• playlist- Photograph by Ed Sheeran.• New York, 4:05pmThe words hung in the air, a raw, terrifying truth. "The baby... it might still be in danger. Your body has been through too much."Hades's voice was a whisper, filled with a desperate fear that tore through the fragile peace they had just found. The high of their confessions, the raw relief of the truth, was instantly replaced by a cold wave of dread.He pulled back, his hands cupping her face, his eyes searching hers, a look of profound, heart-wrenching terror in them."I... I can't lose you, Mia. Or the baby," he confessed, his voice breaking. "After all this... I just... I can't."Claudine's heart ached for him. She reached up, her own hands covering his, her thumbs stroking his palms. "Hey," she whispered, her voice soft but firm."We're in a hospital. We have the best doctors in the world. And we have each other. We will get through this. You and me. And our baby. We're a team, remember?"He nodded slowly, a single tear ro
The truth was finally out. The lies were gone. All that was left was a broken man and a broken woman, their souls laid bare for each other to see. Hades stood there, his body shaking with a mix of rage, sorrow, and a profound, heartbreaking love. He took a deep, shuddering breath, and a single, silent tear rolled down his cheek. The dam broke. The strong, unyielding, ruthless Cross Bearer was gone, replaced by a broken man, a man who had lost everything and found it all in a single, painful moment.He fell to his knees, his hands reaching for her. "Zaya," he whispered, his voice a raw, broken sound. "My Zaya. My love."Claudine, seeing the pain in his eyes, her heart breaking for him, got out of bed, her body still weak, her legs still shaky. She walked to him, and she held him, her arms wrapped around him, her body rocking him back and forth. She was no longer a victim. She was no longer an avenger. She was a woman in love, a woman who had found her soulmate in the most unlikely o
The question hung in the air, a raw, painful accusation. "Who the hell are you?!" Hades's voice was a whisper, but it was filled with a lifetime of betrayal and sorrow. He just stared at her, his mind reeling from the revelations.The woman he loved, the woman who was carrying his child, was a liar. An avenger. An FBI informant. A woman with a mission to destroy him.But instead of anger, the tears started. He couldn't stop them. He just stood there, his shoulders shaking, his face a mask of profound, unadulterated pain. "It wasn't me," he choked out, his voice a raw, broken sound. "I didn't do it."Claudine was speechless. She just stared at him, her own tears streaming down her face. She had expected anger. She had expected rage. She had expected him to leave. But she had never, not once, expected him to cry. She had never, not once, expected him to look so broken.He just stood there, his body shaking with a profound, a desperate sorrow. "It wasn't me," he said again, his voice a r
“I’m sorry.. terribly sorry.” She sobbed into her hands, shaking her head from the thoughts of what their current relationship has turned into.“Baby girl, look at me. Please?”She shook her head again, shutting her eyes tight while holding her face to process all what was going on. All her life? Was this all some sort of misunderstanding?“But..” she began.He walked to the side of the bed, his body shaking with a profound, a desperate need for her to understand. “But I don’t care about proving my masculinity and fierceness to the world,” he confessed, his voice filled with a raw, brutal honesty. “Nothing will happen to you. You’re the love of my life. And I can’t even hide it again. I just... I can’t. You are my world. And I can’t lose you. I just... I couldn’t lose you.”She just stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. She had prepared for his rage, his coldness, his indifference. But she had never, not once, prepared for this. She had never, not once, prepared for the sig
•Song for this chapter - Way to break my heart by Ed she3ran•A cold evening in September.•The door clicked shut, sealing them in. The silence was not a friend; it was a cage. Heavy, suffocating, and charged with unsaid words and broken promises. Claudine lay in the hospital bed, her heart a frantic drumbeat against her ribs.She was awake, truly awake this time, and the past two days of unconsciousness were a distant, hazy nightmare.The reality was the man standing at the foot of her bed. Hades. He was a ghost of himself, his face a mask of sorrow, his eyes two burning pools of accusation and pain. The calm, cool façade was gone, replaced by a raw, unyielding despair.His shoulders were slumped, his body shaking with a barely controlled rage, a mix of heartbreak and fury.He didn’t move for a long moment, just stared at her. His gaze was a physical weight, pinning her to the bed. He finally took a step forward, his voice a low, gravelly whisper. It was the first time he had spoken
The door to the hospital room opened and a nurse walked in, holding a small tray with some food. "Just a small meal, ma'am," the nurse said softly, "to get your strength up. The doctor wants you to eat something light before you get your full dinner."The nurse put the tray on the table and checked Claudine's vitals, a practiced routine that offered a quiet, comforting rhythm. The group's conversation picked up again, hushed and warm, a feeling of camaraderie surrounding them. The nurse, a kind-looking woman with a gentle face, finished her work and smiled at the group. "Your friends are so worried about you, ma'am. It's so nice to see."Claudine's smile widened. "They're the best. I wouldn't be here without them."The nurse nodded, a look of understanding on her face, and made her way to the door. Just as she was about to open it, Svetlana gave Claudine a final, warm hug. "We'll go," she said. "We'll be back tomorrow. Rest, my dear. You need it.""Thank you," Claudine whispered, her