Chapter 103 Breath Of Life

Chapter 103 Breath Of Life
NYRA

I didn’t slow down as at that moment my mind was filled with anger, not even for the sharp turn in the corridor, not for the servants who instinctively stepped aside the moment they saw my face, not even for the way my head still pulsed faintly with every step I took.

The pain was still there, lingering behind my eyes like a shadow that refused to leave, but it no longer mattered. It couldn’t matter. Not when something far worse sat heavy in my chest, tightening with every second that passed.

The thought of Aria filled my mind and the name alone was enough to push me forward. Fueling with a different type of energy.

My fingers curled into fists at my sides as I walked faster, the soft echo of my footsteps following me down the long hallway.

Everything around me felt too quiet again, in a way that made my skin crawl. I reached the door sooner than I expected.

For a second, my hand hovered just above the handle. I don’t know why I hesitated. Maybe it was fear of what to expect or maybe it was the thought that the moment I stepped inside, everything would become real again in a way I wouldn’t be able to ignore.

Or maybe… I was afraid she wouldn’t be there at all…That she might be dead.

I swallowed and shut my eyes at that last thought forbidding it. My jaw tightened as I didn’t let the thought settle.

The door opened quietly and I walked into the calm room. It wasn't empty, but somehow the air around us was just still..

The curtains were drawn just enough to let in soft light and It rested gently across the room, across the bed—Across from her.

My breath caught as Aria lay exactly where they must have placed her. For a moment, I couldn’t move.

My chest tightened painfully as I took her in, the way her skin looked pale against the sheets down to the way her hair spread slightly around her like something fragile that needed careful handling.

She didn’t look hurt but she was still motionless and somehow that made it worse because it meant whatever had happened to her was still keeping her in that state and this was not something I could understand by just looking.

I stepped forward slowly until I reached her. I didn’t sit immediately.

I just stood there, staring down at her, searching for something, anything that would tell me she was still alive. That she was still here.

My throat tightened. “Aria…” I whispered.

The name barely left my lips. It felt strange saying it like that.

As if anything louder might break whatever fragile thread was keeping her there in the comatose state.

I lowered myself into the chair beside the bed. This time my movements were slower now, more deliberate. Like if I rushed, I might miss something important.

My hand hovered over hers for a moment. I watched her still pale hands. Then gently… I took it.

Her skin was warm and that alone made something in my chest loosen, just slightly but just slightly.

I wrapped my fingers around hers carefully, like she might disappear if I held on too tightly.

“You scared me,” I murmured.

My voice sounded different again as each of the words felt heavier than they should have.

I swallowed.

“I mean it… You really did.”

There was no response as she was still unconscious but I kept talking anyway.

“I don’t even know what happened properly,” I continued, my thumb brushing lightly against the back of her hand. “One moment everything was normal. And then—”

I stopped. My chest tightened again as the memory hit too quickly in my mind. I could see the way she had collapsed and the blood.

My grip on her hand tightened before I could stop myself.

“I keep seeing it,” I admitted quietly. “Over and over again… and it doesn’t make sense.”

My voice wavered slightly. I exhaled slowly, trying to steady it.

“You’re not supposed to look like this,” I added, my gaze dropping to her face again and taking it in.

“You’re supposed to be talking and complaining, laughing… doing something. Just like you used to do.” I added.

A small, broken breath left me. “This… This isn’t you.”

The words hung in the air and just like before—Nothing answered back. My vision blurred slightly and I didn’t realize I was crying until a tear slipped free and fell, landing softly against our joined hands.

I stared at it for a second then another followed. I didn’t wipe away my tears or my wet eyes immediately like I would have done.

I just sat there, letting them fall because holding them back felt like too much effort.

“I should’ve done something,” I whispered. “I should’ve seen it… I should’ve stopped it…”

My grip tightened again, this time with frustration.

“With her… I knew something was off. I knew it,” I muttered, my jaw tightening. “And I still—”

The door clicked open behind me and cut through everything. I stilled immediately.

My shoulders tensed, and I quickly brushed at my face, wiping away the tears before turning.

Cyril stood at the entrance. For a moment, neither of us spoke. His gaze moved from me… Then to Aria… Then back again.

He closed the door gently behind him.

“You’re here already,” he said.

His voice was calm. I turned back toward Aria slightly, not fully facing him.

“I wasn’t going to stay in that room,” I replied quietly.

He didn’t respond immediately. I could feel his presence as he stepped further inside.

“You shouldn’t have pushed yourself,” he said after a moment. “You just regained consciousness.”

“I’m fine.” The words came out sharper than I intended.

I sighed softly, adjusting my grip on Aria’s hand.

