That night, Fiona set up a cot in Caden's room to keep an eye on him, while Hester slept in the lounge next door.
As for Julian, no one knew when he eventually left, and Hester certainly didn't care enough to ask.
Caden slept peacefully through the night without another fever spike.
At eight the next morning, the doctor completed his rounds and officially cleared Caden for discharge.
Hester was about to call Chiara to pick them up, but Julian showed up at eight-thirty sharp.
When he walked in, Caden had just finished his final check-up and was eagerly pulling Hester into a game of Ludo.
Hester sat at the edge of the bed.
The two of them were completely engrossed in the game.
Standing in the doorway, Julian watched them quietly.
Caden kept looking up at Hester, flashing a bright, gap-toothed smile. His dark eyes sparkled with joy, completely erasing the nightmare of the past few days.
Hester looked back at him with a gaze so incredibly tender, occasionally ruffling his hair and praising his clever moves.
It was a picture of pure, unfiltered warmth—the kind of domestic bliss Julian hadn't dared to dream of for five years.
Ever since that devastating kidnapping, his and Hester’s lives had felt cursed.
Their days had been poisoned by pain and bitter arguments. He had tried everything to pull her out of that nightmare, only to fail time and time again, until he was finally pushed to do the unthinkable...
Julian closed his eyes, forcing down the suffocating wave of agony.
He could only pray that God would grant him this one, impossible wish for a happy ending.
Julian handled the discharge paperwork himself.
When he returned to the room, Fiona had already packed their bags.
"I'll drive you back to the Inn," Julian offered, looking at Hester. "I have to leave right after I drop you off, so thank you for looking after him."
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