Lyra woke up in the middle of the night because she needed to use the bathroom.
Her head was a little dizzy, so she took a moment to sit up, steady herself before slipping on slippers and slowly making her way, step by step.
She paused in the middle of the room when she noticed Rowan lying on the sofa nearby.
It was wide and surprisingly comfortable. Definitely better than the stiff couches in government hospitals.
His brow was lightly furrowed, a tiredness he couldn't hide even in rest.
One arm rested above his head while the other lay loosely over his torso, only half his body tucked under the blanket.
Lyra could hear the faintest hint of a soft snooze.
She moved quietly, minding every sound. Even the bathroom door, she eased it shut inch by inch.
She took her time in the bathroom, settling herself. Her head was still a little light.
But the moment she opened the door, she nearly gasped. Rowan was right there, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, his expression rigid.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going to the bathroom?" Rowan's voice was cold, not even a hint of a smile.
Lyra hesitated, unsure if going to the bathroom without help was suddenly a crime, or if Rowan was upset about something else entirely.
She parted her lips and answered softly, "I didn't want to disturb your sleep."
After everything that had happened, Rowan had hardly rested at all.
Lyra noticed the faint shadows beneath his eyes but even with that tired look, he still looked effortlessly attractive.
Rowan exhaled sharply, as if her answer was somehow wrong too. Lyra fell silent, her fingers curling around the fabric of her nightdress.
He didn't move. He just stood there, watching her, evaluating her. Lyra lowered her gaze, not wanting to meet Rowan's stern expression.
She excused herself and took a tentative step, but Rowan let out another heavy sigh, stepped forward, and scooped her up as if she weighed nothing, carrying her back to the bed.
He tucked her in, then returned to the sofa. Rowan turned his head away, his back facing her as he lay down, retreating into his own silence.
Lyra whispered, "Good night, Rowan."
But then she heard a low, frustrated grunt and moments later Rowan stood up and left the room.
Lyra was baffled. Tonight, it seemed that nothing she did was right in Rowan's eyes.
The next morning, Lyra woke to find Rowan's spot already tidied up, his things were no longer there.
By afternoon, there was still no sign of him. He was probably busy with the conference.
But Kane was around, sitting outside her room. Occasionally, he stepped in to ask if she needed anything, though Lyra never had any requests.
After a moment, Lyra began to feel bored, stuck in the ward with nothing to do. Eventually, she asked if she could take a walk around the hospital.
The doctor simply gave her permission but reminded her to return at a certain time to take her medication.
While speaking to the doctor, Lyra noticed that her face resembled someone she knew. But her mind was too fuzzy to connect the dots, so she brushed the thought aside.
At first, Kane followed her from behind. Lyra pouted, complaining that the way he trailed after her made her uncomfortable.
She kept glancing over her shoulder every few seconds, worried he'd vanish like some silent ghost.
So she told him to walk with her instead.
Kane paused for a moment, then stepped up to her side with his usual calm.
"Better?" he asked.
"Much," Lyra replied, relieved she didn't have to keep checking behind her anymore.
From a distance, Lyra noticed the hospital's garden. Children ran and played nearby, and two elderly men sat together on a stone bench, deeply absorbed in a quiet game of chess.
With the weather being so nice, she asked Kane if they could sit there for a while. Kane simply nodded and followed her.
All of a sudden, his phone buzzed. Kane excused himself, saying he needed to take a call.
Lyra nodded, giving Kane permission to step away for a while, even though a small part of her felt uneasy when he wasn't around.
When Kane stepped away, Lyra's gaze shifted toward the far side of the garden, where a nurse gently pushed an elderly woman in a wheelchair, letting her enjoy the fresh air.
The sight of the grandmother made Lyra think of Agnes, her heart softening. She wondered what her grandmother was doing at this very moment.
Lyra reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She swiped to call Hale Estate. When the call was answered, Dora told her that Agnes was resting at the moment.
Dora offered to call back once Agnes woke up, but Lyra said it was fine.
She told Dora there was nothing important. She didn't mention that she had called simply because she missed her.
Lyra didn't want her grandmother to worry about something so small.
After the call disconnected, Lyra sat there quietly.
Her gaze stayed fixed on the elderly woman in the wheelchair across the garden. Lyra pressed a hand to her chest.
She could feel just how much she missed her grandmother.
No—she wasn't just missing her grandmother. She felt a longing to go home.
Maybe it was Rowan's coldness last night. She had felt like a stranger to him.
She couldn't help wondering if he'd finally grown tired of her—problems kept coming her way, one after another.
Maybe Rowan saw her as nothing but trouble. Maybe he regretted marrying her.
"Ahem!"
Someone deliberately cleared their throat behind her, snapping Lyra out of her thoughts.
"Dr. Chavan… um, should I return now?" Lyra asked.
She looked around for Kane, ready to signal him to come back. But he was nowhere in sight.
"Not yet. I'm actually on my break right now. Mind if I sit with you?" Mia asked, smiling slightly.
Mia mostly just wanted to get to know her.
After a few minutes of chatting, Mia found Lyra surprisingly easy to warm up to. She was pretty, and polite too.
No wonder Edris had fallen for her. Too bad things hadn't worked out in his favor.
"Well, someone wants to see you," Mia said suddenly.
Lyra blinked in confusion. "Who?"
"He's right there," Mia replied, pointing toward the corridor.
Lyra followed her gaze—and froze.
A man with platinum hair and glasses was walking toward them, wearing the same doctor's uniform as Mia.
"No way," Lyra blurted out. She turned to Mia with wide eyes. "Are you two siblings?"
Realizing that Lyra had such sharp eyes, Mia couldn't help but smile. She had figured it out despite their differences.
Mia was their father's mirror, Edris their mother's—yet both had the same pale hair.
Edris approached them slowly. He'd only come because his sister had pushed him into it.
Mia insisted he needed to face her, or he'd stay miserable forever.