“I’m not staying away from her,” I added, quieter now. “Not when she’s like this.”

There was a pause in the room for twenty seconds then Cyril moved closer.

He stopped on the other side of the bed, his gaze resting on Aria for a moment longer than mine had. Something flickered in his expression that felt more or less like concern.

“She’s stable,” he said. “Her condition hasn’t worsened.”

“That’s not the same as getting better,” I replied.

“No,” he admitted. “But it means she’s holding on.”

I swallowed. My eyes dropped back to her face.

“Holding on isn’t enough,” I murmured.

“It is for now.” He reassured me.

I didn’t respond because I didn’t agree but I chose silence. Silence settled between us again, but this time it felt different.

Less suffocating but heavy none the less.

“She’ll wake up,” Cyril said after a moment.

There was something certain in his voice, something that didn’t waver that made me
glanced up at him slightly.

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.”

The answer came without hesitation and that made me frown.

“How?” I asked.

His gaze met mine briefly.

“Because I believe so.”

The words settled in my mind. I didn’t like how much sense they made. Which only made everything worse. Because it meant—One thing.

“This wasn’t random,” I said quietly.

“No,” he agreed.

My jaw tightened again. “It is Samantha.”

The name came out sharper this time. Seemingly more certain.

Cyril didn’t react the way I expected he would like Rowan did. He didn’t dismiss it but he didn’t agree either.

“We don’t know that yet,” he said.

I let out a quiet breath, frustration rising again.
“You sound like Rowan.” I lied.

That got a reaction from him more like a chuckle.

“He’s being careful,” Cyril replied.

“He’s doing nothing.” I scoffed.

“That’s not true.” I shook my head, pulling my hand slightly away before tightening my hold again.

“He stood there and told me there’s no evidence,” I said, my voice dropping. “No urgency. No action... Just logic.”

“And you think that means he’s ignoring it?” He asked.

“It feels like it.”

Cyril studied me for a moment. Then he spoke again, slower this time.

“Rowan doesn’t move without knowing exactly where he’s stepping,” he said. “If he acts too soon without proof, whoever did this might disappear ”

My brows furrowed slightly. “That doesn’t mean he should just wait.”

“He isn’t waiting.”

I looked up at him fully now. “Then what is he doing?”

Cyril didn’t answer immediately. But when he did, his voice was quieter.

“He’s already started looking into it,” he said. “Quietly.”

That made me pause. “Looking into what?”

“Everything,” he replied. “ He’s already narrowing things down.”

I stared at him. Trying to decide if I believed that.

“He didn’t say any of that,” I said.

“He wouldn’t,” Cyril answered simply.

My lips pressed into a thin line. That was exactly the kind of thing Rowan would do…He would act without saying anything.

My frustration didn’t disappear. “That still doesn’t change what I saw,” I said after a moment.

“No,” Cyril agreed. “It doesn’t.”

I exhaled slowly. “And I know what I saw,” I added.

“I’m not saying you didn’t.”

My grip on Aria’s hand softened slightly.
“But you’re saying it’s not enough.”

“I’m saying we need more,” he corrected.

Silence returned again. But this time… it wasn’t as tense. My gaze dropped back to Aria.

“She has to wake up,” I murmured.

“She will.”

I didn’t argue this time. I just sat there holding her hand and listening to the quiet rhythm of the room and the faint sound of breathing.

I don’t know how long we stayed like that...Minutes, maybe longer. Just then—

Something happened. It was small. So small I almost thought I imagined it. My fingers stilled against hers.

“Wait…” My voice was barely above a whisper.

Cyril straightened slightly. “What is it?”

I didn’t answer immediately because I was watching carefully. My gaze fixed on her hand.

And then—There it was again. I saw what felt like a faint movement. So slight it could’ve been missed if I hadn’t been holding her.

Her fingers twitched again just once. But it was real. My breath caught sharply.

“Cyril,” I said, louder now.

“I saw it.”

He stepped closer immediately, his attention snapping to her hand.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes.” I tightened my grip gently.

“Aria…?” I called softly, leaning forward slightly. “Can you hear me?”

No response. But— Another twitch slightly stronger this time. My heart started racing again.
.
“She’s responding,” I said quickly, my voice unsteady now for a completely different reason.

Cyril’s expression sharpened, his focus entirely on her now.

“Aria,” he said, more firmly. “If you can hear us move again.”

We both watched. Waiting. The room felt like it had stopped breathing entirely. Everything narrowed down to that one moment…That one movement.

And then—Her fingers twitched again.

My chest tightened, but this time it wasn’t painful. It was something else. Something that felt dangerously close to relief.

“She’s coming back,” I whispered.

My grip on her hand steadied. “I knew it…”