The Enticing CEO's Chosen Bride novel Chapter 2100

Seth was rushed into the ER, where the battle for his life began behind closed doors.

Cicely stood outside, her gaze fixed on the sterile door, motionless as if frozen in time. When Damon arrived, she was still in the same stance, her face ashen, lips pale, and her eyes glazed over with shock.

She seemed outwardly calm, but a closer look would reveal that her hair, her eyelashes, even the fabric of her clothes were trembling almost imperceptibly.

Damon spoke up, his voice casual yet carrying a weight of concern, "What did he say to you, Cicely?"

Her eyelashes fluttered as she slowly turned to look at him, "He said that he wanted to give his life back to me. Damon, do you think he'll make it?"

"I don't know." Damon didn't offer false comfort, "But you've got to admit, it's kind of impressive how you got him to choose this way out."d2

Cicely watched him quietly, her hands clenched into fists, "You knew all along?"

"Mad at me? I gave him three years of borrowed time. Without me, he would've paid his dues to them three years earlier."

Cicely's breath hitched, and after a few silent seconds, she spoke softly, "He wouldn't have done that, not even for my grandfather."

"So you knew he stayed for your grandfather too? Your granddad fell ill two months after you were locked up. Beyond what Charlie said, a lot can happen in two months, and a lot more decisions can be made. Nobody's got it easy. Living for the dead is the height of folly."

Cicely closed her eyes briefly, "Easy for you to say, spouting lofty principles. Who doesn't want to live free and easy?"

Damon looked at her with a distant gaze, his tone detached. "Yeah, if he dies, he'll be free, alright."

Cicely staggered slightly, "He won't. Damon, don't scare me. You got there with the ambulance ahead of time. You knew what was going to happen, and you wouldn't let anything happen to him."

"I'm not all-powerful. Not all his requests are within my reach. It's like bargaining with the Grim Reaper. Getting one favor is already a stretch, and expecting two is just being greedy." After a pause, Damon added, "Funny thing is, up until now, he's only ever asked me for two things. Wanna know?"

Cicely looked at him steadily, her fists trembling slightly with anticipation. Given Damon's question, she knew it had to be about her.

"The last thing he asked was for me to save him. Not because he's afraid of dying, but because, he said that you loved your father, and you also loved him. You had already lost the father you cherished most; He can't let you lose him."

"Though he claims not to fear death, he sure clings to life." Damon's voice was heavy, and he felt an unexpected twinge of discomfort as he spoke. He and Chloe had never exchanged such intense declarations of love.

Suddenly, Cicely felt as though it was her own heart that Seth's knife had pierced.

"And the other thing..." Before he could finish, the ER doors burst open, and a doctor rushed out, urgency etched on his face.

Cicely's eyes flickered, but she lost sight of the person as the doctor carried a stack of blood bags back into the room. Her face turned deathly pale.

All those bags of blood...

She had indeed seen him bleed so much.

The surgery had been going on for over six hours with no end in sight. Hugo had been holding up strong, but eventually succumbed to sleep.

The wait was too long, and Chloe showed up as well. Nathan, Kane, and others arrived in rapid succession. Soon, the entire hallway was crowded with people.

Kane and Nathan discussed the likelihood of a stab to the heart being fatal. They managed to grab a doctor for an explanation.

"If the blade strikes the heart and causes it to rupture, the person can die instantly. If it misses the heart and major vessels, such a patient might survive a while longer, but without immediate medical attention within ten to twenty minutes, they could still die from significant blood loss.

"The thing with a cardiac stab wound, even if you pull out the knife, the heart's muscle is so strong it tends to seal the wound and there won't be a spray of blood. However, a small amount of blood can leak into the pericardium, preventing the heart from expanding, leading to cardiac arrest due to tamponade. The key is to keep blood out of the pericardium, as just a few milliliters are enough to be lethal. Of course, the heart's pericardium is its outermost protective layer, and the reaction differs depending on where the stab wound is, but once it occurs, it's generally a death sentence."

Cicely's last shred of hope eroded with the doctor's overly technical explanation.

"Damn, were you quacks in your past life, roaming the lands peddling fake potions? After hearing this, what's the point of saving him? Should've just dug a hole and buried him on the spot." Kane couldn't help but blurt out. They had hoped to get some reassuring information from the doctor, but the effect was the complete opposite.

"Should I go ahead and buy the burial plot?" Nathan sighed with a look of regret.

"I'll find someone to engrave the headstone," Kane breathed deeply.

"I'll arrange the funeral," Nathan added.

"I'll cover the cremation costs," Kane said, wiping the corner of his eye.

...

Cicely just sat there, her body ice-cold, her hands clasped on her lap, fingers white, her knuckles stark against her skin.

Unaffected by Nathan and Kane's heartless banter, Damon remained indifferent. Chloe, however, glanced over with a frosty look. Nathan and Kane, sensitive to such chilling stares, somehow met Chloe's eyes and promptly sealed their lips, falling silent.

Lana held Hugo, feeling a slight relief in her heart. She had half a mind to sew those two's mouths shut herself.

When she turned to look at Cicely's forlorn figure, her heart ached. Before this, Lana had harbored some resentment, but after this commotion, she felt a sudden clarity.