The Day Our Promise Breaks

"Charles, you can't! This is way too dangerous!"

Andrew desperately wanted to save Charlie, but even more than that, the thought of Charles getting hurt was unbearable.

He knew exactly what it meant to be a human test subject. The worst-case scenario? Charles could die right there on the table. Best case? His organs would be wrecked, and there was no telling if he'd ever recover. It was just too much of a gamble.

"Luna." Francis broke the tense silence. His voice was quiet, but the message was loud and clear.

"She's had heart surgery."

Charles hadn't dismissed the idea of using Luna. She was the one who'd poisoned Charlie, after all. If she wouldn't hand over the antidote, Charles wouldn't hesitate to use her to fish it out-no pity, no second thoughts.

But her body was clearly too weak. Using Luna as a live test subject would be a dead-end. Her own life hardly mattered-someone that vicious deserved no mercy. But Charlie couldn't afford to wait for a safer plan.

"Andrew, use me! Charlie's out of time!" Charles locked eyes with Andrew, his voice growing more determined with every word. "Charlie's my daughter. I owe her this. Use me. Right now. Inject whatever you took from her blood straight into me!"

He didn't care what happened to him-life, death, or worse. The only thing that mattered was saving Charlie.

looked at Charles, searching his eyes. Behind him, Charlie lay fighting for her life. Seeing Charles's resolve, Andrew finally nodded and rushed

he watched his daughter struggle through the pain. He leaned down, pressing

get you through this.

...

stepped into the lab without a second thought and climbed onto the

injected the concentrated toxin- fresh from

corrosive pain ripped through Charles's body. It was like a thousand icy needles racing through his bloodstream, tearing him

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his nervous system first. His vision blurred and darkened. A shrill ringing filled his ears, so sharp it felt like it

uncontrollably, jerking as if he were being electrocuted. Every joint cracked

wrenched and ripped apart. Every heartbeat was agony, each

Struggle, as

sweat pouring down his body. His lips turned

unleashing a furious cytokine storm. Fever blazed through him, body temperature spiking until his skin felt scalding to the touch. Inflammation tore through his liver and kidneys-waves of

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