Before their last song, Rhythm took over. It was their first appearance in public and the audience already loved them.
Chris had time to rest his voice for at least fifteen minutes. Liliana did her duty as a wife before he stepped onto the stage again.
Liliana clasped her hands and prayed for her husband’s health. So when the final note echoed throughout the arena, she was relieved.
For several seconds, the audience remained standing, applauding so loudly that the sound seemed to shake the entire venue.
Pulse stood side by side at the front of the stage. Sweat covered their foreheads. Their breathing was uneven after nearly three hours of performing.
Despite his illness, Chris smiled brightly at the audience.
"Thank you, Paris!"
The crowd answered with deafening cheers.
"We love you, Pulse!"
"Chris!"
The members bowed one final time before slowly making their way backstage.
Everyone looked relieved. They had done it. The concert was a success.
Robin exhaled deeply.
"We made it."
Matthew nodded.
"Now let’s get him to the hospital for a proper examination."
Liliana had already prepared another bottle of warm ginger tea.
She stood near the backstage entrance, waiting for Chris.
Just a little farther. Just a few more steps.
Chris removed one of his in-ear monitors as he walked through the narrow hallway behind the stage.
The cheers from the audience became distant. His head felt strangely light.
His legs, heavy. Too heavy.
He blinked once.
The hallway suddenly tilted.
He stopped walking and quietly placed a hand against the wall.
Aaron immediately noticed.
"Chris?"
"I’m..."
Chris took another step.
"...fine."
But even he knew that wasn’t true. His breathing became labored. His vision blurred around the edges. The voices nearby became muffled as though he were underwater.
Nathan hurried closer. "Hey, are you alright?"
River frowned. "You don’t look good."
Leo immediately stepped toward him. "We’re stopping."
"No..." Chris whispered. "Lily..."
He lifted his head.
At the end of the hallway, he saw her.
Liliana was standing exactly where she promised she would be, holding warm tea.
Waiting for him. Just like always.
Chris smiled weakly.
"There..." He whispered. "My wife..."
Liliana noticed something immediately.
Her smile disappeared. "Chris?"
She took one step forward.
Then another.
The distance between them was less than ten meters.
Chris tried to reach her. Just a little farther. But his body refused.
The hallway spun violently until his knees gave way.
"Chris!"
Before anyone could reach him, hiis body collapsed onto the floor.
Everything happened at once. Liliana dropped everything she was holding. The thermos rolled across the floor while medicine scattered beside it.
She ran faster than anyone had ever seen.
"Chris!"
She dropped to her knees beside him..His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow..His face had become frighteningly pale.
"No...".She gently touched his forehead.
Her heart sank.
"He has a fever again."
The heat was even worse than before the concert.
The doctor and nurse rushed forward immediately.
"Give us space!"
The nurse quickly checked his pulse. The doctor measured his temperature.
The thermometer beeped.
He frowned.
"Forty degrees."
Everyone froze.
Robin’s face lost its color.
"The ambulance. Now!"
Within minutes, Chris was loaded onto a stretcher.
Liliana refused to let go of his hand.
"I’m coming."
The doctor nodded.
"Come."
Chris’ parents, Matthew and Amanda, immediately went to the hospital. The rest followed in separate vehicles.
The convoy sped under police escort. Nobody spoke. Nobody could.
Only the ambulance siren echoed through the night.
Liliana quietly held Chris’s hand the entire way.
"You promised..."
She whispered.
"You said you’d come back after the concert."
His fingers remained motionless.
She lowered her head.
"...Please keep your promise."
The emergency department immediately received them.
Doctors quickly pushed Chris into the treatment room.
Liliana instinctively followed but the nurse gently stopped her.
"I’m sorry. You have to wait outside."
She looked helplessly toward the closing doors. Then slowly stepped back.
When the doors shut, silence filled the hallway.
For the first time in a long time, she could do nothing for her husband.
Nearly fifteen minutes passed, and nobody moved.
Matthew stood beside Amanda. His expression remained calm. But his tightly clenched fists revealed everything.
Robin continuously answered phone calls.
One after another.
"Yes."
"We’re at the hospital."
"No."
"We don’t have an update yet."
"Please inform everyone that we’ll release an official statement."
Another call arrived immediately. Then another. And another. The media had already found out.
Exactly thirty-two minutes later, the hospital doors opened.
A doctor stepped outside.
Everyone immediately stood.
"Doctor?"
The doctor removed his mask.
"He collapsed because he pushed himself beyond his physical limit."
"He had influenza. The concert placed tremendous stress on his body."
Liliana’s eyes immediately filled with tears.
"...Is he okay?"
The doctor smiled reassuringly.
"He’s stable. The fever remains high. But he’s responding to treatment."
A collective sigh of relief spread through the hallway.
Amanda quietly embraced Liliana.
"It’s okay. He’ll recover."
Unfortunately, the world already knew. And before midnight, every major news outlet had interrupted regular programming.
PULSE’S MAIN VOCALIST COLLAPSES AFTER SOLD-OUT CONCERT IN MILAN.
Videos taken by audience members spread rapidly across social media.
Fans noticed how exhausted Chris had looked during the final songs.
Then another video appeared.
It showed him collapsing only a few steps away from Liliana backstage.
The footage quickly went viral.
Millions of people watched it. And millions of fans were worried.
The hashtags immediately climbed worldwide.
#GetWellSoonChris
#StayStrongChris
#PrayForChris
#Pulse
Messages poured in from fellow artists around the world who Chris met during their tour.
Even government officials who had attended the Paris concert sent public wishes for his recovery.
By sunrise, the hospital had become surrounded by hundreds of fans. But by noon, there were thousands. The Italian police established additional security around the building.
The fans quietly placed flowers along the hospital entrance. They weren’t shouting or screaming. They genuinely cared for Chris.
Handwritten cards, stuffed toys, letters, fresh fruit and home-cooked meals were delivered to the hospital. Even warm soup prepared by elderly fans was sent to the lobby.
Hospital staff struggled to find enough space.
One nurse smiled while looking at another delivery. "Another one?"
The volunteer laughed. "It’s the fiftieth basket this morning."
A doctor looked outside the hospital window. The crowd stretched almost the entire block.
Many fans simply stood silently holding banners.
GET WELL SOON, CHRIS.
WE’LL WAIT FOR YOU.
THANK YOU FOR SINGING EVEN WHEN YOU WERE SICK.
One elderly Italian couple quietly placed white lilies near the entrance.
"We came because he kept his promise to perform."
"He deserves to know he isn’t alone."
Inside the hospital room, the curtains remained slightly open. Soft afternoon sunlight entered quietly.
While Chris still slept peacefully under the effects of medication.
Liliana sat beside his bed, gently adjusting his blanket. Then reached for his hand.
It was finally cooler than before. She smiled softly.
"You always worry about everyone else."
She brushed a strand of blond hair away from his forehead.
"This time...".Her voice became almost a whisper. "...let everyone worry about you."
Outside the hospital, thousands of fans continued waiting patiently. Not for an autograph or a photograph. They were there to hear only one piece of good news.
They wanted to make sure that the voice which had comforted millions around the world would soon be healthy enough to sing again.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter
