Chapter 9 - The Miracle and the MonsterJust as Dr. Vance lowered her hands, shaking her head slowly with a look of absolute defeat, the monitor let out a sudden, violent stutter.
Thump.
A single, jagged green spike shot up across the screen.
Then another.
Thump-thump.
The pulse oximeter blinked back to life. A steady, rhythmic heartbeat filled the room once more, slow and weak, but undeniable. Leo’s chest rose in a deep, shuddering gasp as oxygen flooded back into his brain.
"We got him back," a nurse whispered, letting out a heavy sob of relief. "Vitals are stabilizing. The cellular integration... it’s holding. The boy’s immune system is accepting the second sequence."
I collapsed against the side of the bed, burying my face in the blankets next to Leo’s hand, weeping tears of sheer exhaustion and overwhelming relief. He was alive. My baby was breathing.
When I finally lifted my head, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand, I noticed Nico.
He was standing near the door, leaning heavily against the wall. The extraction had taken a severe toll on him; his face was stark white, slick with cold sweat, and his right hand was clamped tightly over his left arm where blood was slowly seeping through the white gauze bandage.
"You did it," I said, my voice hollow, devoid of anger, leaving only a vast, empty wasteland of grief. "You saved him. Because he’s your creation."
Nico pushed himself off the wall, walking slowly toward the door. He didn't look like a victorious conqueror anymore. He looked like a man who had won the battle only to realize he had burned his entire kingdom to the ground.
"I told you, Claire," Nico said quietly, his hand resting on the brass door handle. "I would burn the world to keep him alive. And I would burn it again to keep you by my side."
"I'll never forgive you, Nico," I whispered, my voice steady and cold as ice. "You can keep your penthouse, your money, and your empire. But I am filing for absolute termination of parental rights tomorrow morning. You’ll never see either of us again."
May you like
Nico stopped, his hand tightening on the handle. He didn't turn around.
"Try it, darling," he murmured, his voice sending a final shiver down my spine. "See what happens when you try to take away the only thing keeping my heart beating."
