She slept quietly beneath the dim lights, her breathing finally steady now after hours of chaos. The tension that had twisted her face earlier was gone for the moment, softened by the medication keeping her asleep.

Strands of hair rested across her cheek. One hand still lay protectively over her stomach. Julian walked over slowly and sat beside her again. The chair creaked softly beneath him. Carefully, he reached for her hand and held it between both of his.

Warm. Alive. Still here. His thumb brushed gently against her skin while his eyes stayed fixed on her sleeping face. For a moment, the powerful future head of the Vale empire disappeared completely. No cold businessman. No strategist. No heir. Just a man terrified of losing the person he loved most.

"Please be okay, baby," he whispered quietly. His voice sounded tired now. Almost fragile. "I can’t fight this without you."

Outside the room, guards continued patrolling the hallway. Phones kept buzzing. Problems kept growing. But inside that room, Julian only cared about one thing: for Amara to open her eyes again.

–

Seb refused to leave the hospital. No matter how many times security watched him suspiciously or how many cold looks Julian threw his way, he stayed. Partly because of Amara. But mostly because of Seren.

After the chaos earlier, Seren had finally fallen asleep again under the doctors’ supervision. The little girl looked fragile lying in the hospital bed, small fingers curled around the stuffed bunny while machines quietly monitored her condition.

Seb stood beside her silently for a long moment. His expression softened slightly as he looked at her. "My stubborn little princess," he murmured quietly. For all his flaws, and there were many, his love for Seren had always been real.

That much nobody could deny. His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. Seb glanced at the screen. Janet. Immediately, his entire expression changed. His posture relaxed. His face softened.

Even his voice transformed the second he answered. "Hello, Miss Janet."

"Raymond," Janet said from the other end, sounding slightly frustrated. "That’s not very professional of you. You didn’t show up to work today, and you didn’t even call to inform anyone." Seb instantly lowered his voice into the gentle, humble tone he used whenever he pretended to be Raymond.

"I’m so sorry," he said quickly. Then, as if on cue, he forced emotion into his voice. "My wife..." He paused deliberately before continuing, even faking a shaky breath. "She’s not feeling well and I’ve been really scared and stressed."

He even added a faint sniffle. "I couldn’t come to work today. Please forgive me, Miss Janet." His tone became softer. "I’ll call Madam Amara personally and apologize too." On the other end, Janet’s voice softened immediately.

"That’s fine, Raymond," she said kindly. "You don’t have to apologize." Seb almost smiled. "Just focus on your wife," Janet continued warmly. "Take a few days off if you need to. I’ll explain everything to Amara."

Seb widened his eyes dramatically despite nobody being there to see him. "Really?"

"Yes," Janet replied. "Family comes first." Seb let out another fake emotional breath. "Thank you so much, Miss Janet."

"You’re welcome." The call ended shortly after. The moment the line disconnected, Seb’s entire expression dropped instantly. Cold again. Tired. Annoyed. He let out a deep breath and leaned back against the wall near Seren’s bed.

"This girl can really be annoying," he muttered to himself. Still... A small, amused smile tugged briefly at the corner of his lips. Janet was far too easy to fool. Seb glanced back toward the sleeping Seren again, his expression becoming thoughtful. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Then slowly. Dangerously. His mind drifted back toward Amara. Just then, Seren slowly opened her eyes.

The room was dim and quiet except for the soft beeping of the machines beside her bed. For a moment, she looked confused, still caught between sleep and reality.

Then she saw Seb sitting beside her immediately. "Daddy..." Seb’s expression softened instantly. He moved closer and brushed her hair gently away from her forehead.

"I’m here, princess." Seren blinked slowly before her small face suddenly became worried. "Where is Mummy?" she asked softly. Seb’s hand paused slightly.

"And who was that man holding Mummy?" Tears slowly gathered in Seren’s eyes again. "Is Mummy leaving us?" The fear in her tiny voice stabbed straight through him. Seb quickly leaned closer, his voice turning warm and soothing.

"No, my princess," he said gently. "Your mummy is just stressed." Seren sniffed quietly. "And that man..." Seb forced a calm smile. "That’s her brother." The lie came naturally now.

"That’s why they’re close. So you can call him Uncle Julian, okay?" Seren nodded slowly, trying to process it. Seb continued softly, carefully building the story he wanted her to believe.

"And your mummy is upset with Daddy right now," he said with a guilty sigh. "Because I didn’t protect you properly and you got hurt." Seren’s eyes widened immediately.

"No, Daddy.."

"But," Seb interrupted gently, "your mummy loves you very much." Then more quietly. "And I love you too." Seren’s little face softened instantly.

"So..." Seb smiled faintly. "You’re going to help Daddy make Mummy forgive me, right?" That immediately brightened Seren’s expression. "Yes!" The sadness disappeared from her face almost magically.

"We’ll make Mummy’s favorite chicken soup," she said excitedly despite her weak voice. "And bake her favorite cake!" She gasped softly as another idea came. "And make noodles too!" Her smile grew bigger.

"And then Mummy will forgive you." Seb stared at her for a second before slowly smiling too. "Yes, princess," he murmured. "We will." But as Seren happily continued listing all the things Amara loved, Seb’s thoughts slowly drifted somewhere else.

Backward. Back to a different time. A simpler one. Back when moments like that were enough to earn Amara’s forgiveness. Back when she used to laugh while cooking beside him. Back when she waited for him to come home. Back when the three of them felt like a real family.

God. He missed those days so much it physically hurt sometimes. Seb lowered his eyes quietly. Because the worst part wasn’t losing