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The doctor stilled for a fraction of a second. It was small, barely noticeable but it was there. His pen paused mid air, just for a beat too long before he continued writing.
“…You’re doing well,” he said, his tone smooth.
His gaze then flickered briefly to the nurse.
The nurse shifted, “Doctor?”
He didn’t answer immediately instead, he stepped back.
“Excuse me,” he said, then gestured slightly for her to follow.
They moved a short distance away. Not far enough to leave the room just far enough to lower their voices.
Shannon watched them faintly, her vision still a little blurred. She couldn’t hear everything only fragments.
“…she just woke…”
“…should we clarify...”
“…not yet…”
The nurse nodded then they both turned back.
The doctor’s expression had already reset like nothing had happened.
“You’re stable,” he said. “But you need to avoid emotional stress.”
Shannon nodded, not thinking much of it, her mind was already elsewhere. “Rowan,” she said softly. “I want to see him.”
The doctor hesitated again, just for a second then he gave a small nod. “We’ll arrange that.”
A wheelchair was soon wheeled in and Shannon was helped into it by the nurse. Her body was weak, unsteady, but she barely noticed. Her focus was fixed straight ahead, her fingers curling tightly against the armrest as the nurse pushed her through the hallway. “How long…” she began. “How long was I out?” The nurse’s hands tightened almost imperceptibly on the handles. “Not too long, try not to think about that right now.” Shannon nodded faintly. It didn’t matter. Rowan was alive. That was enough. The elevator doors slid open with a quiet chime, and the nurse pushed her inside. Shannon’s heart began to beat faster as she noticed the button pressed. “VIP ward?” she asked. “Yes.” A small, fragile smile touched her lips. That sounded like him. The elevator opened onto a quieter floor. Everything felt calmer here almost insulated from the rest of the hospital. And then voices. Shannon’s breath caught. “…I’ve missed you so much, Rowan.” Her heart stopped. That voice, soft and familiar. Her fingers tightened around the armrest. “Evelyn?” she whispered, confusion knitting her brows. Why was Evelyn here? Why did she sound like that? Another voice followed, older, colder, familiar in a way that made Shannon’s chest tighten. “I’ve been waiting for this,” Rowan’s mother said, satisfaction threading through every word. “Seeing you two like this again, it feels right. It always should have been you.” “What?” Shannon breathed. “I can’t wait for you both to leave this place and start your life properly,” his mother continued. “Move in together. Build something real this time.” The nurse slowed but Shannon leaned forward instead, her pulse roaring in her ears. No. No, that didn’t make sense. A soft laugh drifted out from inside the room. Rowan. Her Rowan. “You’ve been here every day,” he said, his voice lighter than she remembered. “I don’t even remember half of what happened, but you just feel right.” Something inside Shannon fractured. “Rowan…” Evelyn murmured. And then silence. Shannon’s breath hitched sharply. Before the nurse could stop her, she pushed herself up. “Miss...!” Too late. Her legs barely held her as she stumbled forward, gripping the wall briefly before forcing herself into the room. And what she saw Shattered her completely.The rest of the clinic remained open. On the floors below, patients moved between departments. Nurses pushed carts through busy corridors. Visitors crowded the main lobby while cars entered and left the underground parking area, but the sixth floor felt unnaturally quiet.Shannon sat beside Amelia in the private waiting room, one hand resting on her stomach. The baby had been moving since they left the estate. Small, persistent movements pressed beneath her palm as though protesting the disturbance.Amelia noticed. “Again?”Shannon nodded.A soft smile touched her mother’s face. “Already giving you trouble.”“She’s been restless all morning.”“She?”Shannon looked down. “I don’t know. It just feels like a girl today.”Amelia laughed quietly. “Your father is convinced it’s a boy.”“Dad is convinced about everything.”The smile faded from Shannon’s face almost immediately. Her gaze moved towards the empty chair on her other side.Sean should have been sitting there.Before the investiga
Evelyn did not remember leaving the hotel.She remembered Darius returning her phone, she remembered walking towards the elevator without allowing herself to look back. She remembered the doors closing and seeing her reflection in the mirrored walls.Her face had looked unfamiliar.By the time she reached home, her hands were still shaking.She locked the door behind her, then checked it twice. The curtains were drawn. Every window was closed. Nothing appeared disturbed, yet the silence no longer felt safe.The man had known where Shannon would be. He had known the exact stage of her pregnancy. He knew about the police investigation, Sean’s suspension and the collapse of Vale Group. He had taken control of companies worth millions while Edward believed Kennedy had stolen them.If a man like that wanted to enter Evelyn’s home, a locked door would not stop him.She walked into her bedroom and dropped her bag onto the floor. Her shoes followed, then she climbed onto the bed without chang
