CEO loves me with all his soul.-Chapter 55. Ethan’s soul

Yuin slowly blinked awake, his head pounding as his vision adjusted to the dim light of the hospital room. He could hear the soft, steady beeping of the machines monitoring his vitals, and for a moment, he wasn’t sure where he was. But then, a familiar face came into view—Jesper, his father. Tears were welling up in Jesper’s silver eyes as he leaned over Yuin, his long blonde hair falling softly around his face.

"Yuin," Jesper whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "You’re awake..."

Yuin managed a weak smile as Jesper’s arms wrapped around him in a tight hug. It wasn’t like Jesper to show such raw emotion so easily, and it made Yuin feel both comforted and concerned. As his father pulled back, Yuin’s eyes traveled past him to the other figure standing near the bed—his other father, Cain Sebanil, stoic as ever but with worry etched deep in his features.

"Feeling better?" Cain’s deep voice cut through the soft silence, his arms crossed as he stood near the foot of the bed. His eyes scanned Yuin carefully, as if looking for any signs of further injury. "Any trouble? And... do you know who kidnapped you?"

Yuin sat up slowly, wincing slightly as the ache in his body made itself known. His gaze drifted between his two fathers before he spoke, his voice serious. "I... I found someone I didn’t expect," he said, his tone heavy. "It was Uncle Jael."

The name made Jesper freeze instantly, his body going rigid with shock. "Jael?" Jesper’s voice wavered, disbelief clear in his expression. "Are you sure, Yuin? My younger brother... Jael? Why would he...?"

Yuin nodded, his brows furrowed in confusion. "I’m sure, Father. I didn’t recognize him at first, but there’s no doubt. He’s the one involved in this... and he’s the reason I’m here."

Jesper took a step back, his hand covering his mouth as he tried to process what Yuin was telling him. It had been years since Jesper had any contact with his family. After marrying Cain, Jesper had distanced himself from his siblings, choosing to focus on his new life and family with Cain. Yuin and his other children knew of their aunts and uncles, but those relatives had never met Jesper’s children. The Sebanil family had always kept to themselves, and Jesper hadn’t spoken of his brothers or sisters for a long time.

But Jael... Jael was Yuin’s uncle, and yet here he was, involved in a kidnapping plot against his own nephew.

"Why would Jael kidnap you?" Jesper whispered, still struggling to grasp the situation. He turned to Cain, looking for some sort of answer, but even Cain’s stoic demeanor showed signs of deep concern.

Cain’s eyes darkened. He stepped closer to Yuin, his voice low but firm. "Rest for now, Yuin. We’ll figure this out." He turned to Jesper, giving him a look that said they would need to talk about this later, away from Yuin’s ears.

Yuin nodded, leaning back into the pillows, his mind swirling with thoughts. He wanted answers just as much as his fathers did, but right now, his body needed rest. As he closed his eyes, Jesper brushed a hand through his hair, a soft, worried expression on his face. Cain, on the other hand, remained composed, but the worry behind his eyes was hard to miss. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

After ensuring Yuin was settled, Cain stepped out of the ward, his expression tense. He needed to get to the bottom of this—Jael, his brother-in-law, was involved, and that complicated things even further. Just as he was about to turn a corner, he came face-to-face with someone who momentarily distracted him from his mission.

Adrian, looking haggard and pale, was walking back from the washroom. His steps were slow, and his face was etched with worry and exhaustion. When he noticed Cain, Adrian stopped briefly, slightly startled by the stranger standing in front of him.

Cain’s heart clenched at the sight. He could barely believe it, even after all these years. The young man in front of him, the one who looked almost identical to Jesper at that age, was his long-lost son. His son who had been stolen away 17 years ago. His heart ached, but he didn’t want to overwhelm Adrian. He had to tread carefully.

"Are you... are you alright?" Cain asked softly, his voice much gentler than Adrian had expected from someone who looked so stern. He tried to mask his emotions, but there was genuine concern in his tone.

