Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 2579

The pain was so real, it yanked her out of a restless sleep.

In the darkness, Sylvia slowly opened her eyes. Tears slipped down her cheeks before she even realized she was crying. As her mind surfaced from the fog, she became aware that the pain wasn’t a dream—it was sharp, relentless, wrenching her insides.

She clutched her abdomen, curled up and trembling. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself upright and switched on the bedside lamp. The harsh yellow glow illuminated the clock: 2 a.m.

The pain grew worse, radiating through her body until she was shuddering uncontrollably. She reached for her phone on the nightstand, her hand shaking so badly that she missed it, rolling off the bed and landing hard on the cold floor.

She lay there for a moment, hoping it would pass. It didn’t. The agony only intensified, squeezing the air out of her lungs until she could barely breathe.

She dragged herself up, fumbled for her phone, and dialed emergency services. By the time she hung up, cold sweat soaked her pajamas, and a distant, surreal fear crept into her mind—like she was drifting closer to death.

She didn’t know how long she lay there, half-conscious, before the paramedics arrived. They unlocked the door with the code she’d given, finding Sylvia barely coherent, on the cusp of passing out.

……

It was the dead of night. In the ER, the doctor ran a quick exam and then stepped outside. “It’s acute pancreatitis,” he said gravely. “It doesn’t look good. Have you reached her family yet?”

The nurse shook her head. “We managed to unlock her phone, but there aren’t any contacts labeled as family.”

“How is that possible? Check again—maybe her recent calls?”

She scrolled through Sylvia’s call log, frowning. “There’s really nothing. No ‘Mom,’ no ‘Dad,’ no aunts or cousins. But there is one number she’s called a lot. Maybe it’s her boyfriend?”

The doctor nodded. “Call him.”

The nurse dialed the number marked Eugene.

After just two rings, a groggy but urgent voice answered. “Sylvia?”

For two agonizing hours, Sylvia hovered between life and death. Eugene waited outside the whole time, pacing, unable to sit or even blink. When she was finally moved to a private room, he stayed by her side all night, afraid to look away even for a second.

Early in the morning, as the nurse came to change Sylvia’s IV, she noticed Eugene was still alone. “Does she have any other family?” she asked kindly. “Someone who can take a shift with you?”

Eugene squeezed Sylvia’s hand and shook his head slowly. “No. There’s no one else.”

The nurse looked surprised, but didn’t press. “Well, you could always hire a caregiver to help out.”

He’d arranged for the best private room in the hospital, and his expensive suit made it clear he could afford any help he needed.

Eugene shook his head again. “I’ll stay with her myself.”

The nurse nodded, changed the IV, and quietly left the room.