The hospital felt too bright.
Too cold.
Too sterile.
Lillian hated hospitals.
She always had.
The moment she stepped off the elevator and saw Chloe waiting for her, the knot in her chest tightened.
Chloe immediately stood.
"Lillian."
"Where is he?"
The question came out before anything else.
"Is he awake?"
Chloe's expression alone was enough to make Lillian's stomach drop.
"No."
Lillian swallowed hard.
"What happened?"
Chloe looked exhausted.
Like she hadn't stopped replaying the event in her head since it happened.
"He collapsed in his office."
Lillian already knew that much.
"The seizure lasted several minutes."
Her heart sank further.
"I thought he was dizzy at first."
Chloe shook her head.
"Then he started convulsing."
The image immediately formed in Lillian's mind.
And she hated it.
"He wasn't responding."
Chloe looked away briefly.
"The paramedics said he was lucky someone saw him fall."
Lucky.
The word felt horrible.
Because nobody should need luck to survive a workday.
Before Lillian could ask another question, a doctor approached.
"Miss Parker?"
Lillian immediately turned.
"Yes."
"I'm Dr. Reynolds."
The doctor extended a hand.
Lillian shook it automatically.
"You're here for Mr. Wolfe?"
The use of Sebastian's surname somehow made everything feel more clinical.
More real.
"Yes."
The doctor nodded.
"Would you mind speaking with me for a moment?"
Lillian's stomach twisted.
People didn't say things like that when the news was good.
Chloe remained beside her as the doctor guided them toward a quieter section of the corridor.
Once they stopped, Dr. Reynolds folded his hands.
"Mr. Wolfe suffered a seizure this morning."
Lillian nodded.
"I know."
"The seizure itself is currently under control."
A small amount of tension left her shoulders.
Then the doctor continued.
"However, the underlying cause remains concerning."
The relief disappeared immediately.
"What caused it?"
The doctor didn't hesitate.
"His liver disease."
Lillian closed her eyes briefly.
Of course.
The doctor continued.
"His liver function has deteriorated significantly."
Each word felt heavier than the last.
"The continued alcohol consumption is causing substantial damage."
Chloe lowered her gaze.
Neither woman argued.
Because they both knew it was true.
"He has also been experiencing severe sleep deprivation."
Lillian immediately thought back to the dark circles beneath Sebastian's eyes.
The exhaustion.
The constant fatigue.
"The combination of stress, alcohol dependency, insomnia, and liver failure is placing enormous strain on his body."
The doctor's tone remained calm.
Professional.
Which somehow made it worse.
Because he wasn't trying to scare her.
He was simply stating facts.
And facts were often more terrifying than emotions.
Lillian's hands tightened.
"Is he going to be okay?"
The question came out quietly.
Almost like she was afraid of the answer.
The doctor paused.
Not a long pause.
But long enough.
And Lillian immediately knew she wasn't going to like what came next.
"Right now, he's stable."
Right now.
Not permanently.
Not definitely.
Right now.
The wording wasn't lost on her.
The doctor sighed softly.
"Miss Parker, Mr. Wolfe's condition is becoming increasingly dangerous."
The words hit like a punch.
Beside her, Chloe went still.
"We can treat individual complications."
The doctor continued carefully.
"We can manage seizures."
A pause.
"We can manage bleeding."
Another pause.
"We can manage hospital admissions."
Then came the sentence neither of them wanted to hear.
"But if he continues like this, there may come a point where we can no longer reverse the damage."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Lillian stared at him.
Trying to process the meaning.
Trying to pretend she didn't understand.
But she did.
She understood perfectly.
The doctor wasn't talking about hospital visits anymore.
He wasn't talking about recovery.
He was talking about death.
The possibility of it.
The reality of it.
And suddenly the image of Elena asking,
"Will Daddy be okay?"
returned to her mind.
The memory nearly shattered her.
Because she hadn't known the answer then.
And she definitely didn't know it now.
The doctor offered a sympathetic smile.
"We're doing everything we can."
Lillian nodded mechanically.
It was all she could manage.
A few moments later, the doctor left.
