Chapter 984:

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“Lianne?” His voice came through the speaker.

I opened my mouth. “Ethan, I…”

Before I could finish, a sharp pain tore through me. My fingers went slack, and the phone slipped from my hand, striking the floor with a dull thud.

My knees gave way. I slid down the wall, my vision fading rapidly until everything disappeared into darkness. Just before I lost consciousness, I could still hear Ethan shouting desperately through the phone.

“Lianne? Lianne!”

Ethan’s POV:

Once again, I stood outside the hospital’s emergency room, a heavy sense of dread pressing down on my chest.

The red light above the doors seemed unbearably bright. Every second that passed felt like torture. I leaned against the wall with both hands buried deep in my pockets, my fingers clenched so tightly that my knuckles ached. I didn’t dare look up at that glaring light. I was terrified of what I might see when it finally went out, and even more terrified of facing an outcome I couldn’t bear.

Noah stood beside me, his mouth opening and closing several times. Every time he tried to speak, the cold weight of my silence pressed the words right back down his throat.

After what seemed like an eternity, the red light above the emergency room finally went out.

The doctor stepped through the doors with a medical report in his hand. “How is she?” I immediately hurried over, snatched the report from him, and quickly scanned the results.

Nе𝗐 𝗰𝗵𝖺p𝗍e𝗿s evе𝗋y 𝘸е𝗲𝗄 oո g𝘢𝗹ո𝗈𝘃𝘦𝘭ѕ.𝗰оm

The toxins had already begun affecting Lianne’s kidneys and nervous system.

The words hit me with such force that my chest tightened, leaving me struggling to breathe. The report suddenly felt unbearably heavy in my hands.

Thankfully, Lianne regained consciousness soon afterward.

I rushed into her hospital room and found her lying quietly on the bed. Her face was deathly pale, and even her lips had lost their usual color.

The moment she saw me, she forced a weak smile. “Ethan, I’m okay.”

Anger and heartache twisted together inside me. I stood beside her bed, staring down at her, but for several seconds, I couldn’t force a single word past my lips.

She reached out and lightly tugged on my shirt. “I really am fine. I was just dizzy for a while. I’m much better now.”

I inhaled deeply, forcing down the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. Then I turned toward Noah. “From now on, you’re responsible for everything concerning Lianne’s studio. She isn’t to handle any work until every trace of the toxin has been eliminated from her body.”

Noah immediately nodded. “Understood.”

Lianne opened her mouth, clearly intending to argue, but one stern glance from me made her swallow the protest.

When we left the hospital and headed toward the parking lot, I refused to let her walk. I bent down and carried her myself, unwilling to let her exert even the slightest bit of strength.

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