Chapter 189

Chapter 189

He suddenly sat up straight, staring at the person writhing in agony before him. It felt like an invisible hand had reached into his chest and crushed his heart.

The pain nearly stopped his breath.

"It hurts... Lucas, it hurts so much..."

Angela clutched the fabric over her chest, her nails digging almost into her own skin.

All the strength and warmth she'd shown during the day shattered completely in this moment.

For the first time in front of Lucas, she cried like a desperate child, tears pouring down her face. "Please... give me sleeping pills... let me die... let me die... it hurts so much..."

"Angela, stop saying that. Don't you dare say that!" Lucas frantically reached over and slammed the emergency call button on the headboard.

The on-call doctor and nurses rushed in and quickly checked her vitals.

"This is a cytokine release syndrome triggered by the CAR-T cells. It's a normal reaction. She just needs to get through tonight, and once the cells start working, it'll get better."

The doctor spoke to Lucas with a grave expression while skillfully drawing medication into a syringe.

"I've already given her the maximum dose of painkillers, but this kind of bone pain is very hard to fully control. Family members should keep talking to her, try to distract her, and whatever you do, don't let her give up the will to fight."

The cold fluid slowly dripped through the IV line into Angela's body. But that supposedly powerful painkiller seemed completely useless right now.

The pain left Angela barely conscious. She thrashed and rolled across the bed in agony. With nowhere to channel it, in the depths of her suffering, she suddenly opened her mouth and bit down hard on her own slender arm.

"Angela, no!"

Lucas's pupils snapped tight. He completely panicked.

Without thinking, he yanked her arm away and shoved his own forearm into her mouth without a second's hesitation.

"Bite me! Angela, if it hurts, bite me!" he shouted, his eyes red.

Angela had already lost all reason to the pain. On pure instinct, she clamped down hard on whatever was in her mouth.

Her sharp teeth tore straight through his expensive shirt and sank deep into the muscle of his forearm.

Blood ran down his arm in a slow trail, staining the white sheets red.

But Lucas didn't even flinch.

He just wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her trembling body close, letting her take out every bit of her pain on him.

"Angela, I know you're hurting even more than this... aren't you?" Lucas finally let his tears fall.

"I'm sorry... just hold on a little longer. Do it for me. Please... don't leave me here alone..."

He pressed his lips to her ear again and again, begging her over and over.

"God, please... give me my wife back. If you have to punish someone, punish me. Please..."

This man who had dominated the business world without ever bowing to anyone was now, in this moment, sending the most desperate plea he had ever made to God.

It was going to be a long, brutal night.

Angela couldn't sleep at all. Every time a new wave of pain crashed over her, the only thing that gave her any relief was biting down on Lucas.

And Lucas just held her. Let her bite him. Let her claw at him.

But his arms stayed warm and steady the whole time, never pulling away.

He stayed with her through the entire night, wiping the cold sweat from her skin over and over, and in the brief moments when the pain eased slightly, he used a cotton swab to gently wet her cracked lips.

Then, as the first light of dawn crept in, the illness that had ravaged her all night seemed to finally wear itself out and slowly began to retreat.

Angela collapsed against Lucas's chest, drenched in sweat and completely drained. Her ragged breathing gradually slowed and steadied.

She drifted between sleep and waking, her eyes barely open, her vision blurry.

She felt a hand resting on her forehead — slightly rough with calluses, but incredibly warm.

She followed that hand up and found Lucas's face, hollow and exhausted.

Then she looked lower, at his arm — torn up by her teeth, hastily wrapped in gauze that was already bleeding through.

Something slammed hard into her chest.

She had once believed his heart was cold iron, impervious to all her warmth.

But last night, he had pulled her back with his own blood and tears.

Looking at him now, at how he looked like he would have gladly died in her place, Angela felt the hardest, coldest part of herself finally melt away completely.

This time, she didn't push him away. Instead, she tilted her head slightly and rested her cheek softly against his warm palm.

Lucas went still. He saw that she was awake.

He almost broke down crying again.

One month later.

After surviving several terrifying rounds of cytokine storms, Angela's treatment finally showed real signs of progress.

Her blood counts were slowly climbing. Color had returned to her face. Every day she seemed a little stronger than the last.

Today happened to be Christmas Eve.

The noise and celebration from across the ocean came through the small screen of her phone.

"Angela, Merry Christmas!"

The moment the video call connected, Frances's bright face filled the screen.

Edward and Richard were right there beside her.

"Seeing you looking this good, we can finally breathe again!" Frances said, smiling with tears in her eyes.

"Angela, hurry up and get better. We're all waiting for you!"

Angela looked at the familiar faces on the screen and smiled warmly. "I will. Wait for me."

"Angela! Merry Christmas! I'm waiting for you to come back!"

The screen shifted to Alan.

They seemed to be having a Christmas dinner together.

His face had lost some of its boyish softness, but the hope and worry in his eyes were impossible to hide.

Seeing Angela smiling and talking, Alan finally unclenched his fist.

"Merry Christmas, Alan," Angela said softly, looking at him with nothing but fondness.

But the gentleness Alan showed Angela vanished the instant he caught a glimpse of Lucas's sleeve at the edge of the frame.

He stared through the screen and delivered his usual cold warning: "Lucas, you better listen up. My sister is finally getting better. If you let her suffer even a little, or if you slack off taking care of her, I swear I will make sure you never see her again for the rest of your life."

Lucas, sitting nearby peeling an apple, paused at that.

He glanced up, let out a cold snort, and said with his usual air of arrogance, "Alan, worry about your own problems first. Have you cleaned up that mess with the Garcia family yet? Stay out of my business."

"You!" Alan's face went dark with fury.

Seeing these two about to go at each other again the moment they laid eyes on each other, Angela felt a throbbing in her temples and quickly cut in. "Alright, alright. Alan, it's getting late. Go have dinner. Talk later!"

And she hung up.