Chapter 237

The moment Evelyn Carter arrived at the hospital with Liam Blackwood, the ICU waiting area was already overflowing with Blackwood family members. Their expressions were grim, their shoulders heavy with unspoken dread.

Donovan Blackwood hadn't stepped foot in the family estate for five years. Now his return came at the brink of death.

Eleanor Blackwood had collapsed in hysterics outside the emergency room and had to be sedated in a private ward with IV fluids.

Earlier, Donovan had been delivered to the hospital by two plainclothes officers. Evelyn didn't need explanations to understand the gravity of the situation.

The surgery lasted over six grueling hours. It wasn't until dawn's first light that the lead surgeon finally emerged. The Blackwoods swarmed him immediately, desperate for news.

The surgeon's face was drawn with exhaustion. He removed his surgical cap with trembling hands. "We've done all we can. The patient remains in critical condition in the ICU. At this point, his survival depends entirely on his own will to live."

Richard Blackwood's knees buckled. Gregory Lynch caught him before he hit the floor. The patriarch's face turned ashen, decades of grief carving fresh lines across his weathered features.

Though the doctor's words offered a sliver of hope, everyone knew the odds were stacked impossibly against Donovan. The chances of him waking up were negligible at best.

Richard sank to his knees, pressing his forehead against the cold hospital tiles. Silent sobs wracked his broad frame. Evelyn had never witnessed the formidable Blackwood patriarch in such a broken state. Liam's brothers swallowed their own grief to comfort their father, their eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Evelyn and her sisters-in-law stood helplessly by, their hearts aching. All they could offer were silent prayers for Donovan's survival through this darkest night.

Liam remained eerily composed. After hearing the prognosis, he followed the medical team to the ICU viewing window.

Through the glass, Donovan lay motionless, his body a landscape of tubes and bandages. The heart monitor beeped erratically, its jagged lines mirroring the turmoil in Liam's chest.

Nurses moved like ghosts around the bed, constantly adjusting machines and checking vitals.

Liam stood frozen, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. Tears burned behind his eyes, but something darker simmered beneath - a rage so profound it threatened to consume him.

Donovan had secretly enrolled in the police academy against their parents' vehement objections. He'd refused every bribe, every threat, every ultimatum.

"I'm not afraid of dying," Donovan had told them that final night. "I'm only afraid of dying for nothing. Who will keep our family safe if everyone runs from danger?"

Two plainclothes officers approached Liam hesitantly. The older one extended a simple silver ring with trembling fingers. "We thought you should have this," he said hoarsely.

Liam's vision blurred as he took the bloodstained band. "This is Donovan's?"

The younger officer nodded, wiping his eyes. "Six days ago, when Donovan realized his cover was blown, he sent us one last message. Told us to retrieve this ring if...when we found him. Said to give it to his first love."

"We don't know who that might be," the older officer added. "Thought you'd know, being his brother. Maybe you could...fulfill that wish for him?"

Veins bulged along Liam's neck. His bloodshot eyes burned with homicidal fury. "Six days?" The words scraped from his throat like broken glass.

Both officers nodded, their professional composure crumbling. "Those animals kept him alive for six days," the younger one choked out. "They hung him from the ceiling and...God, the things they did..."

Liam couldn't bear another word. He spun and drove his fist into the concrete wall with a roar that echoed through the sterile hospital corridollars. The impact left his knuckles raw and bleeding, but he welcomed the pain - anything to distract from the images now seared into his mind.