Day Eighty-Eight...
In her room, Monica continued monitoring Jane, Nathan, and Ethan through her laptop. She was laughing from time to time, satisfied with the scene she was witnessing right now.
"This is so fulfilling, watching Phantomflake crumble. She feels so hopeless and desperate. I won! Haha! I won!" Monica mumbled triumphantly.
She raised her glass of wine, a gesture of celebration before drinking it.
However, it did not take long before she heard a series of banging knocks outside her door.
"Madam! Madam! Are you there? This is urgent!"
Monica frowned in annoyance because of this sudden interruption.
"Come in!"
Her underling didn't waste any more time as he pushed the door open.
"Madam! We have a big problem. We are under attack! Some armed men infiltrated our mansion. You have to escape now!" He informed her with urgency.
Monica's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell?! Who are they?"
Monica didn't know who betrayed her. It was either Nathan or Jane.
"Are they members of the Sawada Clan or the Syphiruz Mafia?" Monica asked her underling as she stood up. She immediately grabbed a gun inside her bedside drawer.
"No, Madam. They are members of the King Stallion Mafia... headed by Phoenix. It looks like the King is also here..."
Monica's expression turned grim as soon as she heard that.
'Damn you, Phantomflake! Vincent came here to rescue you!' Monica tightened her grip on her gun while clenching her teeth.
She was overly jealous and mad at Jane since Vincent went there to rescue her.
"I changed my mind! I can no longer let her live! I must eliminate Phantomflake, so that Vincent will come back to me!" Monica mumbled through gritted teeth.
"Madam! That's not good. We have to leave now. Our men are being dominated. We are being surrounded. We should escape now." The man tried to convince Monica to flee.
"Can you promise me that you will take care of your mommy... on my behalf?"
At that certain moment, Ethan had already sensed that his father would sacrifice himself since there was only one antidote.
Ethan shook his head in denial, his heart sank at his father's words. "Dad, don't say that... I... I don't want to lose you... If you leave, Mommy will also cry..."
"I don't want to see her cry... and I don't want you to die either..." Ethan sniffed, tears welling up in his eyes.
Jane didn't know what to say anymore. She was running out of time. She had to choose between Ethan and Nathan, yet she couldn't do it.
But unknown to Jane, Nathan took the syringe of the antidote inside her pocket. He had seen Monica, placing the antidote in Jane's pocket. He didn't want her to carry the weight of choosing between Ethan and him. He would do it for Jane.
Before Jane and Ethan could react, Nathan already injected the antidote into Ethan's shoulder.
"Dad... what is that..." Ethan's voice cracked when he realized what he had just received from Nathan. "NOOO!" Ethan screamed in disbelief, punching his father's chest. "Why did you do that! Why?"
Jane was rendered speechless as she froze in her spot. Nathan did it without telling her. Her palm instinctively traced her pocket. Her eyes widened when she learned that the antidote was no longer there.
Jane fell back as if every ounce of her energy was drained from her.
Nathan just hugged Ethan tightly, stopping him. "Son, this time. You have to be strong and be with your mother. I will leave this important task with you. Promise me that you will always love her and protect her."
Still crying in Nathan's arms, Ethan nodded in response. "Dad... I..." with the complicated emotions in his heart, Ethan couldn't finish his sentence.
"Mommy, can we save Dad?" Ethan looked at Jane, desperately asking her. "What can we do to save Dad?"
Jane couldn't find the strength to speak. Her throat tightened, and all she could do was cover her trembling mouth as sobs wracked her body.
The tears streamed down her face, her vision blurred with helplessness. She didn't know how to save Nathan. There was no time left.
Seeing the despair in her eyes, Nathan gently pulled her and their son into his arms. He held them close, as though trying to memorize this very last moment. Then he planted a soft kiss on Jane's forehead, lingering for a second longer than usual.
"Jane, I have loved you all my life. You and Ethan are my responsibility. Allow me to protect you this time. I regretted those moments when I was the one who hurt you in the past. This is also my way of redeeming myself... my retribution... for killing your comrades. Don't be sad... because I'm paying for my sin.
My death..." He whispered, his voice filled with sorrow.
Jane looked up at him, her tears still flowing, her heart breaking. She wanted to scream, to stop the time, but she knew she could no longer change anything.