Adrian blinked, surprised that this stranger was asking him about his well-being. "I’m fine," he said quickly, though his voice trembled slightly. His eyes flicked to the door of Ethan’s ward, his heart aching at the thought of Ethan lying there unconscious. He nodded politely to Cain, anxious to get back to Ethan. "Thank you."

Cain almost reached out to stop him, to ask him more, but he hesitated. His chest tightened as he watched Adrian walk away, his hand instinctively curling into a fist. He wanted to call out, to tell Adrian everything—that he was his father, that the Sebanil family had been searching for him for years. But Cain knew it wasn’t the right time. Adrian had enough on his mind, especially with Ethan in critical condition.

As Adrian hurried back to Ethan’s bedside, Cain watched him disappear down the hall, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. His heart was torn between wanting to protect his son and the knowledge that revealing the truth now would only cause more confusion and distress. The last thing Adrian needed was to be burdened with the truth of his lineage at a time like this.

Back in Ethan’s ward, Adrian sat beside Ethan’s bed, his hand trembling as he reached for Ethan’s cold one.

Ethan blinked, his head feeling oddly light as he stirred in the quiet of the night. He shifted, but something felt wrong. Glancing down at himself, his heart nearly stopped. His body lay still on the hospital bed, motionless, while he—or what seemed to be his translucent self—was standing beside it. He could see right through his own hands.

"What the...?" Ethan muttered, raising his hand and watching as it passed through the edge of the bed without making contact. He was speechless, his mind struggling to catch up with what was happening.

But then he heard a soft sound, something that tugged painfully at his chest. Turning his gaze, he saw Adrian sitting in the chair next to his bed, his pale face illuminated by the dim nightlight. Tears streamed down Adrian’s cheeks, falling onto his hands as he clutched Ethan’s.

"Adrian..." Ethan whispered, his heart squeezing at the sight. He instinctively reached out, wanting to wipe away Adrian’s tears, but his hand passed through Adrian’s skin. No warmth, no contact—just a cold emptiness. Adrian gasped softly as he saw Ethan’s translucent hand fail to touch him, the sobs racking his body intensifying.

"E-Ethan?" Adrian’s voice cracked as he looked up, eyes wide with a mixture of relief and heartache. "Why... why are you like this? Why can’t I feel you?"

Ethan swallowed hard, his own confusion and panic rising, but seeing Adrian in this state pulled him out of his own thoughts. He kneeled down beside Adrian, though his presence felt more like a ghost than a comfort. "Hey, hey... don’t cry, love," he said softly, trying to coax Adrian out of his despair. "I’m fine. I’m still here. It’s just... my body needs time to heal. It’ll be okay."

Adrian’s sobs quieted for a moment, though tears still fell from his eyes. "Then why..." he sniffled, his voice trembling, "why is your soul outside of your body? If you’re fine, why can’t you just stay in your body?"

Ethan opened his mouth to answer, but no words came. The truth was, he didn’t know. It happened before when he was in coma and it happened now...

His mind raced to come up with some kind of explanation, something to ease Adrian’s worries. He could feel how distraught Adrian was, how deeply it was affecting him, especially in his delicate state.

"I... I’m not sure," Ethan finally admitted, his voice softening. "But I think it’s just temporary. Maybe my body’s in recovery mode, and this is part of it. I’ll be back to normal soon, I promise."

Adrian shook his head, more tears spilling down his cheeks. "You don’t know that. What if you never go back? What if... what if I lose you?"

The weight of Adrian’s words hit Ethan hard, and for a moment, he felt utterly helpless. He hated seeing Adrian like this, so fragile and broken, and knowing he couldn’t physically comfort him made it worse. But as Adrian’s quiet sobs filled the room, something flashed through Ethan’s mind—like a memory, or a fragment of something he’d read once.