The direct answer unsettled her. Silas made no attempt to pretend otherwise. There was no promise of partnership, no false assurance that they wanted the same thing. In his eyes, she was not an ally, she was a tool.Evelyn reached for her bag before remembering Darius still had her phone. “I’m leaving.”“No, you are not.”She looked back at him. “You can keep your attorney and whatever protection you think you gave me. I’ll handle my own problems.”“You have seen my face.”Evelyn’s hand stopped above the back of the chair.“You know I control what remains of Vale Group,” Silas continued. “You know I intend to take the Miles empire, and you know what I require from you.”“You’re threatening me because I won’t hurt a baby?”“I am explaining why you cannot walk out of this room.”For the first time since she entered, Evelyn noticed how quiet the suite was.The doors were closed. Her phone was gone. No hotel staff had entered since Darius brought her upstairs, and she had not seen anothe
Evelyn arrived at the hotel believing she had been invited to meet the man who had rescued her. The private suite occupied the entire upper floor. Darius searched her bag and took her phone before allowing her inside. Evelyn disliked that immediately. “I was told this was a business meeting.”“It is,” Darius said.“Then I would prefer to keep my phone.”“No.”Before she could argue, the doors opened.Silas sat near the windows with a glass of untouched liquor beside him. He watched Evelyn enter without standing.She had expected an attorney, perhaps an investor who admired her family or someone with influence over the police. She had not expected a stranger who looked at her as if he already knew every mistake she had ever made.“You asked to see me?” she said.“Sit.”Evelyn remained standing for another second before taking the chair opposite him.Silas dismissed Darius with a glance.“You want to know why you are here,” he said.“I want to know who you are.”“That is not important.
The request reached Sean shortly after Edward’s personal accounts were frozen.Vale Group’s remaining directors wanted him back. Not because they had forgiven him for siding with Kennedy or because they suddenly believed returning the stolen assets was right. They wanted Sean because the banks trusted him more than Edward, the employees were already looking to him for answers and his personal fortune was one of the few sources of money the courts had not restricted.The meeting took place in Sean’s private office.Four directors sat across from him while Ethan stood near the windows. Their desperation filled the room before any of them spoke.“We can petition to restore your authority immediately,” one of the directors said. “Your father’s actions have given the board sufficient grounds to remove him as chairman.”Sean leaned back. “And then?”“We issue a statement separating the company from Edward’s private conduct.”“His private conduct built the company.”“Not all of it.”“Enough
Vale Group did not collapse all at once. It came apart piece by piece.The first partner withdrew before the banks opened, terminating a manufacturing agreement that had lasted twelve years. Two more followed before noon. By the end of the day, companies that had once fought for the privilege of placing the Vale name beside theirs were releasing statements about integrity, transparency and their unwillingness to remain associated with historical misconduct.Inside Vale Group headquarters, employees gathered in corridors and whispered over unanswered emails.The frozen operating account had delayed payments to several subsidiaries. Rumours spread that salaries would not be released at the end of the month. Human Resources attempted to reassure everyone, but the assurance disappeared when one of the company’s longest serving directors walked through the lobby carrying a box of personal belongings.Reporters surrounded him outside.“Did Edward Vale authorize the Meridian payments?”“Was
The guest room was at the end of the hall.Shannon paused at the doorway, her fingers resting lightly against the frame before she stepped in.It used to be a storage room now it was neat, cleaned and prepared.A bed, fresh sheets and a wardrobe that looked barely used.Shannon exhaled slowly and s
The hospital discharged them the next day.Shannon didn’t know whether that was fate or cruelty.She stood just outside the building, her fingers gripping the thin discharge papers in her hand as the sunlight hit her face. Too bright. Like the world hadn’t just ended for her.A few steps ahead Rowa
Shannon’s knees weakened beneath her. Three months of silence. Three months of absence. Three months where she wasn’t there. Her breathing grew uneven. Three months where someone else was. Her gaze slowly shifted back to Rowan. And this time she understood. Rowan watched her, something sharp
Rowan sat on the bed, his arm wrapped loosely around Evelyn.Evelyn stood close, too close, and Rowan leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek like it was the most natural thing in the world.Like he had done it a hundred times.Like it belonged there.“Stop!”The word tore out of Shannon befor







