So, no matter what was going on inside me, I had to push it aside.Yuna was so pure, so sensitive—almost saint-like in her kindness. I couldn't let my emotions weigh on her.By the time she and Hayden came back from their little chat, I'd already finished my chia pudding and had conveniently started stealing from Hayden's bowl.It was the perfect scene—me sneaking bites, caught in the act. No one would believe I'd been feeling down just minutes ago.Yuna took one look at me pilfering Hayden's food and probably assumed everything was fine between us. We clearly hadn't fought if I was pulling a move like that.Both Hayden and Yuna blinked at me, surprised, like I'd completely thrown them off.I scooped another spoonful of the warm chia pudding and tried to look innocent. "I think... I could go for another bowl.""Oh! I'll make one right now!" Yuna gasped, first looking shocked, then flustered as she hurried to the kitchen."No need. Let her finish mine," Hayden said, sliding his
For the next few days, I kept crashing in Yuna's room.Hayden, the guy who could hold me all night and still stay cool, was handling it just fine. But I couldn't wait to see how he'd manage once we were back in Emberholm, where Yuna would be living with us.We ended up staying at Pencetown for four days, which totally caught me off guard. I figured Hayden would rush to get her surgery scheduled ASAP so she could start recovering. But nope, he took his time. We spent the days fishing, and every evening, he'd cook us these insanely good meals.Yuna and I were living like total princesses, soaking in every minute like we'd stepped into some magical escape, miles away from real life. If we stayed any longer, I wasn't sure I'd ever want to leave."Hayden, when we're old, we should retire here," I said. "I swear, I could live to be 150 in a place like this."Hayden laughed. "Alright.""And me! I want to live to 150 too!" Yuna added, grinning with this bright, newfound excitement for he
Yuna totally understood how serious things were. If this surgery worked, it was like hitting the reset button on her life. If not, well, all this would just turn into a memory."You've got plenty of time for days like this," I said, leaning my head against hers. "Seriously. Trust me."But then, out of nowhere, she switched gears. "Keira, don't be too hard on Hayden. He's stubborn, yeah, and not exactly Mr. Feelings, but he means well. So, go easy on him, okay?"I thought she was spiraling about the surgery and was ready to reassure her when she kept going, "I know you've been low-key punishing him lately."Her words hit, and I felt my face heat up. I gave her a playful poke. "Where do you even come up with this stuff? Stop overthinking.""Don't let my age fool you. I've read so many romance novels. I know exactly what's going on here," Yuna said with this confident little smirk.I didn't even try to deny it. "Yeah, well, he acted all tough, so I let him. Besides, he's been single
"Lie down, let me have a listen," Nate said, slipping the stethoscope from around his neck.We all stood there, watching nervously. Even Hayden—who usually had this calm, unshakable vibe—was visibly tense. But it was just a routine check-up, not the surgery itself.I could feel how much Hayden cherished Yuna in that moment, so I reached for his hand. He glanced at me, and I gave him a reassuring nod.Yuna, though, was frozen, staring at Nate like she'd been turned to stone.Noticing, Lena walked over and leaned in slightly. "Lie down and let Prof. Neumann check your heartbeat. It won't hurt," she said gently.Yuna had already bonded with Lena earlier, so it didn't take much. After a second, she blinked, then finally lay down like an obedient kid.I couldn't help but notice Yuna's cheeks were flushed. There was this tightness in my chest as I saw the way her eyes sparkled—brighter than I'd ever seen.I glanced over at Nate, fully absorbed in his task, pressing the stethoscope to
"Keira!" Yuna shot up, eyes wide. "What did you just say? You like Prof. Neumann too? No way—you can only like my brother."She wasn't clutching her chest anymore, just staring at me with this sudden urgency.I stifled a laugh, putting on a helpless face. "But he's so good-looking! The first time I saw him, I was like, 'Wait, is this a doctor or did someone rip him straight out of a magazine?'""No way," Yuna clung to my arm, desperate. "Sure, he's good-looking, but if you look closely, he's not as handsome as Hayden."He doesn't have Hayden's... masculinity."And most importantly? Hayden's honest and genuine—unlike this doctor."I raised an eyebrow, totally amused. "Oh? Prof. Neumann's not genuine? How can you tell?"Yuna pouted and shook my arm back and forth. "You can't like anyone other than my brother. You're his."This girl had a serious sense of loyalty."You're a believer in that one true love, ride-or-die kind of romance, huh?" I teased. I knew exactly where she got i
Yuna absolutely refused to let Hayden stay, and I couldn't shake the feeling of unease about leaving her alone. So, I had no choice but to ask Lena for help since she was on the night shift."You're seriously making me use my work hours to babysit Yuna? Aren't you taking advantage of me a little too much?" Lena teased."It's not really 'babysitting,'" I explained, adding a bit of charm to my tone. "Everyone will be asleep anyway. I just need you to check on her every now and then, make sure she's sleeping okay and nothing unexpected happens."Lena huffed dramatically. "After all these years of friendship, it feels like Yuna has officially replaced me in your heart.""Come on, don't be jealous! You know you're irreplaceable. Not even Hayden compares to you," I said, grinning and giving her a thumbs-up."I'm not Hayden—you don't have to sweet-talk me," Lena quipped, grabbing my hand and examining the ring on my finger."It's old, not worth much, but the fact that Hayden gave it to
