Patrick woke up with a sharp gasp. Instinctively, he tried to sit up only for a calm voice to stop him.
"You shouldn’t do that, sir. You’re in no position to move right now."
As if to prove the point, white-hot pain tore through him, slicing through his body like a blade. Patrick sucked in a shaky breath through his nose, every muscle locking in protest.
He lifted his head slowly and focused on the man standing beside the bed. Recognition hit him.
"Y-you..." His voice came out hoarse.
The man was one of the intern doctors. One of the ones he had worked with during the production of Ignis. They were in a small room with bare walls and a single closed window, clearly not meant for comfort.
"Yes," the man said, offering a polite smile. "Me."
Patrick groaned softly. "What happened?" Even speaking felt like dragging broken glass through his throat.
The intern leaned closer, checking the monitors and bandages. "You nearly died, that’s what happened."
"Oh." Patrick breathed, the word heavy with resignation.
The memory of Vera’s betrayal flooded back all at once. He had always known his sister was ruthless, but trying to murder him? Her own brother? That crossed a line even he hadn’t believed she would step over.
And yet, she had.
Patrick closed his eyes, pain pulsing through him in slow, punishing waves.
"How am I even alive?" he asked.
If Vera wanted him dead, she would have finished the job. As far as he remembered, his sister had never been sloppy.
"It was your brother, sir," the doctor confessed. "After your sister murdered your mother—"
"What?" Patrick stiffened, every muscle going rigid. He looked up at the man, dread flooding his chest. "What did you just say?"
"I’m sorry," the doctor murmured, sympathy etched into his face. "Madam Moira is gone as well."
The color drained from Patrick’s face. His stomach twisted violently, nausea surging up his throat. For a moment, he had foolishly hoped that the memory had all been a hallucination.
But it was real.
His mother had fought for him and Vera had killed her too.
Grief slammed into him, followed closely by bitterness and rage. This was his fault. All of it. If he had never brought Ignis into their lives, none of this would have happened. His mother will still be alive.
The doctor hovered uncertainly as Patrick broke down, sobbing openly now, no longer caring about the pain ripping through his body.
"I’m going to kill that bitch," Patrick snarled through gritted teeth. "Even if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure she suffers. I’ll teach her the real meaning of pain."
"U-um..." the doctor began, clearly uncomfortable. He shifted on his feet before forcing himself to continue. "Perhaps... perhaps that should wait until after you recover."
Patrick let out a harsh, humorless laugh.
"You were stabbed through the lower abdomen," he went on carefully, trying to ground the conversation. "The blade missed your spine, but it tore through muscle and narrowly avoided major organs. You lost a dangerous amount of blood. If your brother hadn’t gotten you here when he did—"
"I’m a doctor," Patrick cut in sharply, "I know how close I came to dying."
"Even so, you’re looking at weeks before you can stand properly, possibly months
before full recovery. Any strain before then could reopen the wound—."
"That is enough!" Patrick thundered.
The man shut up at once. He looked around the cramped space, wishing he could be anywhere but here.



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