M gave a couple of brief instructions to the bodyguard before finally slipping into the adjacent hospital room. She walked quietly to the bedside and sat down. Julian was still deeply unconscious, his little face pale and worryingly still. The trauma he''d suffered this time had been severe; the doctors said there was a real chance he might start remembering things from his past. Whether he could make it through this ordeal would depend on his condition when he woke up.


    Staring at the child''s uneasy, restless sleep, M felt as if a lead weight had settled in her chest. The ident had happened so suddenly, she still couldn''t wrap her mind around it.


    How could it all be such a coincidence?


    It seemed like nothing good ever came of her encounters with the Montgomery family. Every time, it ended in chaos. She was simply exhausted.


    Leaning forward, she rested her head beside Julian''s pillow, reaching under the covers to gently wrap her fingers around his small, fragile hand. With her face buried in the nket, she whispered softly, her voice muffled.


    "I''m so sorry..."


    Bang!


    The heavy fire door mmed shut behind them. Nathaniel spun on his heel and swung a fist at Lysander, but the other man blocked it easily and shoved him back.


    "Nathaniel, what on earth are you doing?"


    Lysander calmly straightened his cufflinks, his face unreadable as he spoke in a measured tone.


    "Lysander!" Nathaniel gritted out, clutching his nearly dislocated wrist. "You were the one who rmended that restaurant for me to take my son. Don''t tell me today''s mess had nothing to do with you. What the hell are you ying at? You know all about Julian''s condition—are you out of your mind?"


    "...I didn''t expect things to turn out this way."


    After a moment of silence, Lysander replied coolly, showing little sign of remorse. "Besides, it was your son who started confusing people, Nathaniel. How many times do I have to remind you? She''s my wife."


    "Wife?" Nathaniel let out a derisiveugh, dropping all pretense of civility. "Does M agree with that? Lysander, with the way you treat people, you''re thest person who deserves love. And you can''t always get what you want."


    M stayed by Julian''s bedside for a while, lost in her thoughts. When she heard footsteps, she looked up to see Nathaniel entering, rubbing his wrist.


    "What happened?" she asked.


    Nathaniel shook his head. "It''s nothing. Has Julian woken up yet?"


    M shook her head in reply.


    The two of them sat in silence, each in their own chair, neither knowing what to say next. Eventually, M broke the quiet. "I''m really sorry about everything. I''ve already refunded all the money you gave me to help care for Julian. I''ll cover all his medical expenses from here on out. I truly am sorry."


    Nathaniel was quiet for a long moment before he spoke. "None of this is your fault. Why are you apologizing?"


    "It''s about Adrian-"


    "That''s not your responsibility, either."


    Nathaniel rubbed his forehead, his exhaustion in to see. Then, suddenly, he asked a question M hadn''t expected. "M, are you still nning to move abroad?"


    She wasn''t sure why he was asking, but she nodded.


    "When?"


    "Maybe in a month. Possibly sooner."


    "Would you be willing to take Julian with you?" Nathaniel''s expression was calm as he met her surprised gaze.


    M was genuinely shocked. After everything that had happened, she couldn''t understand why Nathaniel still trusted her with his child. Wasn''t that asking too much?


    "But Julian''s condition..."


    There was no telling how the boy would be once he woke up. She didn''t dare make promises she might not be able to keep.


    "I know you have your concerns," Nathaniel said, closing his eyes for a moment, sounding both helpless and weary. "But you have no idea what these past days have been like. Even without what happened today, Julian''s state was getting worse and worse."


    He paused, then continued, "I''m willing to transfer five percent of my shares in Pembroke Group to you. If you agree, we can sign the paperwork right away. You''ll receive annual dividends, and as one of Pembroke''s heirs, Julian''s shares can be held in your name until he''s of age..."


    The more M heard, the more uneasy she felt. She hurriedly interrupted him. "What are you getting at?"


    Nathaniel drew a deep breath, meeting her eyes and speaking with grave sincerity. "I want to ask you to be Julian''s legal guardian. His godmother."


    "This..." M hesitated. She cared for Julian, truly, but bing his godmother was not something to be entered into lightly. "I''ll always look out for him," she said, "but I can''t agree to this right now. Julian isn''t even conscious-he doesn''t remember anything. When he wakes up and truly understands, we can talk about it then."


    They discussed it for a long time before finally leaving the matter unresolved.


    Night fell over Crimson Gardens, home of the Montgomery family.


    As soon as Lysander walked through the door, he heard the unmistakable sound of objects being thrown and shattered upstairs.


    Harper, the family''s longtime housekeeper, hurried to meet him, worry etched on her face. "Sir, the young master''s been in a terrible mood ever since he got home. We were afraid he might hurt himself, so we didn''t dare try to stop him."


    "I''ll go check on him," Lysander replied.


    He climbed the stairs and had barely pushed open the door to the boy''s bedroom when a model airne came hurtling toward him, followed by an angry shout: "Get out!"


    Lysander immediately closed the door, and the ne crashed against it with a sharp, splintering crack. The room fell silent; the boy must have seen it was him.


    Only then did Lysander open the door again.