Even after sitting by her bedside for two whole days, he still wouldn''t say a single word.

    She couldn''t even exin what was happening to her. After Megan''s warning, she''d panicked—really panicked-and ended up tearing through the study, searching for who-knows-what, as if the answers might be hiding in a drawer.

    Her head was spinning back then, with one voice whispering, Dn''s exactly that kind of person-don''t trust him. But another voice kept pushing back, making everything feel even messier. She was just so tired. Only now did she finally feel a little less foggy.

    "Dn, they said you haven''t eaten in two days. Won''t you at least try something?"

    He stayed silent on the other end.

    ra had no idea what he was thinking anymore.

    Finally, he spoke: "I''m with Aiden."

    "How''s his leg? Did all the specialistse back from overseas?”

    "He''ll recover with rehab. It''s just going to be rough."

    ra let out a breath she didn''t realize she was holding. So Aiden was safe. Maybe it wasn''t luck, though-maybe he''d just always known how to survive. To keep a backup n, even when things were at their worst. No wonder he''d managed to stay at Dn''s side all these years.

    After that, they both went quiet. Neither could think of anything else to say.

    ra fiddled with the spoon in her hand, thinking for a long moment before finally blurting out, "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have listened to Megan or doubted you."

    "Mm."

    ra frowned, her thoughts a tangled mess. So much had happened between themtely. They should''ve been there for each other, holding hands,forting one another. But instead, this was how he acted.

    She hung up.

    Dn just stared at his phone.

    A doctor nearby spoke up, "Mr. Dn, Aiden''s awake. He wants to talk to you."

    Dn put his phone down and walked to the hospital room.

    Aiden looked pale as a ghost, and as soon as he saw Dn, his eyes went red. They always say men don''t cry-unless it hurts too much to hold back.

    "Sir."

    Dn stood at the bedside, voice t. "The ones who did this-I''ve already taken care of them."

    Aiden pressed his lips together. Everyone knew what "taken care of" meant. Those men had all been loyal to the old man. For Dn to handle them so directly... things with the old man must be beyond fixing now.

    "What about him?"

    Dn nced out the window, watching the wind shake the trees outside. "I told

    him to stay at the family estate and rest."

    Rest. Or confinement. Only Dn knew which.

    Aiden had always understood-Dn never cared enough to fight back before.

    That''s why so many problems had

    piled up over the years. Dn''s

    whole approach to life was one of quiet disregard, like nothing was worth the effort. He didn''t even value his own life, so if someone wanted

    him dead, he couldn''t even be bothered to feel angry.

    Unless that someone was ra. Then it wasn''t anger-it was something darker, more hopeless.

    It wasn''t that he was afraid to die. He just wanted to see her, even if it meant putting up with her hatred. Just to be able to be near her.

    That''s why Dn kept everyone at arm''s length, never saying yes or no, never really pushing back against the old man''s control. He wasn''t incapable of fighting it just felt pointless.

    Aiden had seen all of this for a long time, but never said a word.

    The brief happiness Dn found with ra always felt like something borrowed, something that could disappear any moment. The happier he was the more anxious he got. When it came to ra, he never felt like he deserved her, and sometimes that made him do reckless things.

    Aiden lowered his eyes, thinking for a moment before asking, "Is Mrs. ra still at Palm Bay?"

    "She is."

    Dn answered right away this time, sinking down into the chair beside him. "But maybe not for much longer."