Capone stormed into the house, already like the center of a raging storm, only to find the room in chaos, a violent scene unfolding.
"Capone, you bastard, tell your dog to let go of me!" Cronus had somehow gotten into a fight with Winter, and neither side was holding back, giving it their all.
When Cronus fought seriously, he wasn't much weaker than Winter's group in terms of speed and strength. However, due to his lack of combat experience, he ultimately lost to Winter, who pinned his hands to the ground, surrounded by overturned chairs, a broken coffee table, and shattered glass.
Both men had bruises on their faces, showing just how fierce the fight had been.
Capone's anger had nowhere to go. The slap he had given Sophia felt as if it had been delivered to his own face. He felt suffocated, on the verge of exploding, and couldn't find any relief.
This was all because of Cronus. Otherwise, Sophia wouldn't be thinking of escaping in this weather!
Without saying a word, Capone strode forward and kicked Cronus in the shoulder. Cronus groaned in pain but glared at him, his eyes burning with fire. "What the hell is wrong with you? Sophia's still waiting outside for me! Are you blind? Why didn't you bring her back?"
Capone half-kneeled in front of him, grabbed his hair, and pulled his face up. "She's waiting for you? Waiting for you to take something and elope with her? Cronus, I didn't know you were this ungrateful. I spared your life, and yet you still have designs on my woman?!"
Cronus spat scornfully, "Your woman? You make it sound so nice. If she's your woman, then what about David Lee's lady? Aren't you engaged to her today? What right do you have to stand here and say Sophia is your woman?"
"Even if she can't be my wife, it's not for you to take!"
Cronus stared at him fiercely, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Capone, I really feel sorry for Sophia! For you, she can withstand all the pressure from public opinion, leave behind her perfect family, disappoint the people who love her, and even risk her life in this storm to save your broken-down boat! Yet you treat her like this, never truly trusting her. What kind of love is that? What kind of protection is that?"
Capone froze. "What did you say? She's saving what boat? Isn't she trying to run away with you?"
It felt as though something was about to break through, overturning all his previous assumptions... Cold sweat began to bead on Capone's back as he tightened his grip on Cronus's hand.
Winter, who had been behind him, was pulled away by Mandy and the others, and Cronus broke free. He shoved Capone aside and landed a heavy punch to his jaw.
"Capone, if Sophia were my sister, I'd rather die with you than let you live!"
Lucy had just witnessed the brothers fighting, her heart in a knot as she anxiously tried to intervene, her voice hoarse from yelling at them to stop, but no one was listening.
Seeing the tension between Cronus and Capone now, Lucy felt both heartbroken and helpless. She stepped forward and pulled Capone away, saying, "Capone, did you misunderstand Sophia again? She's been good all day. Just now, I saw the boat your father gave you still outside. She rushed to drag Cronus out to try to pull the boat back. Cronus came to me asking for protective oilcloth for the boat."
Capone's mind felt like it had been struck by a heavy wooden beam, sending him staggering back a step, his chest overwhelmed by an endless wave of salt and bitterness.
"Sophia..." he muttered, realizing only then that she hadn't followed him inside the house.
Outside, the rain was pouring down in torrents, and the dark, ominous clouds in the sky looked like the end of the world, terrifyingly foreboding.
He panicked, pushing past everyone, running out the door, all the way to the wooden boat. When he saw Sophia lying on the ground, her body soaked in muddy, murky seawater, with dirt and sand around her mouth and nose, and a bruise on her forehead with a cut, it felt like the end had truly arrived.
"Sophia! Sophia Diaz!" He rushed over and picked her up. Her body was still soft and delicate in his arms, but cold, as if the warm, gentle soul that once inhabited it was no longer there.
"Sophia Diaz! Sophia Diaz, wake up... don't sleep, wake up and talk to me!" He was frantic, his entire body shaking as he laid her flat and performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but she still didn't wake up.
Capone carried her and ran desperately, his mind blank, unable to remember any right or wrong, any grievances or obligations. The only thought in his head was—she couldn't die!
If she died, he wouldn't know how to face himself or how to live on in this world.
"Sophia... Sophy, don't sleep, wake up!" He kept muttering to her, until the people inside the house noticed and asked what had happened. Only then did he scream desperately, "I won't let her die, wake her up, make her wake up!"
He grabbed Cronus by the collar and pulled him to the bedside. "Aren't you a doctor? Save her, quick, save her! I don't care about anything, just make her wake up!"
Sophia looked absolutely terrible. The moment Cronus saw the red, swollen mark on her cheek and the bruise on her forehead, he immediately understood what had happened.
He didn't say anything, leaning down to check her vital signs. With practiced hands, he crossed his arms over her chest, applying pressure to help her expel the water.
Just then, Diana arrived, also shocked by the sight. Cronus shouted at her, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and help!"
The two doctors worked together around Sophia, while Capone stood frozen like a statue beside them, his posture rigid. He couldn't take his eyes off Sophia's pale face, barely able to feel his own heartbeat.
"Boss, you should step outside! Let them handle this. I've already called for a car. Once the emergency treatment is done, we'll take her straight to the hospital. She'll be fine!" Mandy patted Capone on the shoulder, signaling for him to wait outside.
Mandy understood that Capone had probably misunderstood Sophia and caused her injury and distress. Although she personally disagreed with Capone emotionally, even feeling angry and disappointed like Cronus, she couldn't bear to see Capone in such deep anguish.
After all, he was like a brother to her, and she had never seen him so heartbroken and regretful before. She couldn't bring herself to add to his pain.
Capone, however, seemed not to hear her. He remained where he was, unable to distinguish Cronus and Diana's every move, only able to see that Sophia's eyes had not opened. His body, soaked through with rain and seawater, felt as if it were burning in a fierce fire, the pain unbearable. He couldn't move, wouldn't leave, terrified that if he stepped away from this heartbreaking scene, one wrong move might freeze it in time as the saddest outcome.
"She can't be hurt. She won't be hurt..." He murmured, repeating those two sentences over and over again.
Joey and Winter struggled for a long time to pull him out of the room. His gaze remained fixed on that small space, his body stiff, his mind blank.
"Boss, don't do this. Staying inside won't help them, it'll only get in their way. Don't worry, Cronus may not be good at many things, but saving lives is one of his strengths. Let him handle it, and we'll take Sophia to the hospital afterward."
No matter how they tried to convince him, Capone couldn't snap out of the deep pain and guilt. Sophia remained unconscious as well. Her vital signs were stable, and she was taken by ambulance to the best private hospital in the port, across the sea, but her consciousness never returned.
After the doctor reviewed the CT scan, it aligned with Cronus's initial diagnosis: Sophia had suffered a blow to the head, resulting in a concussion, which was why she had fallen into a coma.
But normally, she should have woken up after a few hours. Yet, after 24 hours, she still lay there quietly on the hospital bed, her eyes never opening.
"Why isn't she waking up? You said she'd wake up soon. Why is it taking so long?" Capone grabbed the attending doctor and Cronus in the hallway. "Aren't you doctors? What's with your authority? What are you even saying?"
Cronus pushed his hand away, coldly replying, "Capone, what has your arrogance brought her except pain? Look at the woman lying inside. Was she like this when she came to you a year ago? Three hundred plus days, you let her lie there with a heart as dead as ashes, pale as a ghost, pregnant with your child, almost losing her life and that of the baby! Who are you blaming? We can only treat her physical injuries. What about her emotional wounds? How are you going to heal those?"