Chapter 177 It's Coming

Chapter 177 It's Coming
Eden’s Point of View 

“All 230 passengers on board have died.”

The words echoed in my ears as the world around me went dark, spinning violently out of control. A sharp, searing pain tore through my lower stomach, and I clutched it instinctively. Something twisted inside me, sending my entire body into a frenzy.

Sweat drenched my skin. My chest rose and fell rapidly, my mouth open, yet no air came in. It felt like I had forgotten how to breathe.

All around me, the anguished wails of other families filled the room, crashing into my ears like waves.

I needed air.

I needed to breathe.

I wanted to see him… I needed to see Theron.

He promised me. He said he would come back today.

He isn’t dead.

He can’t be dead.

He can’t.

“Eden…”

I could hear Lola’s voice, but everything was blurred. I felt her arms reaching for me, trying to steady me, but I shoved her away. She hissed in pain, and I turned away from her.

“How can they be so sure?” I muttered to myself, “They are not even making any attempt to find them.”

I was still clutching my stomach as I stumbled out of the private room. “It’s impossible for all of them to be dead.”

“Eden!” Lola rushed after me, grabbing my shoulders. “Please, calm down.”

A frown creased my forehead when I noticed the thick tears streaming down her face.

“Why are you crying?” I asked weakly.

“Please… let me take you home,” she begged hurriedly. “I can come back later and speak with the airport staff. I’ll call Dr. Keegan and inform him—”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I cut her off sharply. Lola stumbled back again, shock and tiredness written all over her face.

“Theron promised he would come home today,” I said, my voice trembling. “I haven’t even seen a body. Why should I believe he’s dead?”

“Eden, please… listen to me,” Lola begged even more.

And I felt offended. Why was everyone so eager to conclude he was dead? When they weren’t sure themselves? If I heard one more person say he was dead, I was going to lose my mind.

With shaking hands, I reached for my phone and dialed his number. The line rang for a moment, and just when my spirit was about to lift, the voice of the robot came.

“The person you are trying to call is currently unreachable, please—”

My heart sank, but I refused to accept it. I tried again and again, but it was still the same robotic response.

“I’ll go and find him myself,” I said. Lola immediately grabbed my hands.

“Eden, I have to take you home,” she snapped, her grip tightening around my arms. “I can’t just let you wander around in this state.”

“Let go of me, Lola.” Tears of disbelief blurred my vision, even though I had promised myself I wouldn’t cry.

“Theron isn’t dead.”

I had repeated that mantra in my head a million times, clinging to it like it was the only thing keeping me upright. But I had seen his ticket myself, and every piece of information he sent matched the flight he boarded.

My chest tightened painfully, and I shook my head, refusing to accept it—to accept the cold, brutal reality that Theron was gone.

“Please… let go of me,” I begged softly. “Let me find him, Lola. If I call out to him, I’m sure he’ll hear me… he’ll come.”

“Where would you even go?” she asked, her voice faltering. “How would you even find him? The airport hasn’t even located the crash site yet. How would you get there?”

Her words struck me like a blow.

The cold, merciless truth began to seep into me, and I stood there frozen, disbelief rooting me to the spot.

I simply couldn’t accept that this was my reality.

“I promised Theron I would take care of you.”

Lola stepped closer and wrapped her arms around me. My own arms remained stiff at my sides. I couldn’t bring myself to hug her back. It felt like doing so would mean accepting the truth.

And I wasn’t ready to do that.

But Lola refused to let go.

The blur clouding my vision slowly cleared—perhaps because the tears I had been holding back finally slipped down my cheeks.

“What are you two doing in the middle of the hallway?”

My breath hitched.

I blinked rapidly, more tears spilling down my face as I tried to convince myself I wasn’t hallucinating.

Theron was standing right in front of me.

Lola turned sharply toward the sound of his voice.

“I’ve been looking all over for you,” he continued, walking toward us. “And I find you two here… hugging in public.”

“D-Dr. T-Theron…no, no…” Lola stammered, quickly stepping back as she grabbed my arms. “That’s a ghost.”

Theron’s brows knitted together, his gaze snapping toward her.

“Who the hell are you calling a ghost?” he demanded, taking another step forward. “I don’t care if this is a prank; you are going too far now, Lola.”

Lola immediately dragged me a step back with her. I was too stunned to react—too stunned to even decide what to believe.

Was this an illusion?

A dream?

A hallucination?

Or… was this really Theron’s ghost?

But Lola could see him too, so that meant it had to be real… right?

“Theron?” I called out, and he froze.

His eyes found mine, softening instantly.

I took a slow step forward, my arms lifting slightly toward him.

“Is it really… you?”

“Yes, it’s really me.”

He looked confused at first, but then his gaze dropped to the tears streaming down my face.

My trembling hands rose and cupped his cheeks. His skin was warm beneath my palms. I could feel the steady pulse of life under my fingers...his warmth, his breath… and the frantic beating of my own heart.

Only when I was certain, when I knew without a doubt that he was real, did I finally break.

A sob tore from my throat.

“Eden…” Theron pulled me into his arms.

“How could you do this to me?” I cried into his chest, the words breaking apart between ugly sobs. My fists struck his chest over and over again. “Why?”

“Did I keep you waiting too long?” he asked softly, not attempting to stop my blows. “I’m sorry.”

“No.” I pulled back from him, trembling. “I could wait the whole damned day if that’s what it took. But the airport staff came… they told us the flight you were supposed to be on crashed, that all the passengers were dead. I thought you were fucking dead! Do you think I’d be crying this much just because I had to wait a few more hours?”

Theron’s eyes widened, and his gaze flickered toward Lola as if silently asking for help.

“If something was wrong, you could have communicated with me,” I continued, my voice breaking, “instead of leaving me hanging like this.”

“I didn’t know,” he said softly, his voice earnest. “There was an emergency at the airport. They needed a doctor. I had to stay behind to attend to a girl—it was a delicate resuscitation. I couldn’t leave it to the paramedics, and I felt she might not make it to the hospital. I missed my flight because of it, and the airport rebooked me on the next one.”

I sniffled, and his thumb gently brushed across my cheek, wiping away the tears.

“I would have called you,” he continued, “but during all the chaos… my phone broke.”

He slipped his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out his phone, the cracked screen reflecting the explanation he gave.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to worry you.” He held my face delicately in his hands. “I am sorry.”

I was about to say something when a strange, warm sensation spread through my stomach, followed by a wet trickle between my legs.

“Oh no…” I whispered, staring down at the damp spot forming on my dress before looking up at Theron. “I… I think my water just broke.”

His eyes widened, disbelief flashing across his face as they tracked the wetness. “What? You’re not due for another two weeks!”

“I… I think the baby’s coming,” I muttered, stepping back, my hand instinctively going to my belly as a wave of sudden panic hit me.