Chapter 47: The Awakening

Then suddenly—

Something changed.

She felt warmth pressing against both sides of her body.

Two small sources of heat. Two tiny heartbeats.

Then there was this beautiful sound calling to her.

At the same time, a larger hand enveloped hers. Strong, warm and familiar.

Morgan’s.

The moment his touch reached her, the darkness around her trembled.

Then his voice came...

Not distorted this time. Not distant. Not carried by water.

It was so painfully clear that tears threatened to spill from eyes she still couldn’t open.

"Honey, please wake up soon."

The words struck her heart.

"You’ve been sleeping for too long."

The ocean shuddered.

"I miss you."

Her chest tightened.

"Our babies miss you too."

Babies. The word shattered something inside her. Memories flooded back.

The pregnancy, the premature birth.

"Eeeeh guh guh!"

A baby’s cheerful gurgle echoed beside her.

"Ahhh gaah gahh!"

Another answered immediately.

The sounds were clumsy and meaningless.

But they sounded like angel voices that server as her lifeline.

And for the first time since she had fallen into the darkness—

Kristine knew exactly where she needed to go.

Home!

...

Her eyelashes fluttered.

A tiny movement that carried the weight of countless prayers, sleepless nights, and desperate hopes. Then they began to tremble uncontrollably, like butterfly wings beating toward freedom.

The room seemed to hold its breath.

And then,

Kristine opened her eyes.

She was looking into a pair of obsidian orbs that looked tired and weary.

Morgan froze.

"Kristine?" He whispered hoarsely.

After months of disappointment, he questioned his own eyes. He was afraid to move because if he blinked, the miracle might disappear.

Kristine blinked and a strained smile appeared on her face.

Then she felt it. Something warm landed on her cheek.

A single drop. Followed by another. And another.

For a moment, Kristine didn’t understand what it was.

Then she saw Morgan.

His head was bowed over their joined hands. His shoulders were trembling.

The sight shattered her heart.

This man had always seemed invincible to her, the man who carried the weight of an economic empire without flinching...

the man who stood like a mountain whenever life tried to crush them...

The man who had promised he would protect her..

And now he was crying like a lost boy.

The tears seemed torn from somewhere deep inside him, from a place where months of fear, loneliness, and helplessness had been buried.

Morgan lifted her hand and pressed it against his forehead.

His eyes squeezed shut, as though he still couldn’t believe she was awake.

He was terrified this was only another dream.

Then he lowered his head and pressed a trembling kiss to the back of her hand.

It was just one kiss, but it lingered for a long time.

Like a man reassuring himself that she was real. That she was warm. That she was finally here.

"You came back."

His voice cracked completely on the last word.

The simple sentence carried more emotion than a thousand declarations of love.

You came back. Just these three words.

Because for months, he had lived with the possibility that she never would.

His grip tightened around her hand. Not enough to hurt. Just enough to make sure she couldn’t disappear again.

Another tear slipped from his dark and long lashes and fell onto their intertwined fingers.

"I thought..." He swallowed hard.

His voice broke.

For several seconds, he couldn’t continue.

"I thought I lost you."

The confession came out as little more than a whisper.

His voice was raw and broken and honest.

And for the first time since opening her eyes, Kristine truly understood how much her absence had cost him.

Before Kristine could say a word, Kat giggled. Kit kicked her mother’s arm with his tiny feet. The babies become the bridge between mother and reality.

Kristine heard their sounds. She turned to her right first and then to her left.

This was the first time Kristine had seen her children.

She had carried them beneath her heart for nearly eight months.

She had endured the pain of bringing them into the world.

And then she had lost months of their lives.

Now, for the very first time, she was looking at them.

Tears immediately welled in her eyes.

Morgan’s heart nearly stopped.

"Call the doctor!" he barked.

At the doorway, Albert hastily wiped his own tears before pulling out his phone.

"Right away, sir."

Morgan barely noticed him leave.

His entire world was focused on the woman in front of him.

Carefully, he brushed away the tears sliding down Kristine’s cheeks.

His touch was impossibly gentle, as though she were made of fragile glass that might shatter beneath his fingertips.

Kristine’s lips moved. No sound emerged.

Her throat was painfully dry after months of unconsciousness.

Isobel noticed immediately.

Years of caring for sick children at the orphanage had sharpened her instincts.

Without wasting a second, she hurried to the nearby table where a pitcher of water, a glass, and a straw had already been prepared.

She filled the glass and handed it to Morgan.

"I think she needs water."

Morgan nodded gratefully.

Meanwhile, Isobel picked up Kirsten while Ella carried Kristoffer.

The two women stood beside the bed, holding the babies facing Kristine.

Neither child took their eyes off her.

They were curious. Their eyes were bright and full of innocence.

Morgan adjusted the hospital bed until Kristine was in a semi-sitting position.

Supporting her shoulders with one arm, he carefully placed the straw between her lips.

"Slowly," he whispered. "You don’t need to rush."

His voice was so gentle that Isobel felt a sudden pang in her chest.

What a devoted husband. Would she be able to find someone as devoted as him someday?

Kristine took a few small sips.

Then her gaze drifted toward the twins. The babies immediately became excited.

"Ahh gahh gee!"

"Ooo goo guh!"

They waved their tiny arms and kicked their legs.

Kristine stared at them. They weren’t newborns. They were bigger and healthier.

And they were looking at her with sparkling eyes and joyful smiles.

A cold realization settled over her.

Something was wrong.

Her lips trembled.

"How..."

The single word scraped painfully from her throat.

"How long..."

Her eyes filled with tears again.

"...was I asleep?"

The room fell silent.

Morgan’s expression froze.

Before he could answer, Kristine’s eyes suddenly lost focus.

The light inside them dimmed.

Then her eyelids slowly closed.

"Kristine?"