Hawk Moth carried Mayura back home. The woman in his arms seemed to have no fear and was unconcerned with her well-being.
He remembered when she'd told him that herself. And she was doing it all for him.
A tiny voice whispered that he had the power to stop all of this. Nathalie wouldn't get sicker and he could live his life peacefully again.
But he still wouldn't have Emilie back.
She was the one who'd hoped he would never put on the butterfly Miraculous. She had wanted him to move on.
And what was he doing? The opposite.
He almost completely ignored their son. He spent most of his days in that dark, lonely attic, talking to himself to convince himself that he wasn't crazy. He took advantage of people who were suffering.
And now, he was dooming another to Emilie's fate. This fearless and loyal woman who was struggling to remain conscious at this very moment.
"Nathalie, are you ever afraid?" he asked, de-transforming in the office. He helped her sit on the sofa and removed the Miraculous from her chest.
"Afraid of what?" she murmured, rubbing her forehead.
"Afraid of what might happen to you if you keep wearing that brooch."
She looked at the object, eyes still a bit unfocused. "Yes," she admitted quietly. "I am afraid of not being there for you and Adrien one day. But by then, I'm hoping you'll have her back and you won't need me anymore. Everything will be alright, Gabriel."
"I'll always need you." The desperation in his voice made her meet his eyes in surprise. "Whether Emilie's here or not, it doesn't change how much you mean to me."
She smiled. "Well, I'm still ready to do anything you need."
"But I don't want you to die. Especially not in the same way she died."
"Gabriel . . ."
"I feel like I'm stuck in a loop of failure, Nathalie. No matter what I do, I never succeed." He sat next to her. "And now I'm here, watching you get sicker as you pay for my mistakes."
She put a gentle hand over his, circling her thumb across the back of it.
At that moment, Gabriel realized something: maybe the thing he was looking for wasn't so out of reach after all.