Chapter 211: A Tragic Night
It was well past midnight, and the hospital room lay in an eerie silence, broken only by the soft, labored breathing of Cormac and Ravenna. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly. Cormac had long lost track of the days. It felt as though he hadn’t eaten or slept properly in forever. His exhaustion weighed heavily on him, his mind a blur of worry and guilt.
Then, suddenly, he heard Ravenna’s breathing become more labored, heavier. His heart skipped a beat as he realized something was terribly wrong. He rushed to call for the doctor.
The doctor arrived quickly, performing a series of emergency procedures, but Cormac’s hands were shaking with anxiety as he stood at the side, helpless. An hour later, the doctors stepped back, their faces grim.
“We’ve done everything we could,” one of them said, his voice gentle but firm. “The patient won’t make it through the night. You should notify the family to come and say their goodbyes.”
Those words hit Cormac like a physical blow. His legs buckled beneath him, and he had to lean against the wall to keep from collapsing. Ravenna, the woman who had brought him into this world, the woman who had always been there—was slipping away.
Ravenna hadn’t spoken a coherent word since she fell into a coma from the shock. Now, in her final moments, she remained unconscious, unable to express anything, not even her regrets.
Cormac dropped to his knees beside her bed, his chest tight. His throat closed with emotion, but no words would come. His heart ached, and all he could do was stay there, helplessly watching her pass away.
“Mom,” Cormac choked out, his voice barely a whisper. “I’m so sorry… I don’t know how to fix this…”
With Ravenna slipping away, his only option was to call Orion. Griffon was already at the police station, and Cormac had no one else to turn to. When he called Orion, his voice trembled with a mixture of fear and sorrow.
“Cormac, what did you say? Mom won’t make it through the night?” Orion’s voice cracked with emotion, and Cormac could hear her sobbing on the other end. “I’m coming. I’m coming right now!” Orion said, barely waiting to hang up before rushing out of the house, throwing on her pajamas and slippers in her haste.
Meanwhile, at Ambrose’s office, Denny briefed him on the progress of a different matter. “Mr. Vale, everything’s arranged as you requested,” Denny reported, his tone serious.
Ambrose, standing near the floor-to-ceiling window, stared across the street at the newly renovated clinic. “Good,” Ambrose replied, his voice low and calculating. “We’ll take care of it. But it must be flawless.”
Denny nodded. “Don’t worry, sir. This man is different from Jason Gray. He’s terminal, with cancer, and has no more than six months to live. He can’t afford his medical bills and already tried to end his life once. He’s clinging to life for his daughter’s sake. I promised him someone would look after her education after his passing. He agreed to this deal.”
Ambrose seemed to relax slightly. “That’s better than Jason Gray,” he muttered. “We can’t afford another failure. This has to be handled carefully.”
Ambrose sighed, his thoughts returning to Galatea. “Why, Stellan? Why would you choose a man who can’t protect you? Alaric doesn’t deserve you, yet you still choose him. I’ll never understand.”
His voice softened as he added, “But I will make those who hurt you regret it. Starting with Griffon. He’ll wish he were dead before this is over.”
Back at the hospital, Cormac’s world was falling apart. At precisely 3:30 AM, Ravenna’s heart stopped. Cormac felt as if his own heart had stopped, too. The woman who had given him life was now gone.
Ravenna, though unconscious, had seemed to be in pain as she passed. Her face, still twisted in distress, spoke volumes of unspoken regrets, of things left unsaid. Cormac’s heart broke as he knelt by her side, unable to shed a single tear. His eyes were dry, but the ache inside him was unbearable.
The room fell silent. No one was there except Cormac and the lifeless body of his mother. Half an hour passed, and Orion still hadn’t arrived. Cormac tried calling her again, but there was no answer.
His gut twisted with dread as he dialed her number once more. Still, no response.
A terrible premonition gnawed at him, but before he could dwell on it any longer, his phone rang again. This time, it was Alaric.
For Galatea and Alaric, this night seemed like any other. They slept soundly, wrapped in each other’s arms, unaware of the tragedies unfolding.
When the phone rang, Galatea stirred slightly but didn’t wake up immediately. Alaric glanced at the time. It was just past five o’clock. A call at this hour could only mean something was wrong.
When he saw that the call was from Silas, Alaric’s eyes immediately snapped open. Silas wouldn’t call unless it was urgent.
Alaric answered the phone. “What is it, Silas?”
“Mr. Alaric, the Nash family is in big trouble,” Silas said, his voice tense with anxiety.
Galatea, usually a deep sleeper, shot up in alarm at the mention of the Nash family. She immediately recognized the gravity in Silas’s tone.
Silas continued, “Ravenna passed away last night. But that’s not all. Orion… Orion died in a car accident on her way to the hospital.”
Alaric and Galatea both froze, stunned. The words didn’t register at first. Ravenna had passed away, yes, but Orion… gone?
Alaric whispered, “Orion died in a car accident?”
Silas’s voice cracked as he spoke. “Yes. She was driving fast, probably rushing to see Ravenna. She collided with a large truck at a corner, and the truck overturned. She died on the spot. The driver of the truck also died. The scene… it was horrific.”
“Cormac?” Alaric’s mind immediately went to Cormac, knowing that losing both Ravenna and Orion in one night would be too much for him to bear.
Silas confirmed grimly, “Mr. Cormac should still be at the hospital.”
Hanging up, Alaric and Galatea hurriedly dressed and rushed out of the house, their hearts heavy with dread. The Nash family was facing a tragedy beyond comprehension, and they were about to witness the devastation it would cause.