Beep... Beep... Beep...
The steady beep of the heart monitor echoed in the silent ICU, each beep like a slap in the face to Polce Koa and the Chief Physician. The two rushed into the room, followed by a hesitant Clarisa. They checked the monitor, the Madame's pupils, and her pulse. Their expressions changed from disbelief to utter confusion.
"Her vitals are stable... no, they're more than stable. They're strong," the Chief Physician muttered, staring at the screen as if it were an illusion.
Polce touched the Madame's forehead, which was now starting to feel warm. "Impossible... this is a statistical anomaly. A spontaneously reversing cardiogenic shock... this defies medical logic. This makes no sense at all." He continued muttering, trying to find a rational explanation for the miracle he had just witnessed.
Finally, all eyes turned to Rayden, who calmly removed the silver needles one by one, cleaned them with alcohol swabs, and placed them back in the wooden box. He moved unhurriedly, as if he had just completed a routine task.
"You..." Clarisa stepped forward, her voice hoarse. His anger had evaporated, replaced by something else—a mixture of fear and amazement. "What... what exactly did you do to my mother? Explain it to me."
Rayden closed the box before answering. He looked at his mother-in-law with an equally flat gaze. "This is an ancient healing method passed down through generations in my family. Its purpose is not to completely cure her heart disease."
"Then what?" Polce pressed, his tone still cynical but now tinged with confusion.
"Modern medicine doesn't work because there's a blockage of vital energy at Grandma's heart point," Rayden explained simply. "That method only opened that blockage. Now that the pathway is open, the doctor's medicine will work effectively to restore her condition."
The explanation was ingenious. Rayden wasn't denying modern medicine; instead, he positioned his method as the "key" that allowed science to work. The Chief Physician and Polce were speechless. They couldn't argue with him because the proof was right before their eyes—a patient who was once on the verge of death was now breathing steadily.
Rayden then turned to Rania and handed her a small packet containing the remaining herbs. "This concoction must be brewed and drunk three times a day for a full week. And for the next month, don't let Grandma eat anything cold or greasy."
He no longer asked permission. He gave instructions. And everyone in the room, including the Head Doctor, listened intently. The roles in the room had completely reversed. Rayden was no longer a useless son-in-law; he was the ultimate authority regarding the health of the Carrason patriarch.
The ride home felt very different. The silence in the car was no longer filled with panic, but with heavy awe and a thousand unspoken questions. Clarisa and Matteo drove home in their own car, leaving Rayden and Rania in awkward privacy.
Upon arriving in their cramped room, Rania was no longer sitting on the bed. She stood before her husband, staring at him as if seeing him for the first time. After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"I won't ask how you did it," Rania whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "Because I know you won't answer honestly. But I'll ask something else."
He looked Rayden straight in the eye. "Who is Uncle Lhi? What are the 'Nine Dragon Treasures'? And most importantly..." he paused, gathering his courage. "...Rayden, who are you, really?"
This was the question Rayden had dreaded for three years. One that threatened to rob him of the peace he'd sought.
He didn't answer immediately. He took Rania's hand, feeling her cold fingers, and then led her to sit on a chair. He knelt before his wife, a gesture that surprised Rania.
"Rania," he said, his voice sincere and deep. "I know you're confused and probably scared. I'm sorry I've kept so much from you all this time."
"I can't tell you everything now. Not because I don't trust you, but because the more you know, the greater the danger you might be in," he continued.
He sighed. "My family... is no ordinary family. They have a very long and complicated history. 'Uncle Lhi' was an old friend of my father's, a good man who owed his life to our family. And the 'Nine Dragon Treasures' is just an ancient name for the potion recipe. There are no real dragons," she tried to smile a little.
The smile didn't completely reassure Rania, but it was a start.
"All you need to know is this," Rayden said, his tone becoming deadly serious as he stared at his wife. "No matter who I was in the past, I am your husband now. And I will never do anything to hurt you or your family. I will always protect you. Tonight is proof of that."
Rania stared into Rayden's eyes. She saw no lies. There was only sincerity, exhaustion, and perhaps a hint of sadness hidden deep within. She had lived with this man for three years, and tonight, she felt as if she had just been introduced.
She remembered the sandalwood comb on her dresser, a simple gift made with such care. She remembered her husband's calm amidst a storm of panic. She remembered how he had snatched her grandmother back from the clutches of death.
Slowly, Rania nodded. "Okay, Rayden," she whispered. "I trust you."
For now, that was enough. Their three-year, bland marriage, on that night, had finally found its first foundation, built on a miracle and a nascent trust. Their world had changed forever.