Chapter 264
Thaddeus collapsed without warning, crimson pooling beneath him as his body hit the floor. The sight sent shockwaves through the three men standing nearby.
Luckily, they were just outside the hospital entrance. Jareth and Gordon sprang into action, helping medical staff wheel him straight into the ER.
Jason remained frozen at the hallway's end, watching in stunned silence as they rushed past. Thaddeus's lips were smeared with blood, his complexion ghostly pale. What the hell had just happened?
Was this another one of his theatrical stunts?
But he'd returned from Misty Mountain with Miss Evadne completely unharmed. How could this indestructible-looking man suddenly drop like this?
"Mr. Jareth... will Thaddeus make it?" Gordon's voice cracked, knuckles white from clenching.
"No."
Jareth's bloodshot eyes locked onto the glowing ER sign. "Thaddeus is the toughest bastard I've ever met. He won't let something this small take him down."
Just then, one of Cassius's bodyguards approached Jason with a bow.
"Mr. Jason, President Ashbourne requests your presence upstairs."
"Understood."
Jason turned to leave but paused abruptly. "The man in emergency—Thaddeus Abernathy. Inform President Ashbourne to dispatch two top specialists immediately."
Evadne awoke the next afternoon, eyelids fluttering open like someone emerging from a decade-long slumber. "Where...?"
Every muscle screamed in protest as she tried moving. She felt hollowed out, like her very essence had been drained.
"Evadne! You're awake! It's me, Bet!"
Bet's choked cry filled the room as he lunged forward, crushing her in a desperate embrace. He'd kept vigil all night, clutching her hand until his knuckles turned white, eyes swollen from unshed tears.
"Bet... really you?" Her voice cracked, eyes welling up as her nose flushed pink.
He nodded fiercely, pressing a kiss to her fever-free forehead.
The doctor had warned them—any later arrival could've meant pneumonia. Or worse.
"The army... your leave?" Evadne fretted over him despite her own condition.
"Nothing matters more than you." His voice roughened with emotion. "Never has."
"Bet..." She buried her face against his neck, breathing in his familiar scent.
Seeing how much weight she'd lost, how the light had dimmed in her eyes—it shattered something in Bet's chest.
"Wait, how did I get here?" She pulled back slightly as he helped prop her up.
Bet's jaw tightened.
"Where's Thaddeus?" Her voice came out raspy.
"Alive. Came back with us." His tone turned glacial. "Don't waste thoughts on him."
Yet unease coiled in her gut. "Where is he?"
The door swung open abruptly.
Cassius and Jason entered, relief washing over their faces at her awake state.
"Miss Evadne!"
Jason nearly tripped in his haste, tears springing to his eyes. Noticing Bet's glare, he composed himself with a respectful bow before approaching.
"You must've been terrified last night, Jason." Her faint smile didn't reach her tired eyes. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone. It was life or death."
Jason shook his head violently, swallowing back sobs.
He'd heard the details—how she'd nearly plunged off a cliff. How Thaddeus had snatched her back from certain death.
"There's... something you should know." Jason hesitated before plunging ahead. "Thaddeus suffered internal injuries. He coughed up blood."
"What?!"
Evadne jerked upright, pulse skyrocketing. Cassius and Bet exchanged stunned glances.
"The impact damaged his organs," Jason explained bluntly. However much he disliked Thaddeus, he wouldn't lie about this.
Memory flashed—Thaddeus's back slamming against that boulder as he shielded her from falling debris. His casual dismissal afterward.
That liar!
Tears of fury blurred her vision as she swung her legs off the mattress.
Three pairs of hands shot out to restrain her.
"Evadne, no!" Bet gripped her shoulders. "You're not seriously going to him?"
"He got hurt saving me!" She fought against his hold.
"Who cares if he lives or dies?!" Bet's fingers dug in painfully. "Thirteen years of this obsession—when will it end? Please, just think of yourself for once!"
"Bet." She met his glare unflinchingly. "I can be cruel, but I won't be heartless. That man carried me off that mountain."
No argument could sway her.
Minutes later, supported by Jason, she pushed open Thaddeus's hospital room door.
Empty. Bed neatly made.
Yet his lingering scent wrapped around her like phantom arms.
"Where's the patient who was here?" She snagged a passing nurse.
"Discharged this afternoon."