?Chapter 686:

    “For now, there’s nothing specific,” she said. “Just be nearby. If anything happens, I’ll act fast—but I need you close.”

    They both nodded, without question or doubt.

    Elliana readied the final injection, her fingers steady but her heart anything but. She turned to Cole and whispered, “It’s time. Lie down on the bed.”

    But Cole didn’t move. He remained where he had sat since dawn—on the edge of the sofa, untouched food growing cold beside him, water left untouched. A stillness clung to him like a mourning cloth. He looked less like a man preparing for healing and more like one resigned to the end.

    The silence in the room was thick and brittle, no one daring to speak.

    Cole’s eyes locked onto the vial in her hand—so small, so deceptively fragile. His fists curled, knuckles white, the corners of his eyes rimmed red. That vial held the key to a future he could no longer see clearly—a future where he might forget everything, even himself. The thought broke something inside him.

    Elliana stepped closer, her voice a gentle tether. “You promised me you wouldn’t give up.”

    His eyes squeezed shut, pain flickering across his face like lightning behind clouds.

    “Grandpa… Dad…” His voice barely carried. “Can you give us a moment?”

    Ruben and Jarrett left without protest, the door shutting quietly behind them.

    Cole opened his arms. “Elliana. Come here.”

    She set the vial down and crossed the room without hesitation, settling onto hisp as his arms enveloped her in a desperate, protective hold. His hand found its way to her lower stomach, fingers trembling slightly as they brushed the fabric.

    “Are you pregnant?”

    The question was barely spoken, fragile as breath, like a dying monarch asking if his kingdom would live on through an heir. Hope cracked through his voice—raw, aching, terrified.

    Elliana felt her chest tighten, her throat burn. This was meant to be a cure, yet it felt achingly like a farewell. She swallowed hard, her voice gentle but resolute. “It’s too soon to tell.”

    She could read signs others couldn’t—feel pulses most missed—but even her gift had its limits. Conception within the past ten days was beyond her. Still, every intimate moment they’d shared had brought new hope. It was beautifully possible that she might have a little one, less than ten days old, growing inside her.

    Cole drew her in tighter, as if holding her could keep the fear at bay. And then, with his breath against her skin, he spoke—and what he said took the ground right out from under her.

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    “Elliana, how about we start thinking of names for our children?” Cole asked, his voice a gentle thread in the quiet between them.

    The questionnded softly—but hit Elliana like thunder. They hadn’t even confirmed a pregnancy, yet he spoke as though their future was already unfolding, as though he could see their childrenughing in the sunlit corners of a tomorrow he might never reach.

    Her chest tightened. She looked at him—hope shining faintly in his eyes, the shadow of a smile ying on his lips—and felt sorrow rise like a tide inside her. If only she had developed the perfect medication, he wouldn’t be standing on the edge of this cliff, uncertain whether his memories might be altered or erased, potentially making him an entirely different person. She med herself for that. The self-reproach sank its ws deep, swallowing hesitation whole.

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