All Chapters of A Twist of Fate with the Callous Billionaire : Chapter 201 - Chapter 209

—Sophia’s POVThe room felt like it had grown lungs.Like the walls themselves were breathing with us.Slow. Fragile. Shaking.Irene was still awake. Not fully, not strong, but awake. His eyes cracked open, closed again, then tried once more.His body weak, but fighting. Every flicker of movement from him was like the world itself shifted, and I couldn’t, God, I couldn’t stop staring at him.Ethan hadn’t moved an inch from his side. His arm stretched across the mattress, his forehead pressed against Irene’s hand like he needed skin to skin to even exist. His lips kept moving, whispering things too soft for me to hear. Or maybe too private. Words just for him and his boy.I was afraid to breathe too loud. Like sound itself might break the thread that tied Irene to us.His lips moved again. No sound. Just the shape.I bent closer, clutching the rail, my ear right by his mouth. “What is it, baby? Say it again.”“…cold.”A rasp. Barely air. But a word.I froze. My whole chest crushed inw

—Sophia’s POVThe word sat in the air like it didn’t belong to us.Love.Too fragile. Too heavy. Too much.My lips were still pressed against his hair. Ethan’s hands were still cupping his face like he was holding something that could vanish if he blinked.“…love you.”It replayed in my skull, looping, like I’d imagined it. Like maybe exhaustion had spun sound out of silence. But no. Ethan had heard it too. His whole body was trembling, like the sound itself had torn him apart.I couldn’t stop crying. Couldn’t even breathe right.My chest was raw, my throat scratched open, but none of it mattered because my son had just said it. He remembered. He knew. He loved.Ethan kissed his temple again, over and over, desperate. Whispering fast into his skin. “We love you more. More than anything, champ. Don’t forget it. Don’t ever forget it.” His tears were everywhere, sliding down Irene’s face, down his cheeks, soaking the pillow.And Irene, God, he blinked. Slow. Heavy. But his gaze tilted

—Sophia’s POVThe morning didn’t come so much as bleed in. Slow. Reluctant. Like it didn’t want to see us. Like even the sun couldn’t stand the weight in this room.The blinds leaked thin strips of light across Irene’s bed. Lines cutting across his face, pale and soft.His lips were parted, skin clammy but not gray. Still pink enough. Still alive enough.My hands hadn’t left him all night. One on his chest, counting, again and again. Rise. Fall. Proof. The other tangled with his fingers, though his grip was loose, almost nothing.Ethan was a wreck beside me. Head tipped against the rail, beard rough against his arm, his hand locked on Irene’s wrist like he was guarding a pulse that could vanish. His shirt was wrinkled, damp. I couldn’t tell if it was sweat or tears. Both. Probably both.The monitor beeped, steady. Not strong. Not weak. Just there. I hated that sound. I loved that sound. Every beat cut me open and stitched me back together in the same second.Irene stirred. Not muc

—Sophia’s POVThe night folded into morning without permission. I didn’t even know when the sky shifted. The blinds bled gray light across the room, cutting sharp lines over Irene’s body, over Ethan’s shadowed face. Everything felt wrong. Too quiet. Too loud. My heart beat like it was trying to make up for his.Ethan hadn’t moved from the chair again. His hands were locked together, pressed against his mouth like prayer or punishment, I couldn’t tell which. His eyes stayed glued to Irene’s chest, rising, falling. Rising. Falling. Every breath sounded like gravel through water.Irene stirred, his lashes twitching, a soft sound scratching out of his throat. I leaned close, my body trembling from sitting in the same position for hours. “Baby?”His lips shaped something. I bent lower, ear pressed near his mouth.“…tired.”Just that. One word. Fragile.My chest collapsed. I kissed his hairline, his temple, his cheek. “I know. I know, sweetheart. You rest. We’re here.”Ethan shot forwar