Chapter 219: A New Life
"What happened?" Ethan grabbed Ryan’s shoulder. "How much blood? What’s the fetal heart rate?"
"Hemorrhage..." Ryan’s voice was like gravel. "She was awake when they took her in. She said she was afraid if she fell asleep, she’d never wake up."
Ethan’s face hardened. He sprinted toward the nurse's station. "Get me scrubs! I’m going in!"
"You aren't on staff here!" a nurse shouted.
"I’m her primary doctor! I know her history better than anyone! I'll take the responsibility!" Ethan roared, pushing past her and into the scrub room.
Inside the OR, the lights were blinding.
"Blood pressure is dropping! 80 over 50!"
"Heart rate is down to 90! Prepare for a transfusion!"
The beeping of the monitors was frantic. Evelyn lay on the table, her consciousness fading. It was so cold—just like the cellar where she had been trapped in the Green mansion.
"Evelyn! Look at me! Stay with me!" Ethan’s voice cut through the fog.
She struggled to open her eyes. She saw Ethan behind a mask, his gentle eyes filled with desperation.
"Ethan..." she whispered, but no sound came out.
"Hold on. For the baby, for Ryan, and for yourself," Ethan said, gripping her hand. "You’re supposed to rebuild Nova, remember? You're supposed to take back what belongs to you. You can't quit here!"
Evelyn’s vision blurred. Memories flashed like a movie. Grandma Eleanor giving her an apple at the orphanage. Damian reading in the library when he was still kind. Her mother’s diary.
Finally, the image settled on a cold, handsome face. Ryan.
The man who held her hand in the ruins. The man who risked his life for her in the fire. The man who knelt in a vault and promised her a home.
"Ryan..."
A single tear slid down her cheek. Her fingers twitched, squeezing Ethan’s hand back.
The flatline on the monitor began to jump into a steady rhythm again.
"We have a pulse! Pressure is rising!" the anesthesiologist cried out, his voice shaking with relief.
Ethan felt the cold sweat soaking his scrubs. He held her hand until he felt her faint strength return, then he nearly collapsed to the floor himself.
The doors burst open. Before the nurses could stop him, Ryan was at the table. He saw Evelyn, and his knees gave out. He fell to the floor, burying his face in her palm, his shoulders heaving with muffled sobs.
"I’m here," Evelyn whispered, her eyes fluttering open. She brushed her thumb against his hand. "Don't cry, Ryan. It looks terrible on you."
Six months later.
The top floor of St. Mary’s was under lockdown again, but this time, it was because Ryan was a nervous wreck.
"Why is it taking so long? It’s been two hours!" Ryan paced the hall, his tie long gone and his shirt unbuttoned.
"Boss, labor takes time. It just started," the head of security said, only to be silenced by a murderous glare.
Waaaaah!
A loud, healthy cry pierced through the heavy doors. Ryan froze. To him, it was the most beautiful sound in the world.
A nurse walked out holding a bundle. "Congratulations, Mr. Lawrence. It’s a girl."
Ryan reached out with shaking hands, terrified to touch the tiny angel. She had Evelyn’s amber eyes. She was wrinkled and small, but to Ryan, she was perfect.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Welcome to the world, little princess."
Inside the room, Evelyn leaned back against the pillows as Ryan brought the baby in like a precious treasure. Elias was already there, standing on a stool to peek into the bassinet.
"Mommy, she’s so tiny," Elias whispered, poking her cheek before quickly pulling back. "Am I a big brother now?"
"You are," Evelyn smiled. "You have to protect her."
"I will!" Elias puffed out his chest and kissed his sister's cheek. "If anyone messes with her, I'll knock them down!"
Outside the room, Sophie watched through the glass, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "Finally... after everything, she’s happy."
A clean handkerchief appeared in front of her. Ethan stood beside her in a simple cashmere sweater, looking relaxed.
"Stop crying, you'll ruin your makeup," Ethan teased, but his eyes were fixed on Sophie, not the room.
Sophie took the handkerchief. "I’m just happy. What about you? Are you finally giving up on her?"
"I gave up a long time ago," Ethan shrugged. "Seeing her happy was my only mission. But what about you, Sophie Martin? You're always worried about everyone else. When do you think about yourself?"
Sophie blinked. "Me? I’m fine being a single socialite."
"Well, I don't want to be single anymore." Ethan stepped closer, closing the distance. "The foundation project will take years. I need a partner. A real one. Will you help me?"
Sophie’s heart skipped a beat. "Is this... a confession?"
"Maybe," Ethan said, taking her hand. "If you don't mind a boring doctor."
Sophie laughed through her tears and squeezed his hand. "Idiot. Who said doctors are boring?"
The next day, a strange guest arrived. Victor Lawrence sat in his wheelchair, an oxygen tube in his nose. He looked decades older than he had in court. Ryan stepped in front of the bassinet, instantly alert.
"Relax," Victor rasped. "I just... wanted to see the child."
He pulled a velvet box from his lap and handed it to Evelyn. Inside was a delicate silver necklace with an iris pendant. The name 'Lawrence' was engraved on the back. It wasn't a priceless antique, just a simple gift from a grandfather.
"I’ve signed over all the North American holdings to Ryan," Victor said. "The European vineyards are for the girl."
"I don't need your charity," Ryan said coldly.
"It’s not charity. It’s restitution." Victor coughed violently. "And watch out for France. The Twin Snakes are gone, but they were deep in the European fashion world. Some of them aren't dead yet."
With that cryptic warning, Victor took one last look at the sleeping baby and signaled his guards to wheel him away. It was the exit of a sinner, a man at the end of his road.
Evelyn looked at the necklace. She didn't throw it away. She hung it on the side of the bassinet.