SOPHIA’S POV

The first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was warmth.

A large hand was wrapped around mine. I felt it as I opened my eyes slowly.

For a few seconds, I simply stared at the white ceiling above me, trying to remember where I was. Then the dull ache in my abdomen returned, and everything came rushing back.

I remembered – Ashley, Damien, the hospital, the words I wished I had never said.

My chest tightened painfully. I slowly turned my head.

Zade was sitting beside my bed.

His head rested against the mattress near my arm. His eyes were closed, and his dark hair looked slightly messy. He looked like he hadn’t slept properly all night.

My wolf stirred quietly inside me.

"He stayed again," she whispered softly.

A strange feeling stayed inside my chest as I watched him. No matter how many times I pushed him away, he kept returning.

The sight made my heart ache. Maybe because I knew very few people would do that for me.

A movement near the door pulled my attention away.

The door opened quietly, then an elegant woman walked inside.

The moment I saw her face, I recognized her.

Leah, Zade’s mother.

Her face looked pale but healthy now. She looked a lot better.

The second she saw me awake, her entire face lit up.

"Oh my goodness." She said.

Before I could react, she hurried toward my bed.

"My beautiful girl is awake." She said.

I blinked in shock. Beautiful girl?

Leah grabbed both my hands. Her eyes became red.

"Sophia, thank you." She said. Her voice was filled with emotion.

I looked confused "Mrs. Carter-"

"No." She shook her head firmly. "don’t call me that. You saved my life”

I opened my mouth "Lance helped too."

"He did." Leah nodded. "But Zade told me everything."

Tears appeared in her eyes. "He said you were the one who stayed beside him while he was losing his mind."

My throat tightened.

I remembered that night. I remembered Zade’s terrified face, his trembling hands and the way he had held onto me as if I was the only thing keeping him standing.

Leah squeezed my hands.

"Thank you." Her voice cracked. "You gave my son hope when he thought he was losing me."

I didn’t know what to say.

Thankfully, Zade suddenly woke up. His eyes immediately found mine. The exhaustion disappeared from his face instantly.

"Sophia." He said. His voice was rough.

My wolf wagged her tail immediately. I ignored her.

Leah looked between us, then a huge smile appeared on her face. It was a smile that instantly made me nervous.

"Oh." She said. She looked delighted. "So this is how it is."

Zade groaned "Mom."

Leah ignored him completely. She moved closer to me, then she patted my hand.

"Sophia." She said.

I blinked "Yes?"

Her smile widened "Please, call me Mom."

I nearly choked "What?"

Beside me, Zade looked completely unsurprised. That made things worse.

Leah nodded seriously "You heard me."

I stared at her. She stared back. For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then I laughed nervously.

"Mrs. Carter-" I said.

"Mom." She corrected.

I nearly buried myself under the blanket.

My face felt hot, very hot. This was awkward. What was going on here?

Leah looked delighted by my embarrassment. Meanwhile, Zade crossed his arms.

He casually said something that nearly gave me a heart attack.

"She’s right." He said.

I froze "What?"

Zade looked directly at me. His eyes were calm.

"You’re the only woman I’ve chosen."

The room became silent. Even my wolf stopped moving.

Leah looked proud.

Meanwhile, I wished the hospital bed would swallow me whole.

"Zade." I said.

He didn’t look away "I mean it." His voice became serious. "I’ve never changed my mind. I already told my family. They know."

Leah nodded "Absolutely. We’ve known for a while."

My heart beat faster.

I wanted to disappear, completely disappear.

Leah laughed "You should have seen him."

Zade sighed "Mom."

"No." She pointed at him "You nearly drove me crazy."

Zade groaned.

Leah continued anyway "He kept talking about you."

My face became hotter.

"He showed me your photos." Leah continued.

Zade growled "Mom."

"He talked about your smile."

"Mom."

"He talked about your eyes."

"Mom!"