Neither woman spoke immediately.
The corridor suddenly felt too quiet.
Too empty.
Finally Chloe broke the silence.
"He won't listen to anyone."
Her voice sounded frustrated.
Tired.
"He never does."
Lillian looked toward the floor.
No argument.
Because she knew that too.
Sebastian had always been stubborn.
Painfully stubborn.
The kind of stubborn that kept him moving forward.
The same stubbornness that was now killing him.
Eventually Chloe spoke again.
"He's in there."
She nodded toward a nearby room.
Lillian looked up.
The door.
A simple hospital door.
And suddenly she wasn't sure she wanted to open it.
Because seeing Sebastian sick was one thing.
Seeing him like this—
She wasn't prepared.
But she forced herself forward anyway.
One step.
Then another.
Until she reached the door.
Slowly, she pushed it open.
And froze.
The room was quiet except for the steady rhythm of monitors.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Sebastian lay motionless in the hospital bed.
His skin looked pale.
Far too pale.
An oxygen cannula rested beneath his nose.
IV lines disappeared beneath the blanket.
Various monitors surrounded him.
Machines.
Numbers.
Evidence that his body now required assistance to do things it once did naturally.
Lillian's chest tightened painfully.
Because this wasn't the man who stood confidently in boardrooms.
This wasn't the intimidating CEO of Sovereign.
This wasn't the man who used to argue with her.
Or tease her.
Or smile at her.
This was simply Sebastian.
A sick man lying in a hospital bed.
And for some reason that hurt even more.
Slowly, she walked toward him.
The chair beside the bed scraped softly against the floor as she sat.
For several seconds she simply looked at him.
Taking in every detail.
The exhaustion.
The fragility.
The vulnerability.
And then, finally:
"You idiot."
The words escaped before she could stop them.
A laugh almost followed.
Instead tears filled her eyes.
"You absolute idiot."
Her voice trembled.
Sebastian didn't respond.
Of course he didn't.
He was unconscious.
But Lillian kept talking anyway.
Because somehow silence felt worse.
"Do you know what Ellie asked me tonight?"
Nothing.
Only the steady beeping of the monitor.
"She asked if you'd be okay."
Lillian looked down.
"I didn't know what to tell her."
Her throat tightened.
"She's worried about you."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"She calls you Daddy now."
The room remained silent.
But Lillian smiled weakly.
Because she could already imagine how emotional that information would have made him.
"She wanted to know if you'd come back."
Her voice broke slightly.
"I told her I thought you would."
A pause.
Then more quietly:
"So don't make me a liar."
The tears came faster after that.
Not dramatic.
Just quiet.
Steady.
The kind of crying that came from exhaustion and fear.
Outside the room, Chloe watched through the glass.
And suddenly felt like an intruder.
Because for the first time in years she could see it clearly.
Neither of them had ever truly stopped caring.
Maybe they weren't the same people anymore.
Maybe too much had happened.
Too much damage.
Too much pain.
But the feelings had never disappeared.
Not really.
Inside the room, Lillian sat quietly beside the bed.
At some point, without even realizing it, she reached for Sebastian's hand.
And held it.
The contact was warm.
Real.
Human.
For several minutes she simply sat there.
Listening to the monitor.
Watching his chest rise and fall.
Wishing.
Praying.
Begging silently for more time.
Not for herself.
Not even for them.
For Ellie.
Because a little girl had only just found her father.
And she deserved more than a few days.
Then suddenly—
A slight movement.
Lillian froze.
Sebastian's fingers twitched.
Just slightly.
Almost imperceptibly.
Her breath caught.
"Sebastian?"
No response.
But his lips moved.
Barely.
A faint whisper escaped.
So quiet she almost missed it.
"Ellie..."
Lillian's eyes widened.
The tears she'd managed to control immediately returned.
Because even now—
Even unconscious—
The person he was searching for wasn't her.
It was his daughter.
And somehow that broke her heart and healed it at the same time.
Lillian tightened her grip on his hand.
While the monitor continued its steady rhythm.
And for the first time that night, she allowed herself to hope.