apter Twenty
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For a long, breathless moment after the insect was expelled silence gripped the ward. The only sound was the faint ticking of the wall clock and the shallow breathing of Mr. Morritis as he lay motionless on the bed.
Then, suddenly, his eyelids fluttered.
“Grandfather!” Catherine cried out, rushing to his side.
The old man’s eyes opened slowly, clear and steady where once they had been clouded with pain. His chest rose in
a strong, even rhythm. He blinked at the faces crowding above him, then let out a rasping laugh. “Why… why are you all looking at me as if I’ve come back from the grave?”
Gasps erupted.
“He’s awake-!”
“Father!”
“Impossible… it’s a miracle!”
Catherine’s mother collapsed into tears, clutching her husband’s arm as relief poured over her. Marco staggered back, eyes wide with disbelief. Even the once–arrogant doctors stood pale and dumbstruck, unable to reconcile what they had just witnessed.
Catherine gripped her grandfather’s hand tightly, her voice trembling with joy. “You’re alive… you’re really alive. Adrian saved you!”
The old man turned his head, his sharp eyes finding Adrian Though still weak, his gaze carried the weight of a patriarch who had faced death and returned. “You,” he said hoarsely. “You gave me back my life. I will not forget this.”
Adrian inclined his head slightly, his expression calm. “Your recovery is temporary. The poison’s root has been driven out for now, but we must be cautious. What I expelled was not a parasite… it was a curse.”
A hush fell over the ward.
“A… curse?” Catherine’s father repeated, frowning deeply.
Adrian’s eyes darkened. “Yes. That insect was no natural creature. It was bred from malicious energy and hidden inside his body to feed on his life force. Someone placed it there deliberately. This was no illness–this was murder, wrapped in shadows.”
The family erupted into murmurs of shock and outrage.
“Who would dare target us this way?”
“A curse… this is beyond belief!”
“Which enemy would stoop so low?”
But Catherine’s voice cut above them all, sharp with fury. “Whoever it was… I will find them. And I will make them pay.”
Her eyes, blazing with resolve, shifted toward Dr. Blaine Corvus’s disciple–the very one who had mocked Adrian minutes earlier. The young man’s face had gone deathly pale, his throat bobbing as he tried to shrink into the crowd.
“You.” Catherine’s voice was ice. “You said you would eat if Adrian drew it out. Do you think I forgot?”
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The disciple stammered, backing away. “M–Miss Moretti, that was just a joke! Surely you don’t mean-”
“Eat it,” Catherine ordered, her voice like a whip. “You mocked him, mocked my family, and mocked the man who saved my grandfather’s life. You made a vow in front of us all. Now keep it.”
The ward went still. All eyes fell on the trembling youth.
Dr. Corvus stepped forward, his face contorted with anger. Miss Moretti, surely you can’t expect–
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“Silence!” Catherine snapped, her glare slicing into him. “You disgraced yourself by nearly killing my grandfather with your arrogance. You have no right to speak.”
Her words struck like thunder. Even her uncles, who had doubted her earlier, stood frozen, staring at her with newfound respect.
The disciple shook his head frantically, sweat dripping down his temples. “No… I can’t… I’ll be sick-”
But Adrian’s calm voice cut in, cold and sharp. “Then you should have thought twice before using your mouth to insult others. Now use it to honor your word.”
The disciple’s knees buckled. Under the crushing weight of Catherine’s glare and the murmurs of the family, he finally dropped to the floor. His hand shook violently as he scooped up the still–twitching insect. With a choked sob, he crushed it between his palms, the foul stench filling the room.
“Eat it,” Catherine repeated.
Tears streaking down his face, the disciple shoved the squirming mass into his mouth and gagged violently as he forced it down. Nurses turned away in disgust. Marco muttered, half–horrified and half–thrilled, “Serves him right.”
The ward buzzed with uneasy whispers as the disciple collapsed, retching on the floor.
But Catherine wasn’t finished. Her gaze shifted to Dr. Corvus himself. “And you,” she said coldly. “You nearly killed him by pulling out those needles. You dared to slander the man who saved him. Do you think you can walk away unpunished?”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