Hearing Lena's words, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad inside.She'd had this secret crush on Nate forever, and if I hadn't nudged her, she probably would've kept it bottled up.But Nate... the way he responded was so blunt, like he wasn't even trying to spare her feelings. If he wasn't into her, fine, but did he really have to be that harsh?I was just about to step in and defuse the tension when Nate interrupted Lena again, his voice steady but firm. "I'm not bothered by the trouble, and besides, you're only allowed to trouble me."Wait, what?I blinked, totally confused. And by the look on Lena's face, she was just as lost."Nate—"But Nate cut Lena off again. "Didn't you say you liked me?"She froze."If you like me," Nate continued, "then why are you letting other guys give you attention? Why are you accepting someone else's affection?"Oh. My. God.It finally clicked—he was jealous. Like, straight-up, out-in-the-open jealous.Was this his way of confessing? Because
"Ouch!" I winced.A hand gripped my arm, pulling me back a bit. I glanced up and locked eyes with someone I didn't recognize.He looked startled, like really startled. Before I could even say a word, he let go of me and basically bolted down the hall.Rubbing my now throbbing forehead, I watched him scurry off and then glanced back at Lena's office. It hit me—this guy had been eavesdropping. He was so into their convo, he didn't even notice me walk out, which was why we crashed into each other.Wait... could that guy be Sancho? You know, "A Heart for L," Lena's secret admirer?Still trying to wrap my head around it, Hayden appeared. I was about to head over when I heard Lena's voice from inside the room, "Nate, I'm starving."I couldn't help but laugh. Lena had this whole hot-and-cold thing down to a science."What's so funny?" Hayden asked."Lena and Nate. They're finally a thing," I said, jerking my thumb toward the office.He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, just
"Got it!" Lena responded cheerfully. She washed her hands before sitting back down, picking up the utensils Aaron had prepared for her, and diving into her dumpling-and-dipping-sauce breakfast combo. "Uncle, why aren’t you eating?" She had already eaten two dumplings before realizing he hadn’t touched any. "I’m not hungry." Three words. Which meant he hadn’t eaten yet. "There’s too much food. I can’t finish it all by myself. Eat some too," Lena said casually as she picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks and held it up to his mouth. She did it so naturally—until she realized what she had just done. Aaron froze for a second, surprised by her gesture. The moment of hesitation made her realize too—wasn’t this kind of inappropriate? She was just about to pull her hand back when— He leaned in and took the dumpling straight into his mouth. Lena’s face flushed red in an instant. She hurriedly withdrew her hand, lowered her head, and focused on eating. Meanwhile, Aar
She was shocked to see him here so early. Especially today—a day when everyone was celebrating the new year, spending time with their loved ones—and yet, he was here. With her. Lena wasn’t made of stone. She felt it. A warmth, an unspoken emotion that settled deep in her chest. "Uncle, why are you here so early?" She walked over, hands casually tucked into her coat pockets. "I didn’t want you to go hungry," Aaron replied simply, lifting the bag of food in his hand. He glanced at her break room. "Open the door." She unlocked the door and stepped inside, with him following close behind. Her break room was small—a single desk and chair, a narrow bed, and a tiny wardrobe. Nothing extra, nothing unnecessary. "Sit down, Uncle," she said naturally, settling onto the bed while motioning for him to take the chair. Aaron placed the food down and asked, "Did you sleep at all?" "I did," Lena replied. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she thought of that dream—and let o
"If it weren’t for my goddaughter, I wouldn’t even bother with you," Lena said, gently rocking the baby in her arms. "Right, little Aurora? Your godmother just adores you." "Come on, Aurora, it’s time to eat," Lena said as she carefully placed the baby in Keira's arms. Although it was her first time, Keira wasn’t embarrassed. She followed Lena’s instructions, trying to breastfeed for the first time. But the process was… painful. And since her posture was incorrect, neither of them got it right—Keira ended up covered in sweat from struggling, and her baby still hadn’t eaten properly. Panic set in. Anxiety crept up her spine. "What do I do?" Keira asked, her voice tight with unease. "It’s okay. This happens at first. Let’s transition with formula for now," Lena reassured Keira before glancing at Hayden, who had been standing there the whole time, watching anxiously—and sweating just as much as Keira was. "Go make your daughter a bottle," she told him. Hayden, the man wh
That conversation… Lena shuddered. Yeah, she had definitely come back too early. It was best to leave now before she ruined the mood for those two inside. Not wanting to hear any more, she quickly turned to leave—only to smack her leg against a nearby chair. The pain was real, but worse was the noise it made, drawing attention to her presence. Inside the room, Hayden—already feeling awkward from Keira's teasing—froze. The sound from outside made him even more uncomfortable. Keira couldn’t hold back her laughter. The moment Keira burst out laughing, however, pain shot through her lower abdomen. "Ah—ow!" Keira gasped. Hayden immediately panicked. "What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?" Hearing her cry, Lena rushed in as well. "What happened?" "I laughed too hard and pulled my stitches," Keira explained, gripping Hayden’s hand tightly. Lena glared at Keira. "You’re a mother now, and yet you’re still acting like a child. Do you have any idea what condition you’re in?"
