Se connecterSienna slowly fluttered her eyes open. Morning light was already filtering through the curtains, and the first thing she saw was Damian's face as he leaned back against the headboard, watching her."Good morning," Damian murmured. His voice was gentle, carrying that same warmth every morning since they had reunited. He set his phone down on the nightstand. "Did you sleep well?""Pretty well." Sienna smiled and stretched lightly.Her smile vanished in an instant. Her face drained of color, and one hand flew up to cover her mouth. She threw off the blanket, scrambled hastily out of bed, and bolted straight for the en-suite bathroom.Damian rushed after her into the bathroom, dropping to his knees beside Sienna as she bent over the toilet. One hand gathered Sienna's hair back, while the other rubbed her back in slow, soothing circles. He asked no questions and offered no pressure, simply waiting until the violent shudders racking her shoulders finally subsided.After a few miserable mome
The car pulled into the estate's courtyard just as evening fell.Damian opened the door for Sienna, then guided her inside hand in hand. Sienna slipped off her shoes in the foyer, left her bag on the sofa, and sat down right there without even bothering to take off her cardigan.Damian hung up his suit jacket before turning around. Sienna was sitting with her back straight, her gaze fixed straight ahead on the glass coffee table. Her fingers were laced together in her lap, her thumbs rubbing against the knuckles of her opposite hand in a repetitive, unbroken rhythm. She didn't even notice Damian had been standing there for two full minutes.Damian walked over and knelt down in front of her. "Sienna."Sienna gave a small start. She blinked, then offered a bright smile. "Hm?""You've been spacing out ever since we got out of the car." Damian covered Sienna's hands with his palms, bringing the nervous movement of her thumbs to a halt. "Still thinking about your dad?""No." Sienna shook h
Sienna took a deep breath before nodding at the nurse.After instructing her to wash her hands and slip on a protective gown, the nurse led Sienna inside.Damian waited on the hallway bench, keeping his eyes fixed on his wife's back until the ICU doors closed shut.The monitors continued their rhythmic beeping. Sienna walked slowly to the bedside, stopping right where she had stood earlier.The oxygen tube remained taped beneath James's nose, but his eyes were open. His gaze drifted sluggishly from the ceiling until it came to rest on Sienna's face.They stared at one another. Sienna neither stepped closer nor retreated. She felt her heart beating at a steady, calm rhythm, nowhere near as frantic as she had imagined."You came," James rasped out, his voice hoarse and nearly devoid of strength."Yes, Dad." Sienna nodded. She pulled a small chair up beside the bed and sat down. "Lupita contacted me earlier today."James shifted his gaze toward the blanket. His jaw twitched slightly, as
The hospital canteen was quiet that afternoon.Damian pulled out a chair at a table near the window, placing a glass of mineral water and a small bowl of congee in front of Sienna. He sat down across from her, leaving his own coffee untouched.Sienna gripped the glass with both hands. She didn't drink, simply staring at the water's surface, which trembled slightly whenever her fingers shifted. Her shoulders slumped, and her gaze drifted out the window, unseeing.Minutes passed in complete silence.Damian watched his wife. He knew she despised being pressured to talk, and he had no desire to add to the heavy burdens weighing on her shoulders. Yet, he couldn't let this oppressive stillness linger."Eat a little of the congee," Damian said softly. "For our baby." It was the only argument Damian knew would compel Sienna to listen.Sienna looked at him, letting out a long, weary sigh before nodding and picking up the spoon. She took a slow bite.Damian watched closely, a quiet wave of reli
Sienna took a breath and straightened her back. She carefully lowered James's hand back over the blanket, then turned to face Lupita on the opposite side of the bed."Auntie doesn't need to dictate what Papa does," Sienna said quietly. Her voice was steady, no longer trembling. "Papa is a grown man, and he knows what he wants. Just be a good wife to him, because Auntie was Papa's choice."Lupita stiffened. Her eyes narrowed, ready to strike back.However, Sienna had already turned around. She walked toward the door without looking back, pushing it open gently and leaving the chill of the ICU behind her.Stepping out into the hallway, Sienna found Damian instantly straightening up from the wall where he had been leaning.Damian strode over to Sienna before the door fully closed. "How is your father's condition?"Sienna removed her mask and plastic gown, handing them over to a nurse. She pulled the corners of her lips upward. A smile appeared, but it looked forced, like something she wa
Outside the ICU.Sienna requested permission to see her father.However, the attending nurse first checked the log on her clipboard, then scanned the group one by one."I'm sorry, only two visitors are allowed inside at a time. The limit is ten minutes."Damian turned to Sienna. "Who are you going in with?""With Lupita," Sienna answered softly. "She's his wife, and she'll surely want to see him."Damian wanted to object, but he saw Sienna lifting her chin with that familiar, quiet determination. He gave her hand a brief squeeze. "I'll wait outside. If anything happens, come right out."Sienna nodded.The nurse handed them surgical gowns and masks, instructing them to wash their hands thoroughly first.Lupita put on the gown with stiff, mechanical movements, refusing to look at Sienna even once.Once both of them were dressed according to ICU regulations.The ICU doors glided open.The air inside was chilled and heavy with the scent of antiseptic, while the steady, rhythmic beeping of







