Chapter 4

He bolted from the hospital, his head wrapped in bandages, leaning on a crutch, wearing a hospital gown and an ill-fitting jacket.

I stood with my hands in my pockets, wondering why people kept bothering me lately.

He heard footsteps and jerked his head up. Seeing me, he instinctively smiled.

But his smile quickly froze.

I followed his gaze down to Serenity, whose hand I was holding.

Serenity is my daughter. She doesn't know that the man before her is her father.

In the next moment, he hobbled towards me, leaning heavily on his crutch.

As he neared, his leg gave out and he suddenly collapsed to his knees.

His crutch hit the ground with a dull thud.

Serenity startled and shrank behind me.

I turned and patted her head. "Don't be scared, Serenity. This man is an old friend of mine. Why don't you go home and do your homework?"

She glanced timidly at Everett, then back at me, and nodded slightly before running home.

I remained rooted to the spot.

Everett knelt there, looking less like a man in his thirties and more like a child who'd lost his candy.

After a moment, I walked over. My hand hovered in the air, hesitating, before I finally helped him up.He gazed at me, his eyes glistening.

I quickly let go of his hand and stepped back, "Don't block my way."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he chuckled softly, "How come you're so strong?"

"None of your business," I snapped.

He didn't respond, but his gaze remained fixed on me. His voice tightened as he asked, "So, was that your daughter just now?"

"It's none of your concern," I replied coldly.

The hallway was narrow, and Everett's tall frame leaned against the wall, his eyes full of hurt. "You once said we were inseparable."

I smiled wryly, "As you said, that was in the past."

His voice faltered, "Aria, I—"

Not wanting to hear more, I cut him off, "Enough. Why are you here? Did Vivienne send you to confront me?"

At the mention of her name, his brows furrowed, his tone full of disgust, "Who is she to me? I only saw her once when I just woke up. She was so annoying, going on and on."

As he finished speaking, his eyes softened, filled with a cautious, probing look and a hint of nervous anticipation.

He inched forward quietly, his voice soft, "I... I came to talk to you. Is that okay?"