LOGINSienna's POV
Emily gave us a faint smile, the same smile I remembered from years ago. The kind that always made me uneasy, as if something was hidden behind it.“Liam, Sienna,” she greeted softly, as if this were nothing more than a casual reunion. She stepped closer and gestured toward the sofa in the living room. “Please, have a seat. It’s been a long time.”Liam and I exchanged a brief glance before finally sitting down slowly. My body still felt stiff, while my mind was filleSienna's POV I smiled faintly. "Is it obvious?”"Very."I turned my gaze to the medicine bag in my hands. The children at the foundation, Rafa who had a fever before and Noah who always came to me when he had some trouble entered my mind once more.That was perhaps the reason why the sight of Joshua in such a state made it hard for me to leave without doing anything. He seemed so much like that person that I had once wanted so desperately to protect.I raised my head. "Joshua.""Yes, Ma'am?""If you can't afford that fifty million," I paused to make sure he was listening well enough. "then, what will happen?"Joshua's expression turned instantly serious. "They will confiscate all of my belongings.""What else?"He gulped. "If I still can't pay," He fell silent for a few seconds. "Then, they threatened that I won't be able to continue my education anymore."My chest tightened. "Are you still intending to do everything by yourself?"Jos
Sienna's POV We had just left the pharmacy when Joshua suddenly pointed at a park bench right in front of the book shop."Let's sit for a while, Ma'am."I nodded and we slowly went towards the bench. I was holding a plastic bag of medicine and my other purchases as Joshua walked next to me with one hand holding his side.When we finally arrived in front of the bench, I immediately sat down. Joshua sat beside me carefully and I looked at his face.There was still a visible bruise on his cheek while the corner of his lip was slightly swollen."Joshua.""Yes?""Are you really sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"He shook his head. "That's not necessary, Ma'am. It's normal for me."Immediately, I frowned. "Normal?"Joshua only gave me a small smile and I dislike hearing those words from him as no one should consider being beaten up as something normal."Why did they beat you?"Joshua was silent. He clasped both of his hands and
Sienna's POV I lifted my head. The door to the bedroom slowly opened, revealing Liam standing there in his suit.His face was tired; his hair was a bit messy; dark circles were under his eyes. We stared at each other for several seconds."You are not sleeping yet?"I shook my head. "Not yet.""I just came back.""Yeah," I just nodded.That was all.Liam seemed like he wanted to say something more, but, at the end of the day, he just put his briefcase on the chair next to the door and looked at me."Have you eaten?"Such a simple question made me freeze with the page turning in my hands. He had not asked me that for a long time.I looked at him. "Yes."The thing is, I had eaten just a little several hours ago. Liam nodded."Good."Silence reigned in our bedroom again. I lowered my eyes and pretended to be reading, while I felt his gaze fixed on me."I've got you something."I raised my eyebrows. "What?"Liam opened the small suitcase that he had brought from somewhere. From it, he too
Sienna's POVAnother week had gone by.Our relationship was not improving but rather drifting farther away from each other. I didn’t know what triggered the shift in our bond but maybe it was our argument, maybe the moment when I saw Liam leaving the bar with Wilona.The distance might have been growing long before I noticed that our home had become a place where two strangers live.Liam spent most of his time traveling out of town. In the beginning, he still let me know about his movements, but with time he sent fewer and fewer messages to me. Sometimes he messaged me right before his departure but there were times when he didn't tell me anything at all.I always learned about his whereabouts through his secretary if I needed to contact him because of some business affairs. "Mr. Liam is out of town, Ma'am. He'll be here tomorrow."At first, I was still anxious, waiting for a message from him and checking my phone again and again, hoping to get another notification about his arrival h
Liam's POV I smiled not knowing why. This is Sienna.No matter if she was unhappy, sad or carried troubles in her heart, she always could smile in the presence of children. She opened the first page of the book."Once upon a time, there was a bird living alone in the forest." The kids immediately directed their attention to the picture in the book."He had beautiful wings but he was too scared to fly far away since he could get lost."A little boy raised his hand. "Why was he afraid, Ma'am?"Sienna smiled. "Because he had never tried.""Did the bird eventually fly?"Sienna nodded. "One day, he saw other birds flying toward a beautiful valley."She turned the page. "The little bird wanted to go with them, but he was afraid.""Then what happened?""He finally asked his mother, 'What if I fall?'"The children fell silent. Sienna looked at each of them before she continued."His mother answered, 'If you fall, you can try flying again.
Liam's POV The back of Sienna still faced me, looking towards the playground. There was commotion coming from the children of Light Noah Foundation, as their courtyard was alive with laughter.While some children ran after the soap bubbles thrown to them by the volunteers, while others were seated on the swings and enjoying themselves. Every time I saw Sienna with them, it always brought a feeling of relief to me.But not today. Despite being just a few steps apart from each other, I always felt that there is some distance between us. That's why I took a deep breath before calling out her name."Sienna."Silence followed. "Hmm?""Could we talk?"Sienna turned towards me with a face devoid of emotions. "About what?""About us." I ensured that my tone was calm as well. "I don't want our relationship to continue like this."She did not utter anything. "Do you not feel comfortable discussing things here? We could go back home."I looked towards t
Sienna's POV I slowly turned the glass of water in front of me, watching the tiny bubbles rise to the surface. “Sometimes I feel like I have to be strong all the time. Like if I stop for even a moment, everything will fall apart.”“But it’s usually the opposite,” he said calmly. “Things
Sienna's POV At the table in the living room, Noah sat intently with scissors and tape beside him. Light blue wrapping paper was spread out, and one by one the items we had bought earlier were neatly grouped together: pencil case, notebooks, colored pencils, uniform, bag, new shoes, and a fe
Sienna's POV I stared at the small name in the bottom right corner, the cover artist’s name and my brow immediately furrowed.“Who is this?” I murmured. The name sounded unfamiliar, and there was no other information on the cover. No address, no phone number, not even a small website.
Sienna's POV “I’ll walk you inside,” Liam said.I took his hand and gently shook my head. “It’s okay, Liam. You should go straight to work. I can handle this on my own.”He looked at me as if making sure. “You’re sure?”I smiled. “I’m sure. I’ll be fine.”Just as Liam nodded