"This..." Ethan mumbled to himself, his brows furrowing as he tried to recall where he had seen or heard about something like this before. "This feels familiar, like... like I’ve heard of a case like this."

But before he could latch onto the thought, Adrian’s soft sobs caught his attention again, and Ethan abandoned the idea for now. He leaned closer, trying to soothe his lover, his voice gentle. "Shh, don’t worry, okay? I’m not going anywhere. You and I—together, forever, remember?"

Adrian looked up at him, his tear-filled eyes locking onto Ethan’s translucent form. "You... promise?" His voice wavered, vulnerable and full of pain.

Ethan gave a crooked smile, one that didn’t quite hide the uncertainty he was feeling. But he nodded anyway. "I promise, Adrian. No matter what’s happening, I’m here. I’m always here for you. I won’t leave you."

Adrian’s hand reached out, trembling as he tried to grasp Ethan’s hand again, only for it to pass through like mist. A fresh wave of tears welled up in Adrian’s eyes at the inability to touch him, but Ethan stayed close, his presence still a comfort despite the lack of physical contact.

"I love you, Adrian," Ethan whispered, his heart aching as he watched Adrian fight to calm himself. "Please, don’t cry. You need to rest—for the babies’ sake, and for me. I need you to stay strong, okay?"

Adrian nodded weakly, though his tears continued to fall. "I love you too... but I’m scared, Ethan. I don’t want to lose you."

"You won’t," Ethan reassured, though the unease still lingered in his own chest. "We’ll figure this out. Just focus on staying healthy, for me and the babies. I’ll be back in my body before you know it."

---

Isaac stood frozen outside the room, his hand gripping the edge of the doorframe so tightly his knuckles turned white. He had just stepped in to check on Adrian, only to find his little brother sitting by Ethan’s bedside, sobbing uncontrollably. But what unsettled Isaac the most wasn’t the tears—he had expected those after everything—but the fact that Adrian was talking... to thin air.

"Why... why can’t you stay in your body? Why can’t I hold you?"

Isaac blinked, his sharp gaze locking onto the scene in front of him. His brother’s voice was shaking, broken, but the person Adrian was talking to wasn’t there. There was no one standing beside Adrian, no one touching him, no one to comfort him. Ethan was lying unconscious, hooked up to machines, unmoving. And yet Adrian kept speaking as if Ethan was right in front of him.

Isaac’s stomach churned as a sudden wave of dread washed over him. What the hell is going on? His mind screamed at him to rush in, to shake Adrian and tell him to stop, but something in his gut held him back. He could only stand there, staring at his brother, who was talking to an empty room, tears falling silently as his hands passed through the air where he thought Ethan’s soul might be.

Isaac clenched his jaw, forcing himself to look away. It was painful—watching Adrian like this, so vulnerable, so utterly heartbroken, as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He hated seeing his brother in this state, hated it more than anything. And to see Adrian talking to nothing... that made it even worse.

Has he lost his mind? Isaac thought, his heart sinking. Has loving Ethan so much pushed him over the edge?

The thought twisted something deep inside him. Isaac wasn’t one for emotional outbursts, but this was different. This was his little brother—his only brother—clinging to hope in the most desperate way. And if Adrian was falling apart, losing touch with reality, then Isaac couldn’t just stand by and let it happen.

His teeth ground together, frustration and helplessness building inside him. But more than anything, there was rage. Pure, boiling anger toward whoever had done this—whoever had hurt Adrian so deeply that his love had turned into this kind of madness.

Isaac shot one last glance toward Adrian, who was now whispering something to the air, his voice too soft to make out. The tears still flowed, unchecked, and Adrian’s frail body trembled under the weight of his sorrow.

Isaac couldn’t bear it anymore.

He turned abruptly, his hand balled into a fist at his side as he strode down the hallway, each step filled with growing resolve. Whoever was behind this—whoever was responsible for turning Adrian into a shell of himself—would pay. Isaac didn’t care who they were. They would die.

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