When Lucas whispered "I love you," Ethan's defiance finally broke. He didn't pull away.
Outside the restroom, Arlo, having secured the hospital grounds after the Mafia attack, wondered where Ethan had gone. Doctors' gossips drifted to her ears.
"Hey, did you see that the CEO is Dr. Ethan's boyfriend!?"
"OMG! He even acted at first like he didn't know Mr. Lucas when he asked if Dr. Stan was married or not!"
Arlo's head snapped up. "Hey! What did you both say? Did CEO Lucas say anything about Dr. Ethan?"
"Ah, actually, Ma'am, yes! Lucas Sir declared in front of all of us that he's dating our doctor Ethan again! He even said they were boyfriends five years ago!" one doctor replied.
Arlo's eyes went wide with dread. She choked. "I—I need water!" She stumbled away.
Meanwhile, in the restroom, Lucas's breath hitched. He closed the remaining space between them, his hands desperate to hold Ethan closer. "Aah, I can't hold anymore! It's been years," Lucas whispered,.
"Lucas, not here!" Ethan protested, though his voice was weak.
Lucas's pleading, desire-filled eyes were too much. Ethan pulled Lucas to him, their lips meeting fiercely. "You said it's been years? I want to know exactly how much you missed me," Ethan challenged boldly, stripping off his own shirt.
Lucas dragged Ethan's waist closer. "Let me show you how much I missed you," he whispered into Ethan's ear. The sterile hospital restroom became a chamber of desperate passion.
Afterward, Lucas and Ethan tried to leave the room. "OMG, it's already late! What if someone sees us?" Ethan worried, his clothes rumpled and Lucas's hair a mess.
They opened the door. Standing right in front of them, breathing heavily, was Arlo. Her fury and fear were evident in her eyes.
"Arlo, what are you doing here?" Lucas asked, confused.
"That's my question, Sir!" Arlo snapped. "Excuse me, Dr. Ethan Stan, you should go!"
Ethan saw the true fear in Arlo's eyes and fled quickly. Arlo grabbed Lucas's hand and dragged him to a private corner.
"Sir, your clothes are rumpled! Your shirt isn't buttoned well! Look at your face in the mirror before going to the meeting!" Arlo hissed.
"Arlo..." Lucas tried to interrupt.
"Can you, Sir, please stop! This is a hospital! What were you both doing in there? If somebody finds out..." Arlo's voice broke. "Did you even think what if your mother finds out this? What if she knows you two are already back together?"
"Arlo, my mother is not a bad person!" Lucas said dismissively. "She thought Ethan cheated on me that day. That's why she tried to keep me away. She just needs some time until she realizes Ethan is a good guy. She will definitely agree to our relationship! Arlo, you need to just focus on your job without concern for my life and my Ethan's life!" Lucas finished rudely, blinded by his own confidence.
"Okay, Sir, okay. As you said," Arlo conceded, her expression becoming strangely placid.
Lucas fixed his attire and prepared for the meeting. "I guess you're not going to tell Mom about whatever is happening right now?" he warned before leaving.
Yes, this is going to be really bad, Arlo thought. I guess I need to take my own stand to save my Ethan and Eli.
In his cabin, Ethan was trying to compose himself when Arlo entered.
She immediately ordered Cury and Satraus out. "I need to speak with Dr. Ethan personally."
Arlo closed the door. "Give Eli to me. I'll take him abroad. I'll take care of him!" Arlo commanded, her voice thick with desperation.
"Aunt... what are you saying?" Ethan stammered, standing up in sad surprise.
"I'm saying the truth! I need to protect Eli no matter what happens!"
"Eli is my son! I will protect him myself!" Ethan protested.
"Did you do nothing?" Arlo grabbed his hand and showed him the love mark on his wrist. "Look at your neck! You already accepted Lucas as your boyfriend again! Everyone knows this already! Then in a matter of days, Miss Sefan will definitely know you're here! You are going to die, and something terrible is going to happen to Eli! My Clara is already dead, and now my family is going to be ruined right in front of my eyes!" Arlo cried, tears streaming.
"If you want to save something, you have only two options: Leave Lucas right now and go abroad with Eli. Or give Eli to me, and I will take care of him!"
Ethan sank to his knees. "Aunt, I know how much you fought for me and Eli. And I ruined every protection you made just by accepting my love for Lucas again! But... I can't live without Lucas and without Eli! I can't give up on either of them!" Ethan begged.
Arlo wiped her tears. "Then I have to handle this myself!" She turned and stormed out of the cabin.
Meanwhile, Sefan, having reviewed Ethan's file, was ecstatic. "He's working in my hospital! I searched for him in other countries! Is he dumb, or does he think I'm dumb?" She picked up her phone and called Arlo.
"Hello, Madam," Arlo answered, composed.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to see my son. Make him free as much as he can," Sefan ordered.
"Will you be here, Ma'am, or should we come back to the city?" Arlo asked, trying to gauge Sefan's location.
"Shut up! Can you just do as I said? Yes, I am already in the city. Do I need to tell you every second of my life?" Sefan snapped and hung up.
"Ohh, ohh, she knows! She definitely knows Ethan is here!" Arlo panicked. "OMG, what can I do?"
A desperate idea sparked in her mind. She pulled out a secondary, secure phone and called someone.
"Hello... Miss Victoria!"