"It’s fine. I can do it," Hayden said naturally as he picked up the basin and went to fetch warm water. The moment he stepped out, Lena turned to scold Keira. "You went through so much pain to give birth to his child. Why would you feel bad about letting him do something for you?" "It’s not that I feel bad—I just feel embarrassed," Keira whispered in defense. Lena rolled her eyes. "So dramatic." Keira shot her a glare in return. "Just wait until it’s your turn. When your husband has to handle your private matters, you’ll understand how awkward it is." The moment the words left Keira's mouth, she saw Lena’s face turn red. Lena quickly hugged the baby and turned away. But Keira caught it. Something was off. "Wait… why are you blushing?" Keira asked suspiciously. "I am not blushing," she denied immediately. What Keira didn’t know was that her words had triggered the memory of Lena's ridiculous dream—where she had been lying on the delivery bed, cursing Aaron while gi
The moment she finished cursing, Lena jolted awake. She sat there, dazed. What kind of ridiculous dream was that? She had assisted in delivering countless babies before, but this was the first time she had ever dreamed of giving birth herself. And not only that—she had dreamed of giving birth to Aaron’s child? That was beyond outrageous. Absolutely absurd! What a way to start the new year. That dream was anything but beautiful. Lena ran a hand down her face, shaking off the lingering unease. She quickly got up, poured herself a glass of water to calm down, and then left the break room. Back in the hospital room, Hayden was feeding Keira. Keira was perfectly capable of eating on her own, but he insisted on feeding her, saying that she was in a special period and should be treated like a queen. That this was the time to learn how to be spoiled properly. Fine. If this was how he wanted to make up for the suffering she endured giving birth to their daughter, she’d give
Keira looked at Lena and smiled as she followed up on Hayden’s words. "You’re family. It’s different." Lena shot her a subtle glare before stuffing the red envelope into her pocket and saying, "Give me the rest. I’ll hand them out for you later." Hayden passed her the prepared stack of red envelopes, and as she took them, she asked, "What about the other departments?" Hayden and Aaron exchanged a glance and chuckled. "Of course. Every medical staff member in this hospital gets one." "President Hart, you’re too generous," Lena said, giving him a thumbs-up. With that, she took the envelopes and left. Aaron glanced at the time. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back now." "Mm. Happy New Year!" Hayden said, offering his holiday wishes. "Happy New Year to your whole family," Aaron replied, adding a few extra words that made both Hayden and me instinctively turn toward the baby in the bassinet. From today onward, we were officially a family of three. Outside the h
When Keira returned to the hospital room, she was greeted by a sight that made her pause. The room was decorated with fresh flowers and balloons, and beside her bed, there was a small cart filled with various gift boxes. The atmosphere was so festive that if someone walked in, they might have thought it was a birthday party rather than a postpartum recovery room. "What’s all this?" Lena asked on Keira's behalf. "A reward for my wife," Hayden answered, his hand still holding Keira's as he gazed at her with deep affection. "She went through so much. This is my way of thanking her." Keira smiled faintly. "I don’t need any of this." "Whether you need it or not is one thing. Giving it to you is my choice," Hayden said, pressing a kiss onto Keira's fingertips. "Even if everything I have already belongs to you, I still want to give you more." "Such a loving husband—honestly, what more could a woman ask for?" Lena teased before patting Keira's hospital bed. "But if President Hart r
Elder Mitchell wasn’t buying it. "That just means you guys didn’t really want to give anything. If you truly wanted to, there’s no such thing as a gift that can’t be delivered." The two old men started bickering again, but Hayden ignored them. Instead, he kept his eyes on the infant bathing room. Before long, the nurse finished bathing the baby and carried her out. Hayden reached out to take her, but the two elders immediately moved to get closer. He blocked them without hesitation. "Don’t you know old people’s eyes are toxic? You shouldn’t be staring at her for too long." Elder Hart: "…" Elder Mitchell: "…" With that, Hayden carried the baby and walked away. The two old men trailed after him, hoping to catch another glimpse, but Hayden wasn’t about to give them the chance. "Congratulations," Aaron, who had been standing nearby, offered his well wishes. "It’s a daughter. Take a look," Hayden said, his pride practically radiating off him. Aaron lowered his gaze to the