Chapter 218: The Shadow of the Past
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. Those shares were worth a fortune. They were enough to guarantee Elias a life of luxury and even grant him a seat on Omni’s board of directors.
Evelyn took the envelope and tore it open. Inside was a single, thin sheet of paper. The handwriting was messy, written in a desperate rush.
Evelyn,
If you are reading this, I am likely gone.
Lately, I keep dreaming of our university days. You were drawing blueprints, and I was reading beside you. Back then, I wasn’t the man consumed by greed that I became.
I spent my life chasing power and recognition, only to lose the most precious treasure I ever had. I failed you, and I failed Elias even more. I wasn't a good husband, and I wasn't a good father.
I don’t ask for your forgiveness—that would be too cheap. These shares are the only thing I can leave for Elias. Don’t let him become a joke like I did.
Tell him his father loved him.
If there is another life, I hope I am not Damian, and I hope you never meet me.
Evelyn stared at the letter for a long time. Finally, she folded it and tucked it back into the envelope.
"Accept it," she told the lawyer, her voice flat. "For Elias."
The hate had faded, but that didn't mean she forgave him. The scars were real. This letter and the shares were simply an apology that arrived far too late.
Late that night, the lights in the VIP hospital suite were dimmed. Elias had been brought over after school and was now lying by the bed, focused on a drawing with his crayons.
"Done!" the little boy announced, holding up his masterpiece. "It’s a suit of armor for my sister!"
The drawing showed a round little figure wearing rainbow-colored plate mail and holding a shield.
"Why does she need armor?" Evelyn asked, stroking her son's hair.
"Because I have to go fight bad guys with Uncle Ryan," Elias said, waving a tiny fist. "Sister is too small. She needs to be safe."
Ryan, having just finished his last email, walked over and picked Elias up. "You’re right. But now that the armor is ready, it’s time for bed."
After settling Elias into the guest bed in the outer room, Ryan returned to Evelyn’s side. He held a familiar red notebook. This had become his nightly ritual: reading her parents' love diary to her.
"October 12th, sunny," Ryan read, his voice deep and soothing. "Madeleine wanted a hot dog from the stand under the Brooklyn Bridge today. We waited thirty minutes. She got mustard all over her face like a child."
Evelyn leaned against the pillows with a smile, her hand resting on her stomach. The small, mundane happiness in those words was slowly filling the gaps in her childhood. Love could bridge the gap between life and death. Through this diary, she could still feel her father’s warmth twenty years later.
"Sleep now. Goodnight." Ryan closed the book and kissed her forehead.
Some time passed.
Zzzzt. A tiny crackle of static echoed in the room.
The nightlights flickered and died, plunging the suite into total darkness. Even the low hum of the air purifier vanished.
Evelyn bolted awake. "Ryan?"
No answer. Ryan, who had been sleeping on the sofa nearby, was silent.
"Ryan!" Her heart hammered against her ribs. She tried to sit up, but the movement pulled at her stitches, making her gasp in pain.
In the faint moonlight, she saw the door handle turn.
Click.
The door slid open. A shadow moved with terrifying speed, raising a blade and lunging toward the bed.
"Die!"
A woman’s voice shrieked, hysterical and crazed.
But the blade stopped inches from Evelyn. In the dark, two powerful hands clamped onto the woman’s wrist and shoulder. A sickening crack of bone echoed through the room.
"Ahhh!" The woman screamed as the dagger hit the floor.
The lights slammed back on.
Ryan was already standing by the bed, one arm shielding Evelyn’s head, the other hand hovering near his holster. He didn't need to fire. Two bodyguards in tactical gear had already pinned the woman to the floor, their knees buried in her back.
"I see I didn't clean house thoroughly enough," Ryan said, his eyes cold.
Evelyn caught her breath and looked at the intruder. It was one of Camilla’s distant cousins—a quiet, forgettable woman she had seen once at a gala.
"Let me go! You destroyed the Covingtons! You destroyed Camilla! I'll kill you!" the woman screamed, froth at the corners of her mouth.
"Take her to Connor," Ryan said, waving them away. "Tell the police this was premeditated murder."
The guards dragged her out like a dead weight. A few minutes later, Captain Connor called.
"We checked her. She was a money-laundering puppet for the Twin Snakes, funded by Camilla for years. She was trying to strike while you were vulnerable," Connor said, sounding exhausted. "This actually helps us. With an attempted murder charge, Camilla’s lawyers won't be able to argue for a reduced sentence now."
Ryan hung up and turned to Evelyn. "It’s over, Evelyn. It was just a—"
He stopped mid-sentence. His pupils shrunk.
Evelyn was deathly pale, her hands clawing at the bedsheets. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
"Ryan..." she choked out. "The pain... my stomach..."
Ryan ripped back the covers. On the white sheets, a pool of bright red blood was spreading rapidly.
"Doctor! Dammit, someone get a doctor!" Ryan’s roar shook the entire floor.
The red light outside the operating room flickered on. Ryan leaned against the wall, his hands buried in his hair, his body shaking uncontrollably. In his entire life, he had never felt fear like this. Even with dozens of guns pointed at his head, he had never been this terrified.
Heard footsteps racing down the hall. Ethan arrived in his white coat, followed by a breathless Sophie.