We Need To Talk The hospital loomed in the distance . Sirens wailed faintly from somewhere ahead as Dylan turned the car toward the emergency entrance . 1 Evelyn held Oliver tighter to her chest , her mind over whelmed by chaos , fear , and desperation . If she lost her son , nothing else mattered . Not even her life . 12 He Is My Son ? Axel said nothing as he opened the car door , his movements precise , deliberate , like a man who had trained himself never to falter . 1 He extended the space for her , allowing Evelyn to slide in with Oliver pressed desperately against her chest . The moment the door closed , Evelyn felt as if the world was collapsing around her . Oliver was unusually quiet , utterly unlike his typically charming and talkative self . He was too pale . His tiny body sagged against her arms , his warmth slipping away with every second . Blood , so much blood , was soaking through her trembling feet , staining her brown culottes , trickling down to her lap . She tried to press on the handkerchief knot on his feet gently , but that only made the blood flow out faster , slipping between his fingers . 1 ' God . No. No , please ... ' She screams in her mind , too frightened to see his wound . This wasn't just a cu t . This was a wound that struck deep , hitting something important ; a vein , an artery . Every beat of his tiny heart was draining him away . She could feel it in the way his pulse faltered beneath her touch . Luckily , his eyes still beamed as he stared at her , as if he wanted to calm her chaotic nerves . ' Don't you dare leave me , Oliver . Don't you dare !! ' She was venting her frustration while holding back her tears . Axel slid into the backseat next to her , with his phone already at his ear . " Hospital , " he ordered , and Dylan , behind the wheel , didn't hesitate , slamming his foot on the gas pedal . The car lurched forward , tires screeching , but Evelyn barely felt it . She was too focused on Oliver , too focused on the way his little chest rose and fell unevenly . His breath was shallow , fragile , as if it could disappear at any second . Axel's gaze flicked toward her , and for a fleeting moment , the mask slipped . His eyes landed on Oliver , on the child's face , pale yet strangely radiant , hazel eyes glazed with pain but still glimmering faintly with life . Axel's own chest tightened . Those eyes . That face . It was impossible to ignore . The boy's face looked exactly like the photo of him when he was around that age . He felt like he was looking at his toddler self . For a second , Axel almost forgot to breathe . The sharp line of his nose , the faint arch of his brows , even the stubborn set of his lips , it was as though he was staring into a mirror of his own childhood . The possibility clawed into his chest before he could stop it . Could it be ? He shook the thought , but it returned instantly , louder , more insistent . Evelyn disappeared four years ago . He was searching for her endlessly . And now here she was , in front of him again , carrying a child about three years old . < 12 He Is My Son ? 10 His child ? " Sir ? " The voice on the other end of the line snapped Axel back . He turned his gaze away from Evelyn , jaw tightening . " Prep the ER now ... Male child , severe blood loss . Foot injury , possible severed vein . We're en route . " His voice was steady , ice - cold , but his knuckles whitened against the phone . Oliver whimpered faintly , a weak , broken sound that shredded Evelyn's soul . Her breath caught in her throat , tears spilling down her face . She wanted to scream , but fear strangled the sound . She pressed her lips to her son's hair , whispering prayers she wasn't sure would be heard . ' If I lose him , I lose everything ... Please God help me .' " We'll be there soon , honey ... please hang in there , okay ? " She lied . She knew the hospital was a thirty - minute drive from her place . Axel's gaze flicked back to them again , his eyes lingering too long . He hated the way his chest felt unsteady , hated the thought that burned in his mind . He had no right to care . No reason to care . Evelyn Walters left without explanation . She was supposed to be nothing ; she is only the woman he sleeps with because of their stupidity . And yet ... the boy in her arms . He couldn't ignore it . " What's his age ? " Axel asked suddenly , his tone deceptively calm , but his eyes drilling into her with something dangerous . Evelyn's lips trembled . She could feel the weight of his suspicion , like he already knew the answer . Her heart pounded in terror , not just for Oliver , but for what Axel might piece together . She forced herself to swallow and whispered , " Three ." Axel's entire body went still . Three . The number echoed like a gunshot in his mind . Three years . Exactly three years . The timing lined up too perfectly . His jaw flexed as he stared at her , though his face gave nothing away . " Blood type ? " he asked , his tone sharper and quieter . " This is for hospital info ... " he added when she looked reluctant . " B ... " Evelyn's voice cracked , but she steadied it , forcing herself to look strong even as her insides tore apart . Inside , she was chaos . A hurricane of terror and grief . Her mind screamed with every pulse of blood spilling from Oliver's foot . ' Please , God , don't let me bury my child . Don't let me watch him die in my arms . Her son . Her everything . The one thing she had left after losing her family , after being cast out . NIA < 12 He Is My Son ? But she could feel Axel's gaze burning into her , not just as a man trying to save a child , but as someone who had questions , dangerous questions that she couldn't allow to surface . Don't ask . Please , don't ask . Not now . But Axel already knew . He didn't need her answer . He could feel it in the marrow of his bones . This boy ... this fragile , bleeding child , was his . The thought made something strange and unbearable twist in his chest . For years , he had hunted Evelyn , driven by curiosity over her disappearance and tormented by unanswered questions . And all this time , she had been carrying his son . Raising him . Alone . Rage bubbled beneath his skin , colliding with something softer , something he hadn't felt in years . Fear . Not for himself , but for the boy . His boy . Oliver's small hand twitched , his fingers brushing Evelyn's wrist , and Axel's heart clenched in a way he didn't recognize . He leaned forward , voice hard but low , " Keep the