Scarlett stepped up to the bed and pressed her hand lightly to Theo’s forehead.
Her expression changed instantly.
Too hot.
Even worse than yesterday.
She turned to Theron. “Has his fever not gone down at all?”
Theron’s jaw tightened. He shook his head.
“No. That’s why I had him brought here like this.” His voice lowered slightly. “The doctors said if this keeps up… he might not make it.”
Scarlett didn’t respond right away.
She turned sharply toward Dr. Nyx.
“You heard him, old man. What are you standing around for? Do something.”
Old man?
Not “doctor.” Not “sir.”
Just a casual jab-almost impatient.
Theron’s gaze shifted to her, sharper now.
She could outdrive Rhys.
Take down nearly a hundred trained guards with her bare hands.
And speak to a man like Dr. Nyx as if they were equals.
Who exactly… was she?
He’d known from the beginning she wasn’t ordinary.
It wasn’t just because she saved Theo.
And it wasn’t just her looks.
There was something else-
If he had to put it into words…
It felt like fate.
A faint sound broke the silence.
Theo stirred.
Slowly, his eyes fluttered open.
His vision was blurry, unfocused-
But somehow, he still recognized her.
“…Mommy…”
His voice was hoarse. Weak.
His small hand lifted, trembling, and clutched at her sleeve, as if afraid she might disappear.
Scarlett froze.
The word hit harder than she expected.
She remembered what she told him yesterday-
That boys don’t cry.
And now he was holding it in, even like this.
Tears welled in his eyes but didn’t fall.
Her chest tightened.
She turned her hand and held his, fully this time.
It was small.
Soft.
And burning hot.
The heat seeped into her skin-
And straight into her chest.
Uncomfortable.
No-
Painful.
“…Mommy… don’t leave…” Theo whispered, voice barely audible. “I’ll be good… I’ll listen… I’ll do whatever you say… just don’t go… please…”
Each word came out broken, fragile.
It hit her harder than anything else that day.
Scarlett’s throat tightened.
Her eyes stung.
“Alright,” she said softly, brushing his hair back. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She repeated it, quieter this time.
“I’m right here.”
Theo’s grip loosened slightly.
A faint smile appeared on his pale face as he leaned into her touch, almost like a kitten seeking warmth.
Safe.
Content.
For him, this moment-
Was everything.
Off to the side, Dr. Nyx checked his pulse, but his attention kept drifting back to them.
Something about this didn’t add up.
The way the kid clung to her.
The way she responded without hesitation.
Too natural.
Too close.
And that “Mommy”-
Yeah… something was definitely going on here.
But now wasn’t the time.
His focus shifted back to the boy.
And then-
His expression changed.
Sharply.
He slipped his stethoscope into place, his expression darkening.
“Who the hell did this?” he snapped.
The room stilled.
His voice turned cold.
“This isn’t just a fever.”
He looked up, eyes hard.
“He’s been poisoned.”
Scarlett’s head snapped toward Theron.
“Who did it?”
His expression darkened immediately, his voice turning cold.
“His mother.”
Scarlett froze.
“His… mother?”
Disbelief filled her eyes.
A mother had poisoned her own child?
“How could she do something like that?” Scarlett asked, her fists tightening at her sides.
She had lost her own child-lost them forever.
And this woman had chosen to harm her own.
He was just a kid.
Whatever hatred she carried should’ve been directed at adults, not him.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.