Elsa felt a wave of cold despair wash over her as she replayed the doctor's words in her spectral mind.
The diagnosis felt like a physical blow, shattering the remaining strength of her soul.
Kayla remained outside, her spirit completely broken as she struggled to process the grim reality.
"There are few chances for Elsa to live, and her heart is on the verge of failure," the surgeon had said.
Kayla began to question the heavens, her voice a broken whisper of raw agony.
"WHY?"
"WHY MY FRIEND LEAH...?"
Kayla's thoughts began to drift back to the promises Leah had made during their most difficult times.
She remembered Leah looking her in the eye and saying, "You are not only my best friend, but also my family."
"I can give up my happiness and my very life to ensure that you stay happy, Kayla."
"I will always be with you, and I will always find a way to make you smile."
Kayla clutched the locket around her neck, her tears falling onto the cold hospital floor.
"Leah is my family, the sister who was always there for me in every single moment," Kayla cried out to the empty hallway.
"But why is Fate playing such a cruel game with her?"
"Can you even hear me? Can anyone listen to what I am saying?"
"She brought so much happiness into this world, and if she leaves, then nothing I have left will matter."
"Leah is the greatest joy I have ever known."
"Please, God, save my friend."
"You can take anything from me—my wealth, my future—but do not take Leah."
"I cannot exist in a world where I failed to save her."
Leah's spirit stood just inches away, listening to every word of her friend's heartbreak.
She felt a profound sadness, but she remained silent and calm, unable to reach out and offer comfort.
Kayla slowly stood up and walked into the ICU, the sterile air biting at her skin.
She saw Leah's body lying motionless on the bed, hidden behind a plastic oxygen mask and a web of wires.
Memories of their shared life flashed before her eyes with every step she took toward the bedside.
Kayla reached out and took Leah's limp, pale hand, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles.
"What is written in your fate, Leah?" Kayla sobbed.
"You always believed so strongly in fate and destiny."
"What did the stars write for you?"
Standing beside her, the spectral Leah whispered a single name into the silence.
"LEO..."
Kayla felt a shiver of grief, but she could not hear the spirit's voice or see the girl standing right next to her.
Miles away in the Kingston mansion, Leo was pacing his room in a state of growing frustration.
His family members were still buzzing with excitement, demanding to meet the mysterious Elsa.
"I will bring her to you soon, Dad," Leo told Richard with a confident nod.
"I will introduce her to the entire family and I will marry her soon."
Richard smiled at his son's newfound passion and walked away to share the news.
Once he was alone, Leo's expression shifted into a dark, worried frown.
"Where has this crazy girl gone without informing me?" he muttered to the empty room.
"I am going to give her such a lecture when I find her."
"I will make her so scared of me that she will never dream of leaving my side again."
He smiled to himself, a possessive warmth blooming in his chest despite his anger.
"Whatever happened, it was clearly written in Leah's fate and destiny to be mine."
In the hospital, Leah heard his thoughts through their shared bond and questioned herself with deep sadness.
"What truly is written in my fate and destiny?"
Leo's phone suddenly vibrated in his hand, and he answered it with an impatient scowl.
As he listened to the voice on the other end, his face turned deathly pale.
"WHAT...?" he shouted, his voice echoing through the mansion like a crack of thunder.
Leah felt a sudden jolt of terror in her soul, sensing the shock that had just paralyzed Leo's heart.