Chapter 0836
Peter felt like he was floating in water–drifting in an endless pool, weightless, lost.
He wanted to move.
He needed to understand what was happening.
The last thing he remembered was arriving drunk at the hotel–but he hadn’t been alone.
He and Marcus had gone out for a business dinner, and afterward, a pair of long legs and dark, silky hair had crossed his path.
He had said goodbye to his friend, left with that stunning woman, and then-
Nothing.
A pounding headache clawed at his skull.
‘What the hell is happening? Where am I? I swear, I’m never drinking that much whiskey again. Dammit, my head feels like someone smashed it with a baseball bat.
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“Tomorrow morning, first thing, I’m going for a run. That damn alcohol was probably spiked. It’s happened before. Marcus is probably suffering the same hangover right now.
‘Wait… where’s the woman? What was her name again? Shit–I don’t even remember.
‘Damn it! I think I’m getting old.‘
Peter tried to clear his mind, but then-
He heard sobbing.
Faint voices.
Muffled words.
He couldn’t understand what they were saying, but something about them felt… wrong.
He tried to lift a hand to his temple, but-
Nothing.
His arms wouldn’t move.
It was like they were glued to the water around him.
‘What the fuck? What the hell is happening?!‘
Panic surged through him as he struggled to sit up, but his body refused to obey.
Then-
A voice.
A voice that sent a sharp chill through his soul.
“Please… please, God… don’t take him. Give me strength. He can’t leave. He’s going to be a father…
“I can’t be alone. Our children deserve to know their father. Peter… you have to wake up. You’re going to be a father and a grandfather… You can’t leave us!”
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Chapter 0836
Peter’s breath caught.
That voice…
Why did it sound so familiar?
‘What the fuck is going on? The last thing I remember, I made it to my hotel room. That woman and I kept drinking. We had sex. And now–what? Where the hell is she?
‘Did she drug me?
‘That bitch! My documents–no, wait. Everything important is in the safe. She probably only took some cash. Fuck it. That’s the least of my problems right now.
‘I swear, if I ever find her-‘
But his rage was interrupted by more voices.
Strangers.
Talking about him.
“Doctor Wagner, what’s happening? The monitor showed some activity. Did he react?”
“Mrs. Palmer, even in his current state, he can have small reactions, but that doesn’t mean he’s recovering. We’ve been monitoring his brain activity, and there’s no sign of improvement.”
‘What the hell? Who are these people?
‘Grandma Catherine? Did I get into an accident?
‘No–that can’t be it. I was in New York, meeting with Bartz to close some deals. Everything went perfectly. And then we got drunk… and then…‘
A new voice.
Soft, desperate.
“Doctor Wagner… please. We can’t disconnect him.”
A woman’s voice.
A pleading voice.
A name was spoken.
“Miss Celeste… I’ve told you before. You have to consider letting him go. It’s been too long.”
‘Celeste? Who the fuck is Celeste?‘
“No! I already told you–he’s going to wake up!”
‘Disconnect me? From what?‘
A terrible, sinking feeling settled in Peter’s gut.
‘Something’s wrong.
‘Something’s really fucking wrong.‘
“Miss Celeste… you have to accept it. Mr. Palmer’s brain swelling has gone down, but there’s still no sign of
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Chapter 0836
recovery.”
“I don’t care! As long as his heart is still beating, I won’t allow anyone to pull the plug. He has the money to stay in this hospital as long as it takes. Days, months, years–I don’t care. I’ll wait until he wakes up!”
Peter froze.
“That’s right, baby. Whoever you are, you better fight for me.
‘Because if they pull that damn plug, I’m dead.
‘I don’t know what happened, but I know it’s bad. I’m not drunk. I’m not hallucinating. Something happened to
me.‘
Dr. Wagner sighed.
He had been monitoring Peter’s brain activity for weeks, and every test showed the same hopeless results.
Four weeks in a coma.
Four weeks of nothing.
Celeste refused to give up.
She couldn’t.
The idea of making a decision–of choosing whether Peter lived or died–was something she wouldn’t accept.
She clutched his hand.
Pressed her forehead to his chest.
“Peter… my love… I need you to wake up. I can’t do this alone. Our babies and I–we need you. Alden and Serenity need you. Ethan misses you. And me… I—I don’t know what I’d do without you. Please, Peter… don’t leave me.” Tears slipped down her face, soaking into the fabric of his hospital gown.
Every day, she did this.
Every day, she listened to his heart.
Because as long as it was beating-
She had hope.
Peter heard her.
And something inside him shifted.
“That voice…‘
‘I know that voice.
‘She’s talking about babies… about people I don’t know… but some of those names sound familiar.
‘Alden. Serenity. Ethan. Why do those names sound so damn familiar?‘
He tried to move again.
Nothing.
Tried to speak.
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Chapter 0836
Nothing.
Tried to wake up.
Nothing.
But then-
A thought exploded in his mind.
‘I’m Peter Palmer. I don’t fucking die like this. If something happened to me, I need to know what it was.
‘I need to wake the fuck up.”
His entire being fought.
The pressure around him–the weight, the suffocating pull of whatever was keeping him trapped-
He forced himself through it.
Pushed.
Struggled.
Until-
His eyes snapped open.
For the first time in weeks, he saw light.
Blurry figures.
A woman beside him.
Tears on her cheeks.
Shaking hands over her lips.
And the first words that left his mouth-
Rough. Strained. Barely above a whisper.
But clear enough.
“Who… are you?”
