The next morning, the hospital room was quiet.
Cherry was still asleep while the morning light filtered through the windows.
Nicklaus, Nicholas, and Mrs. Jennie had arrived earlier and were standing near the bed.
Elian was still sitting beside Cherry.
The bandage around the back of his head was stained slightly from the injury he had received the previous night.
Mrs. Jennie noticed it immediately.
"Elian, you need to let the doctor examine your head properly."
Elian didn't look at her.
"I'm fine."
"You're bleeding through the bandage."
"I said I'm fine."
Mrs. Jennie stepped closer.
"Please. At least let someone treat it."
Elian finally looked at her.
His expression was cold.
"You don't need to worry about me."
Mrs. Jennie froze.
"Elian..."
"I appreciate that you're concerned."
His voice remained controlled.
"But I don't need your concern."
She looked hurt.
"I'm only trying to help."
Elian turned his attention back to Cherry.
"You should save your concern for her."
Mrs. Jennie lowered her eyes.
Elian gently adjusted Cherry's blanket.
"I'll deal with my own injury."
Nicholas watched him silently.
Nicklaus stood near the wall, his expression unreadable.
The tension in the room was unmistakable.
Then Cherry's fingers suddenly moved slightly in Elian's hand.
Elian immediately noticed.
"Cherry?"
Everyone turned toward the bed.
Cherry remained unconscious, her breathing steady as she rested beneath the hospital blankets.
Elian's phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the screen.
Lola Anna.
He answered immediately.
"Hello, Lola."
"Elian, what hospital is Cherry in?"
Elian looked around the room.
"Why?"
"I'm coming to see her."
"Lola, you don't have to—"
"Yes, I do."
Her voice was firm.
"I couldn't sleep last night knowing what happened to that girl. I need to see her with my own eyes."
Elian sighed.
"Lola, it's early. You should rest."
"I'll rest after I know she's okay."
Elian realized there was no point arguing with her.
"Fine."
He told her the name of the hospital.
"I'll be there soon," Mrs. Anna replied.
"Drive carefully."
"I will."
The call ended.
Elian placed his phone down and looked at Cherry again.
Mrs. Jennie quietly watched him from across the room.
She could see how exhausted he was.
But Elian didn't seem to care about himself.
His attention remained entirely on Cherry.
Elian noticed the tension and turned toward Mrs. Anna.
"Lola, let me introduce you."
He gestured toward Nicholas and Jennie.
"This is Nicholas Haynes and his wife, Mrs. Jennie Haynes."
Mrs. Anna gave them a polite smile.
"It's nice to meet you."
She then looked toward Nicklaus.
"And this is their son, Nicklaus."
Nicklaus nodded respectfully.
"Hello, Mrs. Anna."
Mrs. Anna nodded back.
Elian continued.
"They're Cherry's adoptive parents."
Mrs. Anna's expression softened immediately.
"Ah, I see."
She smiled warmly at them.
"Thank you for taking care of Cherry all these years."
Nicholas nodded.
"Of course."
Mrs. Anna turned toward Jennie.
"And you must be her mother."
Jennie couldn't answer.
She simply stared at Mrs. Anna.
Her face had gone pale.
Elian glanced at her, confused by her silence.
"Mrs. Haynes?"
Jennie finally blinked.
"I'm... sorry."
Her voice trembled.
She looked at Mrs. Anna again.
Then at Elian.
Something about the situation felt almost impossible.
The woman she had been searching for was standing in front of her.
And the young man introducing her so casually was the same boy she had spent years believing was lost.
Jennie couldn't bring herself to speak.
Mrs. Anna noticed her strange reaction but said nothing.
She simply nodded politely before turning her attention toward Cherry's hospital room.
Elian opened the hospital room door.
"Come on, Lola."
Mrs. Anna nodded and followed him inside.
The door closed behind them.
Mrs. Jennie remained standing in the hallway, staring at the closed door.
Her breathing became unsteady.
Elian...
Her mind raced.
Could he really be my son?
The thought was almost too overwhelming to process.
She remembered the child she had been forced to give away years ago.
A little boy.
And now, after all these years, she had met a young man who somehow made her heart react in a way she couldn't explain.
But then doubt crept in.
What if I'm wrong?
What if I'm only seeing what I want to see?
Her knees suddenly felt weak.
Nicholas noticed immediately.
"Jennie?"
She didn't answer.
He quickly placed a hand around her arm.
"Sit down."
He guided her to one of the chairs along the hallway.
Jennie sat down slowly.
Nicholas crouched beside her.
"What's wrong? You're trembling."
Jennie stared at the hospital room door.
She couldn't find the words.
If Elian truly was her biological son, then she had been standing in front of him all this time without recognizing him.
And if she was wrong...
She didn't know if her heart could handle another disappointment.
Nicholas gently held her hand.
"Jennie, talk to me."
She remained silent, staring ahead with tears gathering in her eyes.
Later that day, Mrs. Anna had gone home, and Nicholas had insisted that Nicklaus leave the hospital and get some rest.
Only Nicholas, Jennie, and Elian remained.
Elian sat beside Cherry's bed, his eyes fixed on her sleeping face.
The pain in the back of his head had gotten worse, but he ignored it.
He simply leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes for a moment, pressing his fingers against his temple.
Mrs. Jennie watched him from across the room.
Her heart ached.
Her eyes drifted toward the bandage around his head.
I did that.
She remembered the previous night—the panic, the fighting, and the moment she had grabbed the object and struck him.
She had been trying to stop the fight.
But she had hurt him.
And if her suspicion was true...
I hurt my own son.
Jennie's eyes filled with tears.
She looked at Elian again.
Would he ever forgive her?
Would he accept her if he truly was her biological mother?
She had spent years imagining the day she might find her child again.
But she had never imagined meeting him like this.
And she certainly hadn't imagined hurting him before she even knew the truth.
Nicholas noticed her staring.
"Jennie?"
She quickly looked away.
"I'm fine."
But her voice was unsteady.
Nicholas knew she wasn't.
Meanwhile, Elian opened his eyes and glanced toward them.
"Are you okay?"
Jennie froze.
She looked at him.
For a second, she wanted to tell him everything.
She wanted to ask him who his biological parents were.
She wanted to ask about the woman who had raised him.
But she couldn't bring herself to say the words.
So she simply nodded.
"Yes."
Elian gave a small nod and turned back toward Cherry.
Jennie watched him quietly.
Her heart whispered the question she was too afraid to ask aloud.
Are you my son?