Soft air flowed through the garden as all the insects beca quiet. Even the fountain seed to hold its breath.
Zoe’s hand remained wrapped around Leon’s. Her silver-grey eyes stayed fixed on the dark water of the fountain, watching the reflection of the moon across its surface.
"My father wants to marry into Jade’s family."
Leon’s heart paused, his chest tightening. He remained rigid as the words settled into his bones like cold water.
"Jade’s family," he repeated, the na feeling both familiar and unfamiliar on his tongue.
"Yes," Zoe whispered. "The union would strengthen the ties between our houses. My father thinks it’s necessary that I marry them."
Leon swallowed hard, then tilted his gaze to Zoe’s reflection in the water. "And what do you think?"
She turned and looked at him. Her irises darkened as she slowed her breathing. "What I think is..." She slowly began to brush her fingers along Leon’s arm.
"I think that I don’t want to spend my life bound to soone I don’t love."
All the saliva in Leon’s throat dried up instantly. He felt his heart beating fast against his ribs, each pulse sounding louder than the last.
Deep within his head, Lily’s voice looped like a ghost. ’Tell her, else I will tell her for you.’
"Leon, I want you to play the role of my husband."
Leon’s eyes widened, his fingers tightening unconsciously around hers. "What?"
Zoe stepped closer, close enough that he could sll the vanilla scent clinging to her. "Just the role. I want it to be long enough that it will make the marriage arrangent impossible."
Leon’s mouth opened, but no words ca.
Zoe moved past him, her hand slipping from his grip, and began brushing his shoulders as she walked toward the mansion’s entrance.
"I’ll give you ti to think about it," she whispered in Leon’s left ear. "My father keeps becoming impatient, so I want you to think about it fast."
Leon stood in the garden, staring at the footprints she had left on the ground even after she drove off in her BMW.
Leaves rustled and flew around him. A night bird called out in the darkness beyond the mansion.
’Tell her.’
Leon pressed his palms against his face and exhaled slowly, her face looping in his head.
...
Morning ca too quickly, giving him little chance to think about the request.
Cars sped past the entrance of the Storm mansion as a black BMW, which had been gifted to Leon by Mr Lee, drove out of the gate.
A man wearing a blue suit sat at the wheel. Leon sat in the back of the car, Lily by his side. Her head rested on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his.
Her eyes remained closed, but her breath was too shallow for sleep to take her completely.
Min-seo sat in the passenger seat, her gaze fixed on the road ahead.
The streets of Bastion City moved past the window like a reeling sky. Pedestrians walked in pairs, families holding hands, and children running ahead of their parents.
At the hospital, more patients exited while others entered. The corridor had its antiseptic sll and stale air.
Lily’s hand tightened around Leon’s as they walked, a patient with a torn and bleeding arm hurrying past them.
When they reached the VIP room, Leon’s brows crumpled slightly. ’Is soone already visiting Mom?’
Just as they pushed the door open, Zoe stood inside. Her back faced them as she arranged a flask of fresh fruit on the table beside Li i’s bed.
She wore a blue dress, simpler than her usual choice of clothes. Her hair was loose, falling over her shoulder like water.
"Aunty Zoe!" Lily broke free from Leon’s grip, then ran across the room. She crashed into Zoe’s side, her earlier exhaustion gone.
Zoe caught Lily with a laugh, then steadied the girl against her hip. "Good morning, Lily."
Zoe locked eyes with the girl’s amber eyes. "Did you sleep well?"
"I didn’t." Lily pulled back, shaking her head. "But now I’m okay."
Leon stood in the doorway, watching them, smiling inwardly. Zoe’s gaze shifted from Lily and t his, and for a mont, neither of them spoke. Only their eyes played a quiet, dangerous ga.
Zoe broke the connection first, then turned back to Lily.
"Your mother is resting."
Lily’s cheeks reddened. She spun toward the bed.
Leon’s steps felt a bit heavier as he moved forward. He passed Zoe without looking at her, without even blinking.
Li i lay on the bed with a pale face, but a bit more lively than before. The monitors beeped in a steady rhythm, their lights casting faint shadows.
Leon sat by the edge of the bed and held her hand. In a flash, Li i’s fingers twitched.
