Meanwhile,

Back at Sanctuary Heights—

Dylan set the phone back in its place, his demeanor calm and completely unbothered.

It was as if the call from earlier hadn’t affected him at all.

And perhaps ... it truly hadn’t.

His eyes shifted, glancing toward the two figures sleeping soundly on the bed.

The moment his gaze landed on them, something in his expression softened —subtly, yet undeniably.

The blanket draped over them looked slightly uneven, loosely gathered around their forms.

He noticed it immediately.

Walking closer, he reached out and carefully adjusted it, tucking it around them with quiet precision —ensuring they were properly covered, comfortable and, undisturbed.

His movements were gentle. Unhurried.

Once done, he lingered for a moment, his gaze resting on them longer than necessary.

Then, without another word, he turned away and left the room.

—————

The next day—

Morning came more comfortably than Adelyn had imagined.

It wasn’t the soft streaming of sunlight filtering through the curtains that woke her—

but rather ... a gentle, almost hesitant caress brushing over her brows.

Her lashes fluttered faintly before she slowly opened her eyes.

"Good morning, Mama," Eira’s soft voice greeted her first.

The greeting caught Adelyn slightly off-guard. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

But as the memories of last night resurfaced —clear and vivid —she quickly composed herself. A gentle smile formed on her lips as she looked at the little girl.

"Good morning, baby," she said. Her voice was warm, while her hand lifted to gently cup Eira’s face. "Did you sleep well??"

Eira leaned into her touch almost instinctively, responding with a soft, content hum.

"Eira slept well ... with Mama beside her."

She paused briefly before tilting her head, asking curiously,

"Did Mama sleep well with Eira last night?"

The question might have sounded casual —something asked out of simple politeness.

But the eager glint in her eyes gave her away.

She cared.

Deeply.

Adelyn couldn’t help but smile at that.

Instead of answering immediately, she pushed herself up into a sitting position before replying,

"Of course. Since Little Eira let me hug her all night, I had a very very comfortable sleep."

Eira’s face lit up instantly as joy bloomed across her features.

"If Mama likes," she said, her voice bright with hope, "she can hug Eira and sleep every night."

Adelyn froze for a brief second.

Every night?

The idea ... was tempting.

More than she wanted to admit.

But even as that thought surfaced, reality followed closely behind.

No.

That wasn’t something she could allow to become a habit.

No matter how much she liked the idea of keeping the little girl close to her every day, she couldn’t forget—

This wasn’t permanent.

Nothing about this was meant to last.

And she couldn’t give this child a hope that she might not be able to fulfill.

Not when she knew ... just how deeply her words affected her.

"Sweetie ..." Adelyn said gently, carefully choosing her words, "Mama can’t stay with you every night."

Eira blinked, looking at her quietly.

"Why can’t Mama stay with Eira every night?" she asked. Her voice was soft and innocent.

The simplicity of her question made Adelyn’s resolve waver for a moment.

For a second —just a second —she almost wanted to take her words back.

But she didn’t.

Closing her eyes briefly, she steadied herself before opening them again.

Her gaze remained gentle —but firm.

"Because Mama has work," she explained softly. "She needs to stay late sometimes. And this place is far from where I live. Coming here every day would become tiring. If I keep travelling back and forth like that, I’ll get exhausted."

Eira fell silent.

Her little brows furrowed slightly, as she processed the explanation.

Mama was busy.

Coming back would be tiring.

She couldn’t let Mama get too tired ...

But—

She still wanted to stay with her.

"Then ..." Eira said after a pause, her voice hopeful again, "can Eira come and stay with Mama?"

Adelyn had expected that.

And she had already thought about it.

Looking at her, she slowly shook her head.

"You can’t, baby."

The light in Eira’s eyes dimmed almost instantly.

Adelyn noticed it —and it made her chest tighten uncomfortably.

Quickly, she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Eira’s cheek before continuing gently,

"I can’t bring you to stay with me," she clarified, her voice soft but sincere. "Not because I don’t want to. Trust me, I would love to keep you by my side all the time. Every moment."

She paused, then added more carefully,

"But I really can’t."

Eira didn’t interrupt.

She simply sat there, listening quietly —as though she was genuinely trying to understand.

And seeing that—

Adelyn didn’t rush her explanation.

She took her time ... making sure every word was clear.

"Once Mama starts working," she continued, "she’ll be very busy. Some days, I might come home late. And sometimes ... I might not come home at all."

Her voice softened further.

"How can I let you stay at my place, waiting for me every day ... when I don’t even know if I’ll be able to come back?"

Eira looked at her, her expression thoughtful.

"Will Mama really be that busy?" she asked.

Adelyn nodded gently.

"Yes."

Eira’s gaze dropped slightly.

"Then ... does that mean Eira won’t be able to meet Mama often?"

The sadness in her voice was unmistakable.

Adelyn’s heart clenched again.

"No, not often ..." she corrected quickly, "but not rarely either."

Eira looked back at her, confusion flickering in her eyes —clearly waiting for her to explain.

Adelyn smiled softly.

"I might not be able to see you every day ..." she said, "but, I’ll still try my best to find time to visit you."

"You can do that?" Eira asked, her voice carrying a small spark of hope again.

Adelyn nodded.

"Of course, I can. Whenever you miss me, just send me a text —and I’ll try my best to come to you. No matter what."

Eira’s eyes brightened instantly.

"Really?"

Adelyn extended her little finger toward her.

Eira looked at it for a moment before hooking her own finger around it.

Adelyn gently pressed their thumbs together.

"I promise," she said.

Eira stared at their joined hands, as if sealing that moment deep in her heart.

"As long as Eira wants to meet me," Adelyn added softly, "I’ll find time to come."

Just like that—

The sadness disappeared.

In its place, excitement bloomed again.

"Then does that mean," Eira asked eagerly, "Eira can send you texts every day? Will you reply to them?"

Adelyn paused for a brief moment.

Then she smiled.

"Why wouldn’t I?" she said, gently. "As long as it’ll be from you, I’ll reply immediately."

With that, she didn’t wait. She reached for her phone from the side.

"Wait," she added, "I’ll add you right now."

But the moment she tried to turn it on—

She paused.

The screen remained completely black.

Her brows furrowed.

Her phone...

Why was it switched off?