The Grim Sovereign

Chapter 23

I Hours passed like years until at last the doors swung open. A doctor emerged, his mask hanging loose, his eyes were heavy.

Aria bolted to her feet, storming him. “What happened to my son?!” she cried, clutching his sleeve.

“Ma’am, please—” he tried to calm her, but she ripped his hand away, screaming,

“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down! Tell me what happened to my Liam!”

The doctor’s gaze shifted to me. “Are you the father?”

I swallowed hard, standing tall though my knees wanted to buckle. “Yes… of course, I’m his father. Tell me what happened to my son.”

Then suddenly the ICU doors pushed open wider. My stomach turned. Liam was wheeled out on a stretcher, his head was wrapped in thick white bandages, and the sheets were drenched with blood. The blood was so much. His small chest rose shallowly under the machines. He looked half alive, half gone.

Aria screamed, lunging forward. “My baby!” She tried to grab him, but I pulled her back, holding her tightly even as she kicked and wailed in my arms. Tears blurred my vision, but I forced my voice steady. “Doctor… tell us. Now. What happened to our son?”

The doctor exhaled and gestured for us to follow. “Please… my office.”

We followed him, silent except for Aria’s sobs echoing down the sterile corridor. Inside his office, he flicked on a screen, medical scans flashing to life.

He pointed with his pen. “The bullet entered here—through the frontal bone.” He traced the glowing image where Liam’s skull had been breached. “It fractured the left frontal lobe and penetrated into the cerebral cortex.”

Aria gasped, her nails digging into my arm.

“The operation stabilized him,” the doctor continued. “But… the projectile damaged neural tissue. We fear possible memory loss, motor impairment… and post-traumatic complications. When he wakes—if he wakes—his condition will have to be assessed carefully.”

Aria broke. Her cry shattered the sterile silence of the room. She fell to her knees, covering her face. My heart clenched, but I crouched and wrapped my arms around her. I was whispering to her, "We’ll get through this… I promise. He’ll fight. He’s strong—just like you.”

When we stepped out of the office, the quiet was gone. The hospital lobby was swarmed with flashing cameras. Reporters barked questions like vultures.

“Mr. Kael, we heard about your son—how is he?”

“Do you think this is retaliation from people you wronged?”

“Is this connected to the comrades you allegedly betrayed?”

Allegedly. My fists curled. Even now, they still believed the lies. That I had killed my own brothers-in-arms. How gullible.

I opened my mouth to answer when a new commotion rippled through the crowd. “The former Prime Minister, Dr. Carroway Milton of Black Spire, has arrived!”

Heads turned. The sea of people parted as Milton walked in, flanked by his towering aide and Jessica. He carried himself with polished arrogance, but his bow to us was low. He must have rehearsed it so well.

“My deepest sympathies,” Milton said smoothly. “I am truly sorry for what happened to your boy.”

His words bounced off me like stones on steel.

“I assure you,” he continued, “from this moment, Liam will receive the best treatment available. My personal resources are at your disposal.”

I scoffed, stepping close, locking eyes with him. “Tell me, Milton—can you swear you had no hand in this?”

He tilted his head, smile faint. “Understandable, Kael. You’re grieving, desperate for someone to blame. I won’t take offense.” He was twisting it, framing me as unstable before the cameras. Clever bastard.

“Really,” I muttered. “We’ll see about that.” I turned, guiding Aria away.

Later, I found a quiet café for her. She sat hunched over the cup I’d bought, her hands were trembling around it. I sat beside her, watching the tremor in her lip.

“Kael…” her voice was small. “You never told me about the results before.”

I looked into her red, swollen eyes. “Liam is free,” I said firmly. “He doesn’t carry the psychopath gene.”

Her body sagged, then she broke again, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I didn’t know… God, Kael, I thought—how could I think my own son was a monster? I’ll never forgive myself.”

I pulled her against me, stroking her hair. “Enough. None of this is your fault. Everything will be fine. We just need him to wake up.”

Just then, my phone buzzed. *Seraphina Voss.* I answered quickly.

“Kael,” her voice was sharp, urgent. “We checked into what you asked. You were right. We traced the license plate from the attack vehicle. It’s foreign… the payment was made from an account under Milton’s Black Spire holdings.”

I tightened my grip on the phone, teeth grinding. “That bastard is a sly snake.”

