Chapter 466
[ 494 words ]
Chapter 466:
Those eyes, so much like Ethan’s, curved slightly as a trace of mischief flickered through them.
“Mommy, go bring Daddy home,” he said, gently patting my restrained hand. Then, in a deliberately cheerful tone, he added, “It’s been forever since I’ve had Daddy’s red wine-braised beef stew. I miss his cooking so much. But you have to promise you’ll take care of yourself too.”
Even though he tried so hard to act casual for my sake, I could tell he was deeply worried. It made my throat tighten.
I turned my hand over and gripped his cool little fingers tightly. “Okay,” I whispered, my voice trembling with determination. “I promise. I’ll bring him home safely. Our family will never be torn apart again.”
For the first time since waking up, a real smile touched my lips, drawing sighs of relief from both Frank and Tracy.
The endless days of worry had worn Frank down to the bone. Dark stubble shadowed his jaw. His eyes were bloodshot.
The exhaustion etched into his face made him look as though he’d aged ten years in a matter of days.
“Frank, you need to rest,” Tracy said gently as she picked up the medicine from the bedside table. “I’ll stay with Lianne. Go get some sleep at the hotel nearby. If you collapse too, who’s going to help her take care of Silas?”
S𝘩𝗮rе у𝗼𝘂𝗋 𝘁h𝘰𝘂𝘨𝗁𝘵𝘀 o𝗇 𝗀а𝗅ո𝗼𝘷𝖾𝗹𝘴.𝖼𝘰𝗺
Frank hesitated. His weary gaze swept over me again and again, as if he were afraid I’d vanish the second he walked out the door.
Then he reminded Tracy about every little detail, from the timing of my medication to keeping an eye on my emotional state, making sure nothing was overlooked.
Only after convincing himself that I wasn’t going to fight anymore did he finally rub a hand over his brow. Then he bent down beside the bed. His voice was rough with exhaustion, yet as gentle as ever. “I’ll be at the hotel down the street. My phone stays on twenty-four hours a day. Lianne… please don’t make me worry again.”
“Thank you, Frank,” I replied quietly, lowering my eyes.
Though polite, that expression of gratitude felt completely hollow and disconnected.
I saw his body stiffen ever so slightly. The hand he’d been reaching out to brush through my hair froze halfway before slowly falling back to his side.
That simple expression of gratitude drew an invisible line between us.
It reminded him once again that no matter how much he sacrificed for me, no matter how closely he stayed by my side, he would never have a place in my heart.
Lianne’s POV:
After Frank left, the hospital room slipped into a rare, fragile silence.
Tracy, drained by days of exhaustion, had dozed off on the sofa beside Silas.
I stared out the window at the darkening sky, my thoughts sharper and more focused than they had been in days, anchored to a single burning certainty.
Silas had pinpointed Ethan’s location. He was in Thiynia, a land buried in eternal ice, where ancient witches made their home.
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