Broken Vows and Buried Twins novel Chapter 198

Seraphina finally regained consciousness around five in the afternoon.

She was awake, which meant her life had officially been saved.

After a thorough evaluation, the doctors confirmed she was stable and transferred her out of the ICU into a private VIP suite.

The nurse checked the IV drip, gave a few instructions, and quietly slipped out.

Only Julian and Caden remained in the room with her.

Caden stood by the bed, his small face etched with lingering terror, his dark eyes still puffy and red.

He placed his hands carefully on the edge of the mattress, terrified that touching her might cause her pain.

He stared at her with wide, watery eyes. "Mommy, does it still hurt?"

Seraphina's face was ashen, her lips completely devoid of color, but she forced a weak, trembling smile. "Don't worry, Mommy doesn't hurt."

The dam broke, and tears spilled down Caden's cheeks.

"Mommy, you scared me to death... waah!"

The sheer terror of almost losing her was far too heavy for a five-year-old to carry.

Seeing him cry, Seraphina broke down as well.

"I'm so sorry, Caden. It's Mommy's fault. I didn't mean to scare you, I'm so sorry..."

"Mommy, don't ever do that again. I don't want to live without a mommy..."

Seraphina nodded, sobbing softly. "I won't. Mommy promises I'll never leave you again..."

Mother and son wept together, looking utterly heartbroken.

Julian stood nearby, his expression heavy and grim.

Julian stood by the foot of the bed, clearly weighing his words carefully before he spoke.

His tone was dead serious. "Seraphina, don't do anything foolish like this ever again. You need to be strong, if only for Caden's sake."

Seraphina's eyes welled up anew, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry, Julian. I just couldn't control myself. I love Caden so much, and I truly want to be here for him, but last night I... I'm so sorry for making you and Caden worry again."

"Forget about last night."

Julian's dark eyes were unreadable, his voice firm and steady.

"I've spoken to Hester. We'll treat last night as a misunderstanding. But as you know, she is pregnant and can be very stubborn. She needs peace and quiet right now, and she doesn't like having extra people in the house. So, moving forward, you and Caden should stay at Silverstream Villa. Try to minimize your contact with Hester."

Julian was trying to frame it as tactfully as possible.

Given that she had just survived a suicide attempt and had a history of depression, he didn't want to sound too harsh.

But he needed to make it crystal clear that Hester's boundaries were not up for debate.