Chapter 478

"Evelyn, Evelyn..." Alexander's voice cut through the haze. His sharp eyes had been tracking her every movement, and strong arms caught her just as her knees buckled.

The world tilted dangerously as darkness threatened to swallow Evelyn whole.

Across the room, Sophia's wails filled the sterile hospital air, her grief too all-consuming to notice Evelyn's collapse.

"Harrison," Alexander commanded with controlled urgency, "attend to Ms. Grant."

With a silent nod, Harrison moved to Sophia's side, his steady hands bracing her shaking shoulders.

Alexander swept Evelyn into his arms, his long strides eating up the corridor. "We need a doctor! She's unconscious!"

"You murdered your parents!"

"It's all your fault!"

"Why do you get to live when they're dead? You're cursed!"

"Daddy! Mommy! Please don't go! No—"

The voices swirled around Evelyn like toxic smoke. Familiar yet foreign. The visions came in fractured pieces - distorted faces, shattering glass, flames licking at bloodied features. The scenes pulsed at the edges of her consciousness, always just beyond comprehension.

"Daddy! Mommy! Stay with me—"

"Ah!" Evelyn jolted upright, her scream tearing through the white room. The clinical brightness of the hospital ceiling burned her retinas, washing away the crimson nightmare. Her chest heaved as cold sweat trickled down her temples.

"You're awake!" Alexander's voice snapped her back to reality. His face hovered inches away, stormy eyes dark with concern. "Nightmares?"

The familiar planes of his face anchored her. Evelyn managed a weak nod, her throat raw as desert sand. "Water..."

Alexander pressed a glass to her lips before she finished speaking. She drank greedily, the cool liquid soothing her parched throat.

"More?" he asked when she came up for air. Evelyn shook her head, collapsing back onto the pillows. Fragments of the dream still danced behind her eyelids - terrifying yet strangely nostalgic, like half-remembered childhood trauma.

"The doctor said you collapsed from shock," Alexander murmured, his fingers gently carding through her damp hair. "Any pain? Dizziness?"

"Just... tired." Evelyn swallowed hard before remembering. "Sophia—is she—?"

"Harrison's with her. The nurses moved her mother to the mortuary. Funeral arrangements will begin soon." Alexander's steady voice provided unexpected comfort. At least Sophia wouldn't face this horror alone.

Evelyn exhaled shakily. "I came to support her, and ended up being the patient. How pathetic—"

"Stop." Alexander tucked the crisp hospital blankets around her with surprising tenderness. "Sophia understands. Right now, focus on resting. The doctors want to monitor you overnight. If all's well, we leave tomorrow."

His hand lingered on her shoulder, an uncharacteristic gesture that spoke volumes. For the first time since waking, Evelyn felt the tension leave her body. The nightmares could wait. Right now, Alexander's silent vigil was all the security she needed.