The Extraordinary Bride Of The Wyndham Family (Isla and Gabriel) novel Chapter 149

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A loud, sharp noise burst through the hallway, shattering the tense silence of the lounge room. Everyone inside jumped to their feet immediately. Their hearts raced, beating violently against their chests.

“Grandfather!”

The scream echoed again.

It was Wyatt’s voice. He was loud, sounding terrified and desperate.

Gabriel and Landon sprinted first, rushing toward Alfred Wyndham’s private room. The corridor felt too long, as if the walls were pulling farther apart with every step they took. By the time they pushed the door open, their breath left them instantly.

Alfred was gasping for air. His chest rose and fell unevenly, each breath more painful than the last. The machines around him were blaring, flashing numbers that made no sense. The steady heart monitor was no longer steady. The beeping was irregular-panicked-warning them of danger.

“What happened to Grandfather?!” Gabriel yelled.

His voice cracked, heavy with fear.

Two doctors and a nurse rushed into the room, pushing Gabriel aside gently. They took one look at Alfred and immediately began CPR, their hands pressing firmly onto his fragile chest. The room filled with the sound of urgent commands, the thump of their palms against his ribs, and the sharp rhythm of medical alarms.

John stood frozen near the foot of the bed. His hands trembled. His eyes filled with tears instantly.

He couldn’t watch-he truly couldn’t. Seeing the doctors push against his father’s chest was like watching them crush his own heart. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He sobbed quietly, shoulders shaking with pain he could no longer hide.

Gabriel’s face hardened. His eyes locked onto Wyatt, who stood crying uncontrollably near the window. Gabriel knew his grandfather had been perfectly fine when he left moments ago. So what had happened? Why had things worsened so suddenly?

The question burned in his chest, but this was not the time to attack.

The nurse turned to them urgently. “Please, all of you, wait outside. We need space.”

No one argued. No one even spoke. They all stumbled out of the room, their voices caught somewhere between fear and disbelief.

***

The hallway outside was filled with pacing footsteps and muffled sobs. Sia and Mia cried openly, clinging to each other. Even the men, strong as they normally were, looked pale and shaken. The tension around them grew heavier with each passing minute, pressing into their lungs like invisible hands.

Inside the private room, the doctors fought hard. They tried everything-every protocol, every emergency step -to bring Alfred back. But the minutes dragged on painfully.

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Ten minutes…

Fifteen…

Twenty….

Every second felt like a lifetime.

Then

after what felt like thirty excruciating minutes the door finally opened,

John stepped forward immediately, searching the doctor’s face for hope. But he didn’t find any. The doctor’s expression said everything before the words even came.

“No… no, no…” Gabriel whispered as the truth dawned on him.

Then his voice shattered the room.

“Nooooo!”

His knees almost gave out. Landon grabbed him before he hit the floor, and the two brothers held each other tightly, sobbing into each other’s shoulders.

Sia and Mia broke down completely. Their cries filled the corridor, trembling and helpless. Wyatt stood frozen in one place. His face was bright red, eyes swollen, his mouth shaking like he was trying to speak but couldn’t form a single word.

“We tried all we could,” the doctor said to John gently. “But he didn’t make it. We’re very sorry.”

The words struck the room like a blow.

Alfred Wyndham…

The patriarch..The pillar of the Wyndham empire. The father and grandfather they loved. The owner of the very hospital they stood in.

Gone.

Even the doctors looked shaken. This wasn’t just another patient—it was Alfred Wyndham.

They couldn’t walk away. At least, not yet.

Several hours passed before Alfred’s body was finally wheeled out and was taken to the morgue.

Now, they all sat together again in the lounge room.

Mia and Sia were still crying, their eyes swollen and red. Landon kept his arm around Mia, rubbing her shoulder carefully. Wyatt sat far away from everyone, silently staring at the floor, lost and broken.

Gabriel didn’t sit. He stood by the window, his hands clenched into fists. His mind was spinning. His heart felt like it was tearing apart. He had asked Stone to go home and bring Isla to the hospital. He needed her. He couldn’t breathe without her right now.

John sat quietly, completely defeated. His father-the man he admired, respected, and loved-was gone. His eyes remained locked on the floor, remembering his last words to him when they spoke earlier today.

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“I hope I can live long enough to carry Gabriel and Isla’s children in my arms, John. That is my only wish.”

John’s chest tightened painfully.

He never knew those words would be the last he’d ever hear from him.

Alfred had sounded so strong earlier. So full of life. So hopeful. He had been given another chance to fix the cracks in their family. He wanted so much to see the family united.

But now… that chance is gone.

“Where is Grandfather?!”

A familiar voice screamed from the corridor.

And it was Isla.

Gabriel’s head shot up instantly. He rushed forward.

Isla ran into the lounge room, breathless, terrified. And the moment she saw Gabriel, she threw herself into his

arms.

“Grandfather!” she sobbed uncontrollably.

Gabriel held her tightly, almost painfully. Her body shook violently in his arms, her tears soaking his shirt instantly. He whispered to her, tried to calm her, but she cried even harder.

He didn’t stop her. He held her tighter.

Isla’s crying triggered Mia and Sia once more. Soon the whole room was filled with the deep, aching sound of grief.

The man they all feared. The one that his name brought pride to them. He is finally gone now. They couldn’t get to celebrate his eighty-nineth birthday.

A doctor stepped into the room. “You may go to the morgue now,” he said quietly. “You can view his body.”

Isla tried to steady herself, but her hands trembled violently. Gabriel wiped her tears gently with his handkerchief. They all composed themselves as best as they could.

John stood in front. Behind him, Wyatt held Sia. Landon had his arm around Mia. And Gabriel protectively held Isla by her waist.

“Let’s go see him,” John said quietly. His voice held centuries of sorrow.

They nodded and followed him.

Inside the morgue, the cold air gripped them instantly. The attendant asked them to go in two by two.

John asked Wyatt and Sia to enter first. He went with them.

When they came out, Sia was shaking violently, her face soaked in tears. Wyatt’s eyes were blood-red, his jaw tightened so hard it looked painful.

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