pressure steady . Don't let go ." " I know ! " Evelyn answered , her voice cracking under the weight of her panic . Her tears streaked down , but she didn't dare release her grip . " He's losing so much ... Axel , he's ... " " He'll make it , " Axel interrupted her . " Do you hear me , Evelyn ? He will make it ." His words were firm , but inside , doubt gnawed at him . The boy's face was growing paler by the second , his breath growing shorter and fainter . Axel's gut twisted with something he hated : helplessness . Comment 66 Continue showering them with your Power Stones , please ! PurpleLight Creators ' Thoughts 4 Post your first Axel's eyes stayed on the boy , on the fragile thread of life slipping through Evelyn's fingers . For once , the great Axel Knight felt powerless . " Let me carry him ! " In a heartbeat , Oliver was already in his arms . And in that moment , as the hospital doors appeared , one truth overwhelmed him : if this child was truly his , nothing and no one could take him away . The car screeched to a halt , and the emergency team was already waiting outside . Of course they were , this was Axel Knight's hospital . His name alone was enough to move mountains , and now , the staff scrambled like soldiers before a general . " Please do your best to help ! " Axel handed Oliver over to the doctors . He could feel Evelyn crying beside him . " Yes , sir ! " A few doctors answer politely . Then another doctor shouted as if he wanted to alert everyone in the team , " Severe blood loss , wound to the foot , possible arterial damage ! " They rushed Oliver onto a stretcher , moving fast through the wide glass doors . Machines beeped , voices overlapped , but all Evelyn saw was Oliver's tiny hand dangling limply off the stretcher until a nurse tucked it back against his chest . Evelyn followed , nearly stumbling , her tears blurring everything around her . ' My baby . Please , God . Save my baby ... Axel's presence was a storm just behind her . Silent . He didn't need to shout ; his authority bled into the room , into the very walls of the hospital he owned . When his sharp voice cut through the chaos , everyone obeyed without hesitation . " Stabilize him . Stop the bleeding immediately ." Evelyn's nails dug into her palms as she watched the surgical team vanish behind steel doors , her son's pale face the last thing she saw before they slammed shut . Her knees nearly gave out , but she forced herself to stand , clinging to a wall beside her for support . Moments later , a doctor rushed back out , panic - filled in his tone . < 13 We Need To Talk " Sir , we've just checked the blood bank . We don't have any units of type B in stock . We have already ordered from our main branch at Grayenfall , but they will only arrive in forty - five minutes ... " Evelyn's world spun out of control at the news . " What ? " Her voice trembled , terror rising in her throat . ' No blood ? That meant ... ! ? " Her body went cold , her hands trembling violently . Oliver couldn't survive without it . But before the horror could consume her , Axel spoke , his tone still sounding calm . " I'm type B. Take as much as you need ." Evelyn froze . Her head instantly turned toward him , her breath catching in her chest . ' He ... he had the same blood type .' Her throat tightened , heart pounding so hard she thought it would break her ribs . She wanted to scream , to cry , to confess the truth that pressed against her lips . Oliver was his son . His blood . His flesh . His life . But fear chained her tongue . What if telling him now shattered everything ? What if the truth didn't save her , but destroyed her instead ? So she said nothing as she saw Axel follow the doctor . She only sank into the metal chair outside the surgical ward . His hands shaking , her mind a whirlwind of grief , guilt, and desperate hope . Time dragged . Every second felt like a knife twisting deeper into her chest . She was drowning in silence , utterly alone . Axel had disappeared , taken into the depths of the hospital to give his blood . When the doors finally opened again , Evelyn lifted her head . Axel emerged , his dark charcoal suit gone , his sleeves rolled up , only a white shirt clinging to his frame . His hair was slightly damp , his collar open , and though he should have looked exhausted , he looked impossibly composed ; handsome and untouchable . He walked toward her with that same unshakable presence , each step slow . She felt her body tremble , her heart stutter , as if the air itself thickened with tension the closer he came . And then , without thinking , the words slipped from her lips , soft and fragile . " Thank you , Axel ... Thank you so much for helping Oliver ." His steps halted , his eyes locking onto hers . < 13 We Need To Talk Evelyn's pulse raced , her body caught between gratitude and fear . She had no idea if those words were enough or if they were far too little for the truth she still kept buried inside her heart . He said nothing , but his sharp gaze was fixed on her . When Evelyn thought Axel had absolutely zero interest in talking to her , she decided to return the favor and ignore him . Fine by her . She had enough on her plate without adding his brooding , statue - like silence to the mix . She lowered her gaze to her lap , staring at her trembling hands , clenched together , fingers tangled . Then , his deep , husky voice broke the heavy silence like thunder . "We need to talk , Evelyn Walters ! " " Taylor ! " She corrected him instantly . It feels strange to hear her old name . Axel's eyebrow slightly raised to hear that . Taylor ? No wonder I never found her , she's now using her mother's last name ... Axel thought amusingly , as he hadn't considered that possibility . Evelyn frowned , her heart hammering against her ribs . She could already guess what he wanted to talk about , and the thought made her stomach twist . Slowly , she lifted her head , meeting his gaze . And there it was . Those eyes . Damn those eyes . Hazel , sharp , and infuriatingly familiar . The same eyes her son had . She swallowed hard , her throat dry . " Hmm ... go ahead , " she whispered , her voice barely above a whisper . " No. Not here ." His tone was cold . Then he turned , already walking away as though he fully expected her to follow like some obedient puppy . But Evelyn didn't move at all . Nope . Not even an inch . She remained seated on the chair , ignoring him . Comment 2 Leave the first comment for this chapter . Vote 14 1 Fandom