Romeo Mason lay there, shattered by betrayal and grief, unable to wrap his head around the chaos his life had become. Seeing him so distraught, Paris Walker frowned, frustration sharp in her voice. "Romeo Mason, are you done with this?"

Her friends moved fast, pinning Romeo to the floor with their combined weight.

"Get a grip," Paris snapped. "He's still your brother. If he sees you like this, he'll get all guilty and shut me out for days again."

And just like that, Romeo broke. Held down, he could only scream after Paris as she walked away. "I don't want anything else! I just want my daughter!" he begged, his voice desperate. "Please—give me back my daughter!"

But no matter how much he yelled or begged, Paris didn't so much as glance back.

By the time they finally let him leave the hospital, a whole day had passed. Ignoring his still-raw wounds, Romeo used every last ounce of strength to get home, only to find Everest Mason—usually so composed—holding the baby with obvious disgust, muttering, "Stop crying! All you do is cry! You're driving me crazy!"

That sight cut deeper than any physical wound. Romeo's eyes blazed with fury. He lunged forward and grabbed Everest's arm, desperate to get his daughter back.

"Everest, have you lost your mind?"

Startled, Everest nearly dropped the baby, and Romeo's heart seized with terror. He forced himself to slow down, his voice shaking as he tried to reason with his brother.

"Everest, give me the baby. I don't care about Paris or anything else you want. Just give me back my daughter—please."

"What do you think you're doing, Romeo?"

Paris's voice sliced through the air, low and steady, as she rushed into the room. She immediately stepped in front of Everest, pushing him behind her.

"I told you to leave Everest alone! Do I really need to spell it out for you?" she snapped.

Romeo could barely believe his ears. He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn't come as Everest put on a wounded face, eyes glistening like he'd been deeply wronged.

"Brother, why... why are you doing this?" Everest stammered, shrinking behind Paris with a frightened look.

"I was just trying to help by watching the baby. She wouldn't stop crying, so I gave her a little something to calm her down."

The moment Romeo's eyes landed on that "something," all the color drained from his face. A bottle of sleeping pills sat on the table, and a baby spoon was dusted with white powder.

Ice-cold fear gripped his chest. He looked at his daughter in Everest's arms—her tiny body too limp, her breathing weak, her skin alarmingly pale.

Everest's grip had left marks on her delicate skin: faint red welts and bruises.

In that moment, Romeo felt his heart rip in two. Paris didn't so much as flinch. Her words were as cold as her expression.

"Everest has never taken care of a baby before. It's just a small mistake."

Her dismissive tone pushed Romeo over the edge.

"Giving a newborn sleeping pills is a 'small mistake'?" he screamed, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Paris Walker, would you really protect Everest even if it means letting him hurt your own daughter?!"

Romeo was shaking uncontrollably, lost in a whirlwind of confusion and horror. Just days ago, Everest had tearfully sworn he'd be the best uncle, promising to keep Romeo safe and wishing him well before the blood donation.

And Paris had been right there beside him, whispering to their daughter in the incubator about the day she'd finally come home to both her parents.

Now, all of it felt like a cruel joke.

Paris's face stayed cold. She glanced between their daughter and Everest's reddened eyes, her voice just as icy. "You're scaring Everest."

Her gaze locked on Romeo. "Apologize to Everest. Apologize, and I'll take our daughter to the hospital."

Romeo felt something else shatter inside him. He could hear the threat beneath Paris's calm tone.

"If your little tantrum makes us miss her critical recovery window... think about what you're doing."

That final, damning ultimatum broke him. With a heavy heart, Romeo dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm sorry! I'm the one being unreasonable! I'm the one who's wrong!" he sobbed, his voice cracking as he clutched at Paris's clothes, begging with every broken piece of him.

"I'm begging you... please, just save my daughter!"

Romeo Mason's chest ached as he watched the scene unfold. Paris Walker's face was a mask of irritation and disdain as she glanced at Everest's guilt-stricken expression. She scoffed, slicing through the tension in the room with her decision.

"Let them go," she ordered sharply.

The security guard at the door stepped aside, clearing a path for them. Relief washed over Romeo as he held his daughter close, tears slipping onto her pale face.

"Don't worry... Daddy's taking you to the hospital..."

Hardly aware of the rain that had started falling from the gray sky, Romeo still felt the early-spring chill. He held Eleanor tight, ready to rush toward the waiting car and get her to a doctor, but was suddenly shoved to the ground by the new driver.

"This isn't your ride. The car's reserved for Mr. Walker. Unless you're him, back off," Damien Wallace sneered, mistaking Romeo for some disgraced lover trying to trap Paris into marriage with a kid in the picture.

"Get lost. The longer you stand here, the less time your kid has," Damien added, dripping with contempt.

Romeo looked desperately at Paris, who seemed completely unmoved by the degrading words around them. Her gaze met his for a split second—indifferent.

"If you don't hurry, it'll be too late," she said, casual and cold.

Rain soaked through his clothes and his infected wounds burned. Despair coiled around Romeo's chest, but the sight of Eleanor's worsening condition drove him forward. Shielding her as best he could, he ran toward the hospital, pure urgency pushing every step.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Fatigue blurred his vision, and his legs started to falter. Just before exhaustion could win, Romeo stumbled through the hospital doors.

"Doctor! Somebody help my child! Doctor—"

When Romeo came to, he was in the sterile confines of a hospital room, the sharp smell of antiseptic in the air. Ignoring the pain from his infected wounds, he grabbed the doctor's arm desperately.

"How is my daughter?" he pleaded, his voice shaking as he searched the doctor's eyes for reassurance.

Thankfully, the response was positive. "We managed to save her."

Brief relief washed over him—until the doctor's reproachful look made his stomach drop.

"How could you let such a young child swallow so many sleeping pills?" Jimmy Gonzales scolded. "We managed to pump her stomach just in time, but she's still recovering. She's stable, but still very fragile. She's in the ICU now—go see her."

Every word pierced Romeo's heart. Despite his weakened state, he forced himself out of bed. The corridor stretched endlessly ahead, and the short walk to the ICU felt impossibly long.

At last, he reached the ICU. Through the glass, he saw Eleanor, recovering from her marrow transplant, her tiny body surrounded by machines keeping her fragile life tethered to this world.

His daughter lay beneath a large breathing apparatus, her skin far too pale.

Romeo's eyes blurred with tears. His fists clenched at his sides, his heart cracking under the weight of it all, leaving him unsteady. He stayed there until he heard voices approaching.

"Brother, how is she?"

Paris Walker and Everest Mason had come up behind him, their presence looming. Everest's eyes were red as he approached hesitantly, reaching out to pat Romeo's shoulder.

"I didn't mean it, Romeo. I didn't know you couldn't just give kids random stuff. You can punish me..." Everest murmured.

Paris couldn't stand watching Everest grovel. She stepped forward and took his hand protectively.

"Everest, you meant well. There's no reason to feel guilty," she chided lightly. "As for the child, she's been saved, right? Even if she hadn't been, she was just a nuisance."

Her words lit a fire in Romeo's chest, hot enough to steal his voice. Without thinking, he raised his hand and swung a sharp slap toward Paris.

Smack—

A loud impact, followed by Everest's pained groan. He had thrown himself in front of Paris to shield her, clutching his face, teeth gritted against the pain.

"Brother, it's my fault. Don't blame Paris..." he pleaded quietly.