Leon froze when he saw Li i’s eyes blinking, almost trying to open. Once. Twice. Then on the third, they cracked open.
Her milky white, blind and sightless eyes turned toward him with an accuracy that made his heart ache.
"Leon," soft words escaped her.
"Mom."
Li i blinked. She turned her head toward Leon’s direction, but slightly past his shoulder.
Lily scread in joy when she saw Li i’s eyes open. Her scream was so high that Zoe placed her palms against her ears.
Lily threw herself at the bed, her small arms wrapping around Li i’s waist before anyone could stop her.
"Mom! Mom!! Mom!!!"
"Lily." Zoe hurried forward and grabbed Lily’s hand, soft but firm, then pulled her back. "Take your ti. She just woke up."
Lily resisted, her fingers clinging to the blanket. Then, when she saw the look in Leon’s eyes, she let go and stepped back.
Li i raised her hand slowly, which trembled as it reached toward the sound of her daughter’s voice. Lily softly held it and pressed it to her cheeks.
"I’m here, Mom. I’m here."
Leon watched them. The hair on his skin rose the mont he realised Zoe had closed in and was standing just at his back, the sleeve of her dress brushing against him.
Thirty minutes passed, and a young nurse with white hair entered, followed by two doctors in white coats. "We need to run so tests now that she’s conscious."
Zoe took charge before Leon could even speak. Her hands rested on Lily’s shoulders as she guided her toward the door. "We’ll wait outside."
Leon hesitated, watching his mother’s face as the doctors moved around her bed.
"Go," Li i spoke. "I’m not going anywhere."
Leon’s eyes closed as his mouth curled inward. When he opened them again, he followed Zoe and Lily into the corridor.
The empty waiting room gained its life the mont they went inside.
Lily sat between Leon and Zoe, her legs swinging in front of the couch.
Leon kept his eyes fixed on the opposite wall. The paint was beige, but he stared at it as if it held the answers to questions he hadn’t yet ford.
Zoe sat on Lily’s left side, her hands folded in her lap. She kept her gaze locked on the floor as she breathed slowly.
Lily’s gaze flicked between them, her small brow furrowing each ti, but she said nothing.
When she turned to Leon, she leaned closer, her warm breath brushing his ear. "Have you told her?"
Leon’s head turned sharply, a faint frown gathering on his face. Before he could speak, he caught Zoe’s gaze.
A faint smile played at the corner of her lips as her eyes locked with Leon’s.
Lily smiled when she noticed Zoe watching. "You promised you would. You said—"
"Lily." Leon’s voice ca out louder than he intended.
She pulled back, grinning. "I’ll be quiet now." She folded her arms in her lap, then continued swinging her legs.
Zoe’s cheeks reddened, yet no words ca from her lips. She kept her gaze on Leon for a mont, then let it drift back to the floor.
Ti bled in like air.
Seconds stretched into minutes, and into hours as the soft hum of the hospital settled over their skin and the walls.
Nurses in white uniforms walked past the waiting room. Their voices remained low, their footsteps quick.
Patients moved through the corridors with slow, careful steps, like those relearning how to walk.
Leon’s hands remained on his knees, his eyes fixed on the closed door of his mother’s room.
Lily was snoring, her head resting on Zoe’s lap.
Zoe simply sat there, her shoulders loosening, her gaze occasionally drifting toward Leon.
As soon as visiting hours ended, Min-seo appeared in the doorway. She glanced at Lily’s sleeping face, then at Zoe’s calm eyes, and finally at Leon.
"It’s ti for us to leave," Zoe said softly to Leon. She woke Lily with a gentle touch, then kept her gaze on Leon as she stood up.
Lily rubbed her eyes, mumbling sothing only she could hear. "I want to go to Mom."
"Your mother needs to rest. We’ll co back tomorrow." Zoe pulled Lily closer, then walked toward the exit.
Leon’s legs were stiff as he stood. He followed Min-seo and Lily, then paused when he noticed Zoe standing still.
He wanted to turn, but the distance between them was so thin that if he did, his lips would have t hers.
"I’m coming. I need to pick sothing up," Zoe said, then walked toward the VIP room.
"Okay."
Leon waited by the door until Zoe returned, holding her white handbag.
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