The first thing Sebastian saw when he opened his eyes was a hospital ceiling.
The second thing he felt was irritation.
Pure, immediate irritation.
A doctor was speaking before he was fully awake.
"...still need to monitor your liver function closely."
Sebastian stared at the ceiling.
"We strongly recommend continuing observation."
Silence.
"You should remain here for several more days."
More silence.
The doctor sighed.
Clearly familiar with difficult patients.
"Mr. Wolfe."
Sebastian finally turned his head.
The movement alone reminded him that he wasn't in nearly as good condition as he wanted to be.
His body felt weak.
Heavy.
Every muscle seemed to protest.
The doctor continued.
"Your condition is serious."
"I know."
"You collapsed."
"I remember."
"Barely."
The doctor pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You left your room while recovering."
Sebastian said nothing.
Because there wasn't much to say.
The doctor wasn't wrong.
"You need rest."
A pause.
Then:
"You need to stop working."
That almost made Sebastian laugh.
Almost.
The doctor handed him a folder.
"Stress will make your recovery harder."
Another pause.
"And alcohol could make things significantly worse."
That sentence lingered.
Alcohol.
Sebastian's gaze drifted away.
Toward the window.
Toward the city beyond it.
His thoughts immediately went somewhere else.
A hospital corridor.
Blonde hair.
Blue eyes.
Lillian.
The doctor continued talking.
Sebastian barely heard him.
Because the same question returned.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Who was that little girl?
Hours later, after enduring several more conversations about recovery plans and treatment schedules, Sebastian finally reached his limit.
"I'll be leaving."
The nurse froze.
"I'm sorry?"
Sebastian swung his legs over the side of the bed.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Ignoring how weak he felt.
"Mr. Wolfe—."
"I'm leaving."
"You haven't been discharged."
Sebastian stood.
Immediately regretting it.
A wave of dizziness struck him.
But he forced himself to remain upright.
The nurse looked horrified.
"Please sit back down."
"No."
"You're not well enough."
Sebastian reached for his jacket.
"Then I'll be unwell somewhere else."
The nurse stared.
The doctor later looked equally unimpressed.
But ultimately there was only so much they could do.
Sebastian Wolfe was an adult.
A stubborn one.
Several hours later he walked out of the hospital.
Against medical advice.
Against common sense.
Against practically everyone's wishes.
The cold New York air hit his face immediately.
For a moment he simply stood there.
Breathing.
Then he got into the taxi.
The drive home felt longer than usual.
Or perhaps he was simply more aware of everything now.
The city.
The silence.
The exhaustion.
When he arrived at the mansion, the emptiness greeted him immediately.
Nothing had changed.
And somehow that made it worse.
The foyer was silent.
The hallways were silent.
The rooms were silent.
Three years ago he had convinced himself he preferred it that way.
Now it simply felt empty.
His gaze drifted toward the staircase.
Toward the upper floor.
Toward rooms nobody entered.
Then another memory surfaced.
Lillian standing in the hospital corridor.
Looking at him.
Actually looking at him.
For the first time in years.
The thought lingered.
Long enough to become uncomfortable.
So Sebastian did what he always did when something became uncomfortable.
He worked.
An hour later his car pulled into the Sovereign parking garage.
The moment he entered the building, conversations stopped.
Not completely.
Just enough.
People noticed.
Of course they noticed.
The CEO was supposed to be recovering.
Not walking into work.
One employee froze near the elevators.
Another quickly looked away.
Several whispered the moment he passed.
Sebastian ignored all of it.
But he still heard fragments.
"I thought he was hospitalized."
"Is he supposed to be here?"
"He looks awful."
The last comment almost amused him.
Almost.
The elevator ride felt endless.
When the doors finally opened onto the executive floor, silence followed him once more.
People immediately straightened.
Conversations died.
Laptops suddenly became fascinating.
Sebastian walked forward.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Then he saw it.
The desk outside his office.
Or rather—
the desk that used to belong to Lillian.
For a moment he stopped.
Three years.
Three years and the sight still felt wrong.
Someone else occupied it now.
A competent employee.
A professional employee.
Someone who did their job perfectly well.
But they weren't her.
They never would be.
The realization irritated him more than it should have.
So he walked into his office.
Closed the door.
And immediately sat down.
His body protested.
Violently.
The effort of simply returning to work had exhausted him.
But at least he was working.
At least there were reports.
Meetings.
Numbers.
Problems.
Things he could solve.
For nearly an hour he attempted to focus.
It didn't work.
Every report became blurred by the same memory.
Blonde hair.
Blue eyes.
Lillian.
The child.
He leaned back in his chair.
Annoyed.
How old had she been?
Three?
Maybe four?
Why had Lillian looked so nervous?
Why had she refused to answer his question?
Most importantly—
why couldn't he stop thinking about it?
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
The door opened.
And Chloe walked inside.
The moment she saw him, she stopped.
"You're kidding."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow.
"That's a greeting."
Chloe folded her arms.
"Shouldn't you be in a hospital?"
"Apparently."
She stared at him.
Long and hard.
He looked terrible.
Paler than usual.
Thinner.
Exhausted.
For the first time in years, Sebastian Wolfe looked genuinely unhealthy.
Chloe suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Because she knew exactly why.
And because she also knew something else.
Something he didn't.
Sebastian studied her expression.
Then asked quietly:
"Have you spoken to Lillian recently?"
Chloe froze.
Completely froze.
Sebastian immediately noticed.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You have."
Chloe recovered quickly.
"She's my friend."
A fair answer.
A truthful answer.
And somehow not enough.
Sebastian leaned back.
Ignoring the ache in his chest.
"I saw her."
Chloe's stomach dropped.
Hospital.
Of course.
He had seen her.
The realization immediately made her nervous.
Because if he had seen Lillian—
had he seen Ellie?
Sebastian continued.
"She was with a child."
There it was.
The question.
The one Chloe had been dreading.
Her pulse immediately quickened.
But Sebastian wasn't looking at her.
He was looking out the window.
At the city.
Thoughtful.
Confused.
As if trying to solve a puzzle missing a crucial piece.
After a long silence he quietly asked:
"Who was that little girl?"
And for the first time since the hospital, Chloe realized the truth wasn't nearly as safe as she had believed.