Chapter 619

Her voice was gentle but restrained-like she was holding something back. She tried to remain composed, but her eyes betrayed her completely.

The worry of a mother… for her daughter.

Daven turned his head. “She’s inside,” he answered shortly, though this time his voice carried a heavier weight.

Riana nodded slowly, her breath catching for a moment. Her gaze lingered on the door, as if she could somehow see through it. “Althea is strong,” she murmured, more to reassure herself than anyone else.

Nathan stood beside her, one hand resting lightly on her shoulder. “She’s always been strong. Try to stay calm, Daven,” he said quietly-though even he couldn’t fully hide the concern beneath his steady tone.

Riana gave a small nod in agreement. Meanwhile, Daven’s eyes returned to the delivery room door. This time, he stared longer. Deeper. And for the first time in a very long while… he truly felt powerless.

Time seemed to slow.

Seconds stretched into minutes. Minutes into hours.

The hospital corridor was never truly silent, yet for them, everything felt muted. The footsteps of passing nurses, the faint squeak of wheels from moving beds, the distant murmur of conversation all faded into the background, as if happening somewhere far away.

Eli sat upright in one of the waiting chairs. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap, her fingers curling in without her realizing it. Her eyes hadn’t left the delivery room door for even a second.

Beside her, Grace leaned her head against Josh’s shoulder. The little girl was unusually quiet. No cheerful chatter. No endless questions. Just soft breaths and eyes that occasionally fluttered shut, as if she were trying to calm herself.

Josh sat straight, one hand gently holding Grace’s. He tried to look composed, but his eyes betrayed him. -darting now and then between the delivery room door and the adults nearby.

The three of them had come with Lydia.

She now sat across from them, watching in silence. Every so often, she would stand, then sit again. She knew there wasn’t much she could do… except make sure the children didn’t feel alone.

A few minutes earlier, Lydia had gently rested a hand on Eli’s shoulder.

“Everything will be okay,” she had said softly.

Eli had only nodded, even though her chest felt tight.

Now, the silence settled over them again.

“Mom’s going to be okay, right?” Grace whispered without lifting her head. Her voice was small-barely

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Chapter 619

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audible.

Josh nodded immediately, even though he was trying to convince himself just as much. “Yeah,” he said. ” Mom’s strong.”

Grace didn’t answer. She only tightened her grip on Josh’s hand.

Eli looked at the door again. Then, softly-her voice steady even though her heart wasn’t-she said,

She’s not alone.”

Grace slowly lifted her head and turned toward her. “What do you mean?”

Eli gave a small smile. Not wide, but enough to soothe. “There are good doctors and nurses in there,” she said gently. “They know what they’re doing. They’ll take care of her.”

Grace studied her for a few seconds, then nodded. As if those words were enough to settle the storm

inside her.

Beside her, Josh let out a quiet breath. For the first time since they had been sitting there, his shoulders relaxed just a little.

Across from them, Lydia watched the three of them with a soft gaze.

She didn’t say anything. But deep down, she knew-the tension was still there.

The fear hadn’t disappeared. And yet… between them, something was holding it all together, keeping everything from falling apart.

And somehow-that was enough to help them endure the wait.

The delivery room door opened slightly.

A nurse stepped out and looked toward Daven, who had been standing nearby the entire time. “Mr. Daven?” she called gently. “You can come in now. Mrs, Althea needs you.”

For a second-Daven didn’t move. As if his body needed time to process the words.

Then he nodded quickly, “Yes.”

He strode toward the door. His hand lifted, hesitating for just a brief moment-before he pushed it open and stepped inside.

The air in the delivery room felt different, Warmer-but heavier with tension. Soft instructions from doctors and nurses filled the space as they moved swiftly around the bed.

And there-Althea.

Her face was pale. Her hair slightly disheveled. Her breathing uneven.

But the moment her eyes found Daven… something shifted in her gaze.

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“Daven…” she whispered.

He was beside her in an instant. “I’m here,” he said quickly.

His hand reached for hers, holding it tightly-warm, firm-as if it were the only thing anchoring him to her.

He had never been this afraid before. Not during trials. Not when facing threats. Not even when making the hardest decisions of his life.

But now-seeing Althea like this made his chest feel unbearably tight.

“You have to stay strong,” he said softly, though his voice wavered just slightly.

Althea nodded, but tears still slipped from the corners of her eyes. Her fingers tightened around Daven’s hand, as if searching for something to hold on to.

“If I get mad…” she said between uneven breaths.

“I won’t argue back,” Daven replied without hesitation.

“Don’t laugh.”

For a brief second, the corner of his lips almost lifted-a reflex that always came whenever Althea spoke like that. But he caught himself immediately. “I won’t,” he said softly.