“Be careful,” Seraphina warned. “Milton’s influence runs deep. You can’t move against him recklessly. And Kael—there is something you need to know. We’re investigating, there is possible ties between Milton and Malik Radwan.”

Seraphina’s voice lingered cold and sharp in my ear. I clenched the phone tighter.

“Seraphina,” I muttered, my voice was low, “keep me updated about the status. I want every detail—no matter how small.”

There was a pause for a while then she reply, her reply was steady and calm. “No problem, Kael. You’ll have my updates as they come. And… Kael—” her tone softened, “I’m sorry about your son. Truly.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing words out. “...Thank you.” Then I ended the call just before I could show the crack in my voice.

Aria’s voice cut in behind me, trembling but sharp. “Who was that?”

I turned to her slowly. “It was Seraphina.”

Her eyes widened. She stood up so quickly her chair scraped against the café floor. “Kael.” My name left her lips like an accusation.

“Listen to me,” I said, raising my hands, trying to steady her spiraling emotion. “Let me explain how everything is happening—”

But she cut me off, her voice slicing through mine. “Why, Kael?! Why are you still in contact with them? Don’t you remember? Those people nearly cost you your life!”

I breathed hard through my nose, holding her gaze. “I didn’t contact them. They were the ones who reached out to me first.”

Her brows furrowed in confusion, disbelief flickering across her face.

“There are… things,” I continued, softer now, “many things going on that I can’t disclose to you yet. But I promise you, Aria… when all of this settles, I will tell you everything.”

She shook, still angry, still afraid. I knew why—she had every right. After all, those people’s mission had destroyed our family, torn apart everything we once were. Because of them, I’d lost my home, my town, my prestige. And here I was, tied to them again. If I were her… I would hate me too. But I couldn’t stop now. Too many truths were buried. Too many ghosts demanded answers.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her trembling body close. “Trust me, Aria. I’ll explain when the time is right.” She didn’t reply, only cried quietly into my chest.

We returned to the hospital. Liam lay in his bed, pale and still, his little frame hidden beneath wires and tubes. He looked so calm it terrified me. Too calm. We weren’t even allowed close. So we stood at a distance, watching our boy as though he might vanish if we dared breathe too loud.

Then I heard it—my name. “Kael.”

I turned. Darren was there, my brother, walking toward me with his wife at his side. Relief and pain crossed his face as he pulled me into a rough embrace.

“I heard,” Darren said, his voice thick. “I came as soon as I could. Kael… Liam will be alright. He has to be.”

I nodded, voice low. “I believe so.”

We sat later in the hospital restaurant. Neither of us touched the coffee before us. Darren tapped his fingers against the table, his jaw tight before he finally spoke.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “Kael… maybe it’s time you relocated. At least for now. I can talk to my in-laws—they have subsidiaries abroad. You can work there. Lie low, just until this storm passes.”

I shook my head immediately. “I can’t. There are too many businesses, too many threads I need to hold together here. If I run, I only confirm the rumors. Everyone already believes I killed my comrades—that prison was proof enough for them. But the truth is here, Darren. Malik Radwan is here. If I find him, I clear my name.”

Darren leaned forward, eyes fierce. “And for how long are you going to risk your life? Your family’s life? Do you remember the sniper attack, Kael? The very day you were released? And now Liam—God, Kael, do you know who will be next?!”

His words pierced me, sharp and raw.

“You need to let go,” he pressed. “Think of your family first. That’s all that matters.”

I opened my mouth to reply—then the hospital intercom blared to life.

Attention, medical staff to Room 406! Code Blue. Repeat, Code Blue, Room 406!”

My blood turned to ice. Room 406. Liam’s room.

“Liam!” I roared, bolting to my feet.

I ran, Darren’s footsteps pounding after me. The hallway blurred, every breath jagged in my chest.

When I reached the room, Aria’s scream nearly split me in two. She was clutching the edge of the bed, tears streaming, crying Liam’s name over and over. Doctors swarmed, shouting orders, their movements fast and frantic.

“Charge to 200!”

A defibrillator whined, then slammed into Liam’s chest. His small body jerked violently, his head rolling to the side.

“No!” Aria screamed, fighting against the nurse holding her back.

“Again! Clear!”

Another shock. His body arched, then collapsed back into stillness.

I pressed my fist to my mouth, tasting blood where I’d bitten my lip. My knees wanted to give, but I couldn’t—wouldn’t. Not while my boy was fighting for breath, for life.