CHAPTER 228: DON’T DO THIS TO ME CHARLES.

"Noooooooo!" Augustine screamed, yanking Charles’s body in desperation, trying to shake him back to life.

But Charles didn’t move. He remained limp unresponsive.

Augustine’s breath caught in his throat as a cold chill surged down his spine.

It felt as though time itself had stopped, the world around him frozen in a cruel, silent pause.

Seconds later, Augustine flutter his eyelashes as he yank Charles body in a tender manner.

"Pookie... Pookie, don’t do this to me. You... you can’t do this to me," Augustine sobbed, his voice breaking with each desperate word as he cradled Charles against his chest.

His tears soaked into Charles’s shirt, his trembling hands refusing to let go.

Freda remained frozen, her wide, horrified eyes locked on Charles’s lifeless form.

Her lips parted, but no words came. Her voice had abandoned her.

Reginald, though focused on the road, was visibly panicking.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel.

With one hand, he reached over and tapped Freda’s shoulder urgently.

"Take my phone and... and call Mr. and Mrs. Donald. And call CEO Augustine’s parents. Now," he instructed, shoving the phone into Freda’s hands without taking his eyes off the road.

Freda blinked, finally snapping out of her trance as she fumbled with the phone, her fingers shaking violently.

With trembling hands, Freda began to call those that Reginald had instructed her to call.

All through the phone call, Augustine was still trying his best to make Charles wake up but he was still unresponsive.

Eventually, Reginald pulled up beside an hospital building, tires screeching slightly as the car came to a halt.

Almost immediately, a team of medical personnel rushed out with a stretcher, their expressions tense and focused.

"Move! Move!"

The voice of nurses could be heard as they urge everyone in front of them to pave way.

Without wasting a second, Augustine threw open the passenger door and gently, but frantically, pulled Charles into his arms.

"Help him! Please!" he shouted, his voice raw with desperation as he carefully laid Charles onto the stretcher.

The nurses and doctors sprang into action, wheeling Charles into the stretcher while Augustine clutched his trembling hands, refusing to let go until the last possible moment.

Augustine, Freda and Reginald didn’t step away from Charles side.

Augustine’s hands were wrapped around the hands of Charles as he stare at his lover who seems lifeless as tears streamed down his eyes.

"I love you, Charles." Augustine whispered with his lips quivering in fright. "I love you so much Charles and I won’t be upset at you for hiding the fact that you are sick so please... please for the sake of Freda... or perhaps... perhaps please wake up for my sake." Augustine sobbed.

Alongside Augustine, Freda’s trembling hands clutched Charles’s other wrist as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Her voice cracked with each word, her face drenched in tears.

"Charles... I know... I know I haven’t always been the best friend. I know I’ve kept things from you, pushed you away sometimes, but none of that matters right now," Freda choked out, her body shaking. "I need you to wake up. I need you to tell me all those weird little things you never let anyone in on. I want to hear your laugh again. I want to see you roll your eyes when I tease you and... and I want to show you how much I love you," she whimpered.

Freda’s grip on Charles wrist tightened as her voice dropped to a whisper. "So please... please just open your eyes and tell me this is all a cruel, messed-up joke. Just wake up, Charles. Please."

Reginald who was beside Freda was also sobbing but no words left his mouth. He was hurt, devastated and he hated the fact that he didn’t find out about Charles illness while he was doing background checkup on Charles.

Reginald deeply blamed himself because if he had found out about Charles illness on time then Charles would have gotten the treatment that he needs.

The nurses rushed Charles into the emergency room, the sliding doors snapping shut with a loud thud right in Augustine’s face.

"Let me in!" Augustine shouted, his voice raw with desperation as he lunged toward the doors, trying to push past the medical staff blocking his path.

"Sir, you can’t go in there!" one of the nurses exclaimed, planting herself firmly between him and the entrance.

"You don’t understand! That’s my partner—he needs me!" Augustine cried, struggling against the arms that held him back.

But the nurses were trained for moments like this, and despite his pleas, they held their ground.

It wasn’t until Reginald grabbed him from one side and Freda clutched the other that Augustine began to lose strength in his resistance.

"Augustine, please," Freda begged, her voice trembling, "let them help Charles."

"No! I... I need to be with him," Augustine whispered, his knees buckling as his body began to tremble.

Reginald tightened his grip. "Augustine, you have to let the doctors do their things unless Charles would be at risk." Reginald stated.

"Augustine!"

The voice of Mrs. Donald called out from behind as she rushed towards Augustine who had turned around to stare at her.

As she closed the distance between him, she spread her hands wide open and welcome him with a warm hug.

"Ohh my God!" She cried, burying her face into Augustine’s body.

A minute later, front of the emergency doors was surrounded by Mr. and Mrs. Wales and Mr and Mrs. Donald.

Augustine had already collapsed to the cold, sterile hospital floor, his sobs echoing faintly through the hallway.

His shoulders trembled violently, his face buried in his hands as tears soaked his palms.

Freda stood beside him, frozen, her eyes locked on the glass window of the emergency room, silently willing Charles to wake up.

Inside, chaos unfolded.

"Charging to 200!" one of the doctors shouted, sweat dripping down his brow as the defibrillator was reset.

The paddles were pressed firmly against Charles’s chest again.

"Clear!"

His body jolted off the stretcher with a violent surge, but the heart monitor remained a haunting flatline.

"Still no response," another nurse whispered in despair.

"Charging again—300!" the lead doctor barked.

"Come on, Charles... please..." Augustine whispered brokenly. "Come back to me."

Some minutes later, the male doctor in charge shook his head sideways as he stare at his wrist. "Time of death: 1:55 a.m. Date of death:

August 15," the doctor stated.