’m not all that surprised.I mean, I AM surprised. To know that Dr Benevolent has been around me for so long and I didn’t even know. But surely not because Griffin turned out to be him. In fact, now that I think about it, it kind of makes sense. Griffin has always been obsessed with being low-key about his identity. I can even count on my fingertips the number of people who actually know him by his real name. When I met him for the first time, I used to think Damon was one who invited Griffin—a specialist—for Cora.But that wasn’t the case. Griffin had come completely out of nowhere. And didn’t Dr Wilson called me fortunate to have someone like Griffin treating Cora? Thinking back, maybe Dr Wilson always knew what Griffin secret identity was. Maybe he was the one who brought him on Cora’s case as well. “Still here?” Mom’s sweet, gentle voice pulls me out of my stupor. I shake my head and give her a bright smile. “Yes. Sorry. I got into my own head.
[Elara]When Cora and Vera are finally shifted to the private room, I’m the first person to visit them.“My babies.” I kiss their foreheads one by one, tears running down my face. “Mommy missed you so much. Are you both feeling okay? Anything uncomfortable? Let Mommy know right away.”“I’m fine, Mommy,” Cora says sluggishly, her eyes barely open, though a soft frown is tugged at the corner of her mouth. “But why’s Vera here? Is she sick too?”I’m about to explain the whole thing when Vera beats me to it.“I’m fine. You should rest.”“But what happened to you?” Cora insists on knowing.But I can see Vera’s face. She seems uncomfortable sharing the truth right now.“She got a little cold, that’s all,” I say and watch as Cora slowly blinks. “Sometimes it gets colder than necessary.”Vera gives me a small understanding nod before closing her eyes and going back to sleep, just like Cora.Only an hour has passed when Griffin finally arrives.The moment he enters through the door, I launch o
[Elara]The surgery goes on for nine long hours.However, when the doors of the OR finally open, my heart nearly leaps out of my throat.I rise from my chair faster than I have ever moved, blocking the path of the nurse who just came out.“How’s Cora?” I ask, unable to help myself. It feels like if I have to wait even a second longer to know how the surgery went, my chest will explode.The nurse looks at me, half of her face covered by the surgical mask. “I think…I think you should wait for the doctors to give you that information.”“I just want to know if the surgery was successful or not.”She looks around, as if hoping to avoid the question. “I…I think you should really wait for the doctors. They would be able to explain everything far better than I can.” She steps back and almost runs down the hallway.“Just tell me if my daughters—” I’m shouting behind her back when someone grabs my arm and yanks me around.Damon comes into view, looking angry as hell.“Are you happy now?” he roa
For a full two minutes, I sit frozen in my seat.“Damon? Damon? Can you hear me? Damon!”I jerk awake, blinking too hard—too fast—trying to make sure this is real. I look around, searching for even the smallest hint that this is nothing but a nightmare.But the moment my eyes land on Hannah, my hea
“Elara has always been patient with you,” Grandma says, sighing heavily. “But you, on the other hand, never gave her the time of your life. Even when she was pregnant, you never cared. In fact, you blamed her for taking advantage of you. But have you ever stopped to wonder why she would want to hav
He turns to Damon. “I’m sorry, son, for not raising my daughter properly. This is… this is all my fault.” He pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head. “Elara has always been money-minded. She pretends she doesn’t care, but money is the only thing she’s ever cared about. Even as a child, s
[Damon]I watch Elara leave with Cora.When I try to follow her, wanting to stop her and explain myself, Hannah holds my arm, pulling me back.“Where are you going?” she says, while my eyes stay glued to Elara’s back. “We still need to attend Danny’s PTM. Remember?”That, we do. I did make a promis







