That night, the hotel ballroom was lit up like a fairy tale. Kevin stood in a corner, watching the scene with a distant look. He seemed to be there, but his mind was far away, wandering through a maze of restless thoughts. The sight of his excited bride did not seem to touch his heart with the intensity it should have.
Beatrice approached him, radiant in a stunning wedding dress, the smile on her face sincere and full of expectation. However, the sparkle in Kevin's eyes was missing, as if a dark cloud hung over him.
"Are you okay, dear?" Beatrice asked, placing her palm on Kevin's, breaking him out of his trance.
Kevin looked at her, trying to hide his inner turmoil, and then he smiled, which seemed more forced than genuine.
"Yes!" he asserted firmly. "Why?"
"You seem distant." She withdrew her hand and looked at him with concern. "Relax, today is a special day."
There was no way Kevin could relax after meeting his ex. The encounter with his ex-wife and Justine's desperate plea were hammering in his mind. Part of him wanted to save the boy, but his deep-rooted anger demanded revenge on the woman who had betrayed him.
"Excuse me!" Kevin interrupted the moment, getting up from the table and leaving Beatrice with a perplexed look.
"Where are you going?" she asked, looking up for an answer.
"I'll be right back." He hurried out without looking back.
Kevin gestured for his assistant to follow him. As soon as they reached a more secluded corner, away from the curious glances of the guests, Kevin turned to Alessandro with a serious expression.
"How can I help you, sir?" Alessandro asked solicitously.
"Find out which hospital the boy is in," Kevin demanded, his tone brooking no argument.
"But, sir..." Alessandro hesitated.
"Do as I say," Kevin growled through clenched teeth.
"Do you know the boy's name?"
"It's Bryan," he remembered clearly that Justine had mentioned the boy's name.
"We don't know his last name, sir!" Alessandro protested.
"Are you stupid?" Fury reverberated in his voice. "Justine must have given the boy her last name..."
"I'll look for Bryan Delacroix, sir." The assistant agreed, a little shocked by the importance his boss placed on Justine's son.
"I want the information in half an hour," Kevin ordered, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Yes, sir!" Reluctantly, Alessandro hurried off to carry out the order.
That night, Alessandro did everything he could to inform Beatrice about the return of the CEO's ex, but she was so entertained by the guests at the rehearsal dinner that she barely spoke to him that night.
Meanwhile, Beatrice was so immersed in the celebration, coordinating the final details and interacting with the guests, that she didn't notice Kevin's strange behavior. Her excitement contrasted sharply with the concern and torment that plagued her fiancé.
When he returned to the hall, Kevin straightened himself in his wedding suit. The well-tailored suit seemed somehow even more oppressive to him. He entered the hall with his posture straight and his mind heavy, his attention divided between the impending ceremony and the distressing situation involving Justine's son.
In her elegant white silk dress, Beatrice gracefully paraded through the hall until she was closer to her groom.
"Time for photos, dear!" she said discreetly, smiling.
Kevin adjusted his posture and stood beside her. The contrast between the bride's joy and Kevin's melancholy was almost palpable. Each flash of the cameras seemed to capture not only the beauty of the moment, but the shadow of a memory Kevin could not forget.
He couldn't stop thinking about his wedding to Justine years ago. His heart had been bursting with joy that night. No matter how hard he tried to distance himself from the past, Justine was forever etched in his memory. The love, the betrayal, and the uncertainty about the future of a possible child. The doubts and conflicting emotions were a burden he couldn't simply ignore.
The night wore on, and although the hall was filled with joy and celebration, Kevin's heart was elsewhere, wrestling with an internal dilemma that could change the course of his life forever.
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San Raffaele Gruppo San Donato Hospital, Milan.
In the intensive care unit, the distraught woman sat beside her son's bed. Her dark blond hair brushed against her tear-stained face, while her amber eyes gazed at the purple marks and cuts on little Bryan's face. It was painful to see her son lying weak and motionless on that bed.
The entire medical team continued to search for the golden blood for the boy's transfusion. Silently, Justine touched the boy's plastered arm. Bryan liked to play soccer and was always breaking something when he played ball at home.
In that troubled moment, all she had left was the faith that a good person would donate blood and save little Bryan.
"Mrs. Delacroix!" the doctor called.
"Yes!" Justine dried her face with her palms.
"We found a donor!" the doctor said with a restrained smile.
"Really?" she asked as she stood up.
Justine could hardly believe what she heard.
"Yes," the pediatrician assured her. "The donor is already undergoing all the tests and will soon be ready for blood collection."
Sighing with relief, Justine looked at her sleeping son and then turned to the doctor.
"Thank you so much, doctor!" She hugged her.
She had her back to the door as she thanked the doctor and didn't notice that someone had appeared in the doorway.
"Thank the blood donor," said the doctor, pointing to the tall man who stood frozen in the doorway.
As she turned on her heels, her face froze. A lump in her throat prevented Justine from speaking. Why did he decide to back out of his decision? The question occurred to her as she stared into eyes as blue as the sky on a sunny morning.
