Chapter 1801:


    Gillian masked the ache inside her, schooling her expression into a smile as she joined Alban and Adide in their games. Beneath theughter, however,y a muted pain, like the shadow of an approaching goodbye.


    For a brief instant, she wished this fragile happiness could stretch on just a little longer. But time slipped through her fingers, the day dissolving swiftly amid their shared joy.


    On the ride back, Adide drifted into sleep, curled securely against Alban, her arms looped so tightly around his neck that Gillian hesitated to take her from him. Alban and Gillian remained seated beside one another, the quiet between them unbroken.


    Gillian nced at him when she thought he wasn’t looking, only to find he was already watching her with an intent, steady gaze. Flustered, she turned her face away at once.


    ??i?d ??о?????? P????? о? ??al?????el??.??о??


    “Well—”


    “You—”


    They spoke at the same moment, then both fell silent.


    “You go first,” Alban said in a calm, gentle tone.


    Gillian’s gaze dropped to Adide resting in his arms. “I’m sorry you’ve been holding her for so long. Let me take her now.”


    “There’s no need to say that. She’s my daughter — it’s only right that I carry her,” Alban answered.


    A brief silence settled between them.


    “What were you going to say earlier?” Gillian asked carefully, partly to ease the stillness, partly because she truly wanted to know.


    “I was going to ask whether you felt worn out after visiting so many ces today,” he replied quietly.


    “I’m alright. Aren’t you the tired one?” Gillian returned softly.


    “Not at all. I was just worried the two of you might be worn down. Next time, I won’t arrange so many stops in one day. We have all the time in the world to go slowly,” Alban said.


    Gillian pressed her lips together, her eyes lowering. She didn’t have the courage to tell him there would be no next time. After the surgery, she might never open her eyes again. She had already decided that Adide would be entrusted to Christina, not the Martels.


    As he watched her reaction, a sharp concern stirred in Alban, the unease he had felt all day suddenly tightening. He could sense an unspoken sadness hidden beneath Gillian’s smile, something beyond his grasp. Pain clenched around his heart, as though something precious was slipping away.


    “Gillian, what’s wrong?” Alban asked, his voice gentle, though a faint strain crept in.


    “Nothing,” she said, lifting her eyes and offering him a smile. “I’m just a bit tired.”


    “Then make sure you rest once you’re back at the Jones estate. The next time Adide wants to go out, we’ll do this again,” Alban said, looking at her with unmistakable warmth.


    Their gazes locked, and Gillian felt her heart pound hard against her ribs. Startled by her own reaction, she quickly looked away. For a moment, she had nearly lost herself in thefort and softness of his gaze. But she knew better than anyone that there was no path forward for them — and she could not allow herself to be pulled any closer.


    Gillian really didn’t feel like answering Alban just then, so she let her face go ck with exhaustion.


    “I’m wiped out,” she said. “I need to nap for a bit. Just wake me when we pull up to the Jones ce.”


    .


    .


    .