"Go get some rest on the cot," Sebastian said, pulling the nket aside. "I''ll stay with her. I promise, nothing''s going to happen to Annie."


    The medicine was finally working and Reese felt herself drifting off. Her body ached all over and she was so tired it was hard to keep her eyes open. She didn''t argue, just sank halfway onto the bed and nced at Annie, who was sleeping quietly nearby. Within moments, her eyes slipped shut.


    Somewhere between waking and sleep, Reese felt someone gently tuck the nket around her. Warm fingers brushed her hand, lingering for a second, and the touch sent a tiny jolt through her heart. But she was already too exhausted to


    move.


    Her dreams weren''t peaceful. Images of Annie burning with fever mixed with shes of Sebastian''s face kept shing, sometimes distant, sometimes painfully gentle. It wasn''t until someone''s warm hand pressed softly to her forehead, and a familiar scent wrapped around her, that she finally rxed.


    Sebastian sat in the chair next to the bed, watching Reese''s face as she slept. Lately, she was always bristling at him, like a kitten with its fur on end-snapping back or just ignoring him altogether. He couldn''t remember thest time she looked this calm.


    Her eyshes were long and trembled slightly against her cheeks. Even though she was still pale, all her usual defenses had faded away, leaving her softer than he remembered. The night grew deeper outside the window, and inside the hospital room there was only the steady beep of the monitors and the quiet sound of their breathing.


    Sebastian just sat there, keeping an eye on Annie''s IV and watching over Reese. For the first time in years, he felt a quiet peace settle over him, along with a gentle warmth he thought he''d lost.


    He wished this moment couldst forever. That they could just stay like this, together.


    That was all he wanted right now, more than anything.


    Reese frowned in her sleep as the fever medicine did its job, sweat beading on


    her forehead. Sebastian grabbed a tissue and gently wiped it away, smoothing her messy hair back with careful fingers, afraid to wake her.


    Only when the tension left her brow did he check her temperature again, finally rxing when he realized her fever wasing down.


    This was the first time he''d ever really looked after her when she was sick.


    He never realized she could look so fragile, her brow knit in pain.


    He''d made so many mistakes. But from now on, he was determined to hold her close and make it right, no matter how long it took.


    He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, soft and reverent. "Goodnight, babe," he whispered.


    His warm breath brushed her skin and Reese stirred a little in her sleep but didn''t wake up.


    Sebastian looked up, his throat tight as he nced at the dark circles beneath her eyes. His heart ached, prickled by guilt and longing.


    There was a time when being close to Reese was effortless, something he took for granted. Now the only moments he could steal were when she was asleep, hoping she wouldn''t turn away.


    His phone buzzed in his pocket-two quick vibrations. A message from Brady.


    [Boss, some of the board members are teaming up to put pressure on you.]


    He turned off the screen right away, worried the light would wake Reese.


    His father was seriously ill, thepany was falling apart with infighting, and every problem felt like


    it was crushing him. But none of it hurt as much as Reese shutting him out


    He knew it was his fault. He made one mistake after another in their marriage.


    Now, even if he wanted to make things right, Reese wouldn''t let him near.


    A deep, distant chime drifted in through the window. It''s the bells from the church tower.


    Sebastian froze, and suddenly a memory shed in his mind. Years ago, Reese had given him a pendant.


    What had she said back then?


    bet


    She used to tug on his sleeve, her eyes shining. "Sebastian, I heard St. Dominie''s out in the suburbs is really special. I went and asked the priests to bless this pendant for you.


    "When you''re free, let''s go light a candle together, okay?"


    But back then, he was cold to her. He barely nced at the pendant before tossing it in a drawer, not even saying thank you.


    He pressed a hand over his heart.


    If he went to St. Dominic''s now, knelt in a pew and lit a candle for Reese and his father, whispered a prayer-would God give him one more shot at redemption?


    Once the thought appeared, he couldn''t shake it.


    He gently tucked the nket around Reese and called his driver.


    "Come to the pediatric wing, VIP suite. Wait outside the door. If anything happens, call me right away."