"I would never do that," Seb said firmly. "Never." His voice lowered slightly. "I would never teach Seren to disrespect Amara." The word lingered heavily between them.

"Elara filled her head with hatred," Seb admitted quietly. "That’s why she hurt Amara."

Julian’s jaw tightened. "But that won’t happen again," Seb said as he had somehow fixed everything. Like acknowledging it erased years of damage. Julian looked at him for a long moment before speaking again.

"Listen to me carefully, Seb." His voice became colder now. "Amara is better off without all of this chaos. Without you. Without Seren." Even saying the words felt cruel. But he meant them. Because he saw what happened to Amara earlier. The panic. The pain. The breakdown.

"She needs peace," Julian continued quietly. "And deep down you know that too." Seb’s eyes hardened instantly. "So speak to your daughter," Julian said firmly. "Explain the truth to her." Seb went completely still.

"Or I will." That finally made Seb angry. "She still has family," Julian continued. "Her grandmother is alive. She can take care of her." For a second, Seb simply stared at him. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Then suddenly he laughed bitterly. "Wow." The sound carried no humor at all.

"Says the perfect man." Julian’s face darkened.

"What will Amara think if she hears this, huh?" Seb asked sharply. "That to get Seren out of your life, you want to dump her on her poor grandmother, who can barely afford rent?"

Julian said nothing. Seb stepped closer now. "You’re threatening to tell the truth to a little girl just to get rid of her." The accusation hit harder than Julian expected. Because somewhere deep down. A small part of him wondered if Seb was right.

Julian’s voice stayed low, but there was a sharp edge underneath it now. "You know that’s not what I’m saying," he said, forcing control into every word. "I’m saying Amara doesn’t need this stress. She’s barely stable right now."

His eyes darkened as he stepped closer to Seb. "And when will you stop?" Julian added, voice tightening. "I still haven’t dealt with you for violating my wife’s body, dragging her through this pregnancy mess, and now this."

He exhaled slowly, trying not to raise his voice. Seb didn’t flinch.

"That was never my plan," Seb said immediately. "It was a coincidence. Maybe the universe is giving us a second chance to fix things."

Julian let out a humorless breath. "The universe?" Seb’s gaze sharpened. "If you weren’t in the picture—"

Julian cut him off instantly. "The universe?" he snapped quietly. "You think I’m the problem here?" A tense silence followed. Julian leaned in slightly.

"You will not have your way," he said coldly. "Believe me. I will not allow you to hurt my wife ever again." His eyes flicked briefly toward the hospital room.

"And soon," he added, voice lowering even more, "you won’t even have the pleasure of seeing her face again."

Seb’s jaw tightened. But before either of them could push further. Seb turned abruptly toward Seren. "Let’s go see Mummy baby." Julian immediately stepped forward.

"Don’t." The guards moved instinctively, but Julian raised a hand, stopping them. A tense pause. Seb didn’t even look at Julian anymore. He simply pushed the wheelchair forward.

And this time, Julian didn’t physically stop him. Inside the room, Amara still slept peacefully, unaware of the storm waiting just beyond her door. Seb wheeled Seren inside slowly.

The moment the door closed behind them, the tension outside seemed to thicken even more. Seren’s face lit up immediately when she saw Amara on the bed.

"Mummy..." she whispered softly, smiling. She leaned forward slightly in the wheelchair, her small hand reaching out. "Mummy, wake up soon," Seren said gently. "You need to forgive Daddy." She rested her hand carefully over Amara’s.

"We should go bake mummy’s favorite cake," she added excitedly, her voice brightening again. "And I’m sure she’ll wake up when you smell it."

Seb stood behind her, watching quietly. "Yes, my love," he replied softly. Julian stood near the door, arms tense at his sides, watching the scene unfold carefully. Then he stepped forward slightly.

"I think you should go rest, Seren," he said gently. Seb’s head snapped toward him immediately. Seren tilted her head.

"Okay, Uncle Julian," she said sweetly. "I want to lie down, Daddy," Seren said to Seb. Seb slowly turned the wheelchair back toward the door.

And reluctantly. He wheeled her out of the room again. Leaving Amara sleeping between two worlds. One she was trying to heal from... And one refusing to let her go.

–

Sebastian barely made it halfway back to Seren’s room before his phone started ringing again.

And again. And again. The vibration against his pocket became almost irritating.

Seb glanced at the screen briefly before ignoring it for the third time.

Damien. His CFO. Seb exhaled quietly and kept walking.

Right now, he didn’t care about meetings, contracts, company crises, or investors threatening to panic over his sudden disappearance.

None of it mattered compared to what had happened today.

When they finally reached Seren’s room, the little girl suddenly started coughing hard. Seb’s attention snapped back immediately.

"Princess?"

The nurses quickly moved toward her while Seb helped lift her gently back onto the bed.

Seren’s small body looked even weaker now beneath the bright hospital lights. Her breathing became uneven from the coughing, while the nurses quickly adjusted her oxygen levels and reconnected her drips.

"Are you okay?" Seb asked quietly, brushing her hair away from her face. Seren nodded weakly despite another cough escaping her lips.

"Yes, Daddy." Her voice sounded sleepy now. "Just a little tired." Seb’s chest tightened painfully.

This wasn’t how Seren was supposed to wake up. She was supposed to recover.

To smile. To run around again. Not lie there weak and fragile like glass, ready to break apart. But guilt only touched him briefly before he forced it away.

She had just woken up from a three-year coma. Of course she would be weak.

That was normal.

At least that was what he kept telling himself.

Seren blinked tiredly at him before managing a small smile.

"You should go home," she whispered.

Seb frowned slightly. "And leave you here alone?"

"So you can bake Mummy her favorite cake," Seren replied softly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Even now, half asleep and exhausted, her thoughts remained fixed on bringing Amara back to them.