I couldn’t stop laughing. For the first time in days, genuine laughter escaped my lips.

The room felt lighter now.

My wolf stretched happily inside me.

"His family likes us."

After another few minutes, Leah finally stood up.

A nurse had arrived to check her discharge paperwork. Before leaving, Leah leaned down and kissed my forehead.

The gesture stunned me.

She smiled warmly "Take care of yourself, sweetheart"

Then she lowered her voice "And think carefully about my son."

My face immediately turned red again. Leah laughed loudly before leaving.

The moment the door closed, silence filled the room.

I looked away from Zade. Zade looked at me.

Neither of us spoke.

Then suddenly the door opened again. This time, it was my doctor.

His expression was serious. As soon as I saw that expression, my stomach dropped.

Something was wrong.

The doctor walked inside holding a file "Miss Sophia."

I sat straighter "Is everything okay?"

The doctor’s expression darkened. That was not a good sign.

"We received your latest test results." He said.

My fingers tightened around the blanket. Zade straightened immediately.

The doctor sighed "You suffered another hemorrhage."

The room became completely silent.

My heart sank. I had suspected something but hearing it confirmed still hurt.

The doctor continued "The injury reopened."

Beside me, Zade froze. His face changed instantly.

"What?" he spoke.

The single word came out dangerously calm.

The doctor looked at him "The bleeding was controlled."

Zade stood up. There was pure rage written on his face now. His wolf was practically roaring beneath his skin. I could smell the Alpha scent pouring from him.

"How?" he asked. His voice was shaking now. "How did it reopen?"

I looked away.

The doctor glanced at me, then at Zade.

"You should ask her." he said.

The second those words left his mouth, Zade turned toward me.

His eyes locked onto mine "Sophia."

I stayed quiet.

My wolf whimpered. She already knew where this was going.

"Sophia." His voice became softer. "Tell me."

I looked down at my hands.

The memory returned instantly. I remembered Ashley kicking me. I remembered the pain, the shock, then Damien choosing Ashley’s side without even asking questions.

My chest hurt...a lot.

"Sophia."

I swallowed "It was Ashley."

Silence.

I didn’t even hear breathing.

For several seconds, Zade simply stared at me, like he had misunderstood.

His face turned pale as he spoke “Ashley? Ashley did this?"

I looked away. Tears burned my eyes.

"It wasn’t entirely her fault." I said.

His expression hardened "Tell me exactly what happened."

I didn’t want to. But somehow I ended up telling him everything.

I told him about the call from Klara, the kindergarten, the fake injury, the argument, the slap, the kick, Damien arriving, Ashley lying, Damien believing her immediately.

Every word I said felt like reopening a wound. It hurt more and more as I spoke.

By the time I finished, my voice was shaking.

The room was silent....terrifyingly silent.

Zade wasn’t moving anymore. His wolf was close to the surface now. I could practically feel the rage radiating from him.

His eyes had darkened. His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might crack.

Suddenly he turned away. I heard him inhale and exhale repeatedly, like he was trying to calm himself.

When he finally spoke, his voice sounded broken.

"She’s five."

I closed my eyes "I know."

"She’s five.” His voice cracked. “A child should never treat her mother like that."

Tears slipped down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop them.

The worst part wasn’t the injury. The worst part was remembering Ashley’s face and the anger and hatred in her eyes. The complete lack of regret.

Zade looked back at me. there was pure pain in his expression. It was pain for me.

His voice became quiet "How much more are you supposed to endure?"

That question shattered me completely. Because I didn’t know the answer. I truly didn’t.

My wolf curled up sadly inside me.

Before I realized it, Zade was beside me. He wrapped his arms around me gently, like I was something precious.

I buried my face against his chest and finally cried. I really cried.

Zade held me tighter. His hand moved through my hair slowly. His wolf’s presence surrounded me.

And as I cried against him, I heard his voice above my head.

"I don’t care how long it takes." He said. His arms tightened. "But nobody is hurting you again."