bWillow /bdidn’t stay for dinner. She instead asked Julian to return her phone.

    Julian simply remained silent.

    Willow fought back her emotions and asked softly, “Are you nning to lock me up again, Julian? I don’t have my grandmother anymoreb, /bthough.”

    Upon hearing her mention Grace, Julian couldn’t help but feel a sharp ache. He swallowed hard and said softly, “I’ll drive you home. I’ll return your phone to you at your doorstep.”

    Having heard that, Willow didn’t bother to argue with Julian, merely changing into the clothes she had worn earlier.

    Jesse, who evidently sympathized with Willow’s postpartum recovery, brought a thick shawl and thoughtfully draped it over her. Her voice trembled as she offered her a fewforting words

    Willów couldn’t help but feel a wave of grief washing over her. She settled into the carb, /bher eyes brimming with tears. Though utterly exhausted, Julian still insisted on driving her home himself. He knew that this fleeting time together held immeasurable worth and understood that such opportunities might not present themselves again.

    He changed his clothes, walked downstairs, and noticed that Willow was sitting in the back seat. He promptly opened the car door and asked softly, “Can you please sit in the passenger seat?”

    He longed to talk to her, just the two of them. He wanted to hear her talk about Gabrie.

    She remained in the back seat with her frail figure shrouded in the gloom, making no attempts to respond to his request. He swallowed hard before finally closing the car door and settling into the driver’s seat.

    It was rather silent during their drive back to the Chapman residence. Julian nced at the rearview mirror and asked softly, “Is she eating properly? Is she sleeping soundly at night? Who does she look like more–me or you?”

    Willow turned her face away, gazing into the night beyond the car window. Gabrie’s features mirrored Julian’sb, /bparticrly the smooth contour of her face and the faint dimples, which were strikingly like his. She was also remarkably tall for her age, suggesting that she would reach at least 5’7” as an adult.

    She remained silent about it, though, unwilling to share such information with Julian.

    It was a very quiet night, and it was even quieter within the confines of the car, with Julian’s voice punctuating the silence every now and then.

    It was half an hourter that Julian’s car finally pulled into the Chapman residence.

    Upon opening the car door, Maya Schofield and Hattie Moore, the household staff of the Chapman residence, immediately stepped forward.

    They almost respectfully called out to Julian before they quickly held it back. They gently supported Willow out of the car, and one of them whispered, “Mrs. Chapman is currently upstairs, attending to the baby. It seems like she’s hungry at the moment, so please head upstairs to check on her, Ms. Harper.”

    1

    Willow turned to Julian and demanded,

    my phone back.‘

    Julian raised his gaze and quietly looked toward the second floorb, /bhis eyes full of longing. He longed to hold Gabrie in his arms, having been told that she was a strikingly beautiful and healthy child. However, Willow didn’t allow him to do such a thing.

    He leaned over to get the phone from the car and passed it to her. bHis /bvoice was a low rasp as he asked, “Can I see her, Willow? Can I hold her for a while?”

    Julian’s request found no purchase with Willow; her resolve was unwavering. She took the phone and, with the support of the household staff, slowly made her way into the brightly lit vi.

    Julian remained standing in bthe /bshadows behind her, looking utterly deste. Yetb, /beven this moment of solitude was fleeting, as bthe /binsistent ringing of his phone broke the silenceb. /bbHe /btook it bout /bbfrom /bhis pocketb, /bnoting that it was the hospital calling him. His voice wavered almost imperceptibly as he answered, “Julian speaking.”

    Having heard thatb, /bthe caller on the other end of the line spoke briefly.

    Julian looked up toward the second floor of the Chapman residence, where Gabrie was staying. bHis /beyes were brimming with tearsb, /bbut even so, he still opened the car door, sat in the driver’s seat, and started the engine.

    In the darkness of the night, the ck car sped away from the Chapman residence. It was roughly b20 /bminutester that Julian’s car drove onto the premises of a private hospital, and following a series of turns, it wound its way to a smallb, /bsecluded building located furthest inside.

    Julian opened the car door and stepped out, hurriedly making his way to the second floor of the building. It was a floor dedicated to only one room- -a nursery. 1

    In the confines of the clear incubator, a newborny quietly, with several tubes attached to his small frame, and gauze bcovered /bhis belly where the umbilical cord had been. His limbs were thin and undeveloped, resembling those of a bfrail /blittle frog. He bwas /bboriously opening his eyes, and in the small slit that showed, his eyes were dark and round.

    His vision didn’t extend far, though. Hey in warmth, yet theforting scent of his mother was nowhere present. His small arms iled gently, searching blindly–yearning for his mother and seeking his younger sister.

    His slender, small finger gently brushed against the clear wall of the incubator before he turned his head toward Julian. His dark, round eyes and the delicate cast of his features bore a striking resemnce to Willow’s. He looked very thin and small, though.

    Julian’s eyes were brimming with unshed tears. He lowered himself into a half–crouch, his palm pressed t against the cool surface of the incubator, gently connecting with the fragile life within. It was his darling son, Landon.