Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Ambulances tore through the streets, rushing into the hospital with urgent speed.

Caspian stood at the entrance of the emergency room, his face a stormy shade of gray.

Alden hurried over from Silkwood City, his face as pale as a ghost, drained of all color.

"Mr. Spiegel, my brother and Natalia?"

"Natalia's losing blood fast, in critical condition. The baby, born prematurely at six months, barely weighs over two pounds. Their condition is dire. Your brother, he's got a piece of shrapnel lodged in his back. We've just issued a critical condition notice."

Alden's legs gave way, and for a moment, the strong man felt like he couldn't hold himself up.

Caspian quickly steadied him.

"How could this happen?"

Caspian glanced around, "Try to keep it together. If someone's after them, there's bound to be spies around looking for information. This hospital's swarming with eyes and ears everywhere."

Alden forced himself to stand.

But his heart twisted in agony.

If any one of them were to suffer, the others would be shattered.

The doors of the emergency room swung open again and again.

Blood bags were rushed in, one after the other.

That night, Hamilton was issued three critical condition notices.

Scarlett didn't hear the news until the next day, and when she arrived, her eyes

were red and swollen from crying.

"Natalia? The baby?"

Elliott Lehner quickly pulled her aside.

"Calm down, Alden will tell us."

"Natalia's stable for now, but the baby's in bad shape."

Scarlett's tears flowed freely.

"The baby was only six months! The survival rate isn't more than ten percent!"

Her words cast a shadow of pain on everyone's face.

Elliott handed her a tissue before asking, "And Hamilton?"

Alden's eyes were swollen too, "My brother just pulled through."

Elliott finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The door to the intensive care unit opened.

"The patient's awake."

Alden paused.

No one expected the man who'd been given three critical condition notices in one night to wake up so soon. Even the doctors were astounded.

Hamilton was as pale as death, but upon seeing Alden enter, his first question was about Natalia and the baby.

Alden, a grown man, suddenly broke down.

"Bro, Natalia's okay, but the baby's in a bad way. What are we going to do? We might lose the baby!"

Hamilton's face turned a transparent shade of white.

"Where's Natalia?"

"She's still unconscious from the blood loss."

"I need to see her."

He tried to get up, but Alden held him down.

"Bro, do you have a death wish? Do you have any idea how critical your condition was last night?"

Hamilton's eyes reddened.noveldrama

He thought, perhaps he really shouldn't have kept her by his side.

If he had let her go, maybe she and the baby would still be safe and sound abroad.

A look of pain crossed his face.

"Lucinda?"

"Gone."

"Was it Grandfather or the Powell family?"

Alden shook his head.

He hadn't had a chance to deal with anything yet.

"Caspian's looking into it."

Hamilton closed his eyes for a moment, a tear escaping down his cheek.

It was his fault.

All his fault.

Whether it was the Schafer family, the Powell family, or the Fowler family.

It was all his fault.

Hamilton spoke softly, his voice full of agony.

"I thought I could protect her, protect our baby. I was wrong. As long as she's with me, she'll keep getting hurt."

Alden cried at his bedside.

"Bro, you did protect them. Otherwise, Natalia and the baby might not have survived."

Hamilton's lips trembled slightly.

"But what now?"

Natalia had been severely injured, and the baby's life hung in the balance.

This was no victory.

And more danger might follow.

He thought, he was truly mistaken.

"Hamilton my brother's hospital abroad specializes in treating premature babies with high survival rates You might consider sending the baby there," Elliott suddenly chimed in.

Alden's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

Elliott nodded.

Alden quickly turned to Hamilton.

After a long pause, Hamilton said, "Call Killian in."

Alden didn't understand his intention but went to summon Killian anyway.

Killian, too, was injured.

Seeing Hamilton, a look of pain crossed his face.

Failing to protect his boss was his fault.

"Mr. Fowler, I'm sorry."

Hamilton locked eyes with him, then told Alden, "Hit him."

Alden froze.

"Bro, Killian did everything he could. He really—"

"I said hit him. Don't you understand?"

Reluctantly, Alden stepped forward and punched Killian in the face.

Killian stood still, taking the blows.

"Keep hitting him. The face. Make it look worse."

Alden, holding back his sorrow, continued to punch Killian until his face was

swollen and bruised.

"Killian, you're fired as of today."

Killian, shocked, started to protest.

"Mr. Fowler, this was my mistake, my oversight. Please don't fire me. I'll do better

next time-"

But Hamilton cut him off, grabbing his wrist.

"I'm asking you, take my and Natalia's baby abroad. Let no one know."

His voice was so low it was almost a whisper.

Killian was stunned, his eyes wide with shock.

"Mr. Fowler-"

"Please."

Tears welled in Killian's eyes.

"Mr. Fowler, rest assured, I'll safely get the lady out of the country."

"I'm coming too!" Alden couldn't help but interject from the sidelines.

After all, a child should always have a family member by their side.

But Hamilton only called out once.

"Alden, tell everyone the baby passed away."

The man's words were delivered with an unsettling calm.

But as soon as he finished, everyone in the hospital room was stunned into

silence.

"Bro,"

Alden called out, but he quickly grasped the intent behind his brother's drastic

proposal.

Only if the child was "gone," could he safely grow up.

"What about Natalia? What are we supposed to do about Natalia? Bro, if Natalia

finds out-"

Hamilton's lips trembled.

It took him a while to finally say,

"I've wronged Natalia."

It wasn't until then that Scarlett caught on. Was he planning to keep this from

Natalia?

"Hamilton, what are you trying to say?"

Hamilton felt a pang of pain in his heart.

"I've wronged Natalia."

Scarlett, tears streaming down her face, slapped him across the face.

"Apologizing now? What good does saying sorry do at this point! I told

you do

you to stay away from her, did you listen? Hamilton, how could this to her!"

Alden pushed Scarlett away.

"Scarlett, stop it! Do you have any idea how close my brother came to dying to

protect Natalia? It was a close call, really close."

Elliott quickly stepped in to hold Scarlett back.

"Scarlett, calm

down. If Natalia finds

et er

out, do you think she could resist seeing the child? If Natalia knew, could she really act as if that child neverexisted? And if later on, someone catches even a hint of what happened, the child would still

be in danger!"

"But why does Natalia have to endure all this? Why! Do you have any idea what

this child means to Natalia!"

"Why do you-"

Elliott, after a moment of hesitation, pulled her into his arms.