I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 349

Sienna didn't reply, continuing to gently pat Maya's back.

"I didn't mean it like that," Silas lowered his voice. "I meant, you understand Maya better than she did."

Sienna's fingers paused on Maya's back for a fraction of a second.

Maya had completely quieted down. Her breathing was even, her small hands gripping the hem of Sienna's shirt—not too tightly, but refusing to let go.

Silas stood up, walked over to her side, and looked down at Maya's face.

The little girl was fast asleep, her mouth slightly parted. There were still tear tracks on her cheeks, but her brow was no longer furrowed.

"Sienna," he called her name.

Sienna looked up.

"I might have handled a lot of things poorly," Silas said, his voice low and unexpectedly gentle. "I'll change. We can get better at this together."

Sienna looked at him, remaining silent.

"When I said in the car that I wanted you to be more affectionate, I was asking for too much," he paused. "I'm guessing you just take longer to warm up to people. I won't make demands anymore. We'll go at your pace, take it slow. I'll give you all the time you need."

Sienna's fingers gently tapped against Maya's back.

She remembered the reason she had agreed to be with Silas in the first place.

It was because Silas made her feel like she finally had a home.

The feeling of having a family was an absolute obsession of hers.

That emotional pull alone outweighed all the career resources and connections he could offer her.

"Okay," she said.

The corners of Silas's mouth twitched. Unable to suppress his joy, he sat down across from her.

Sienna looked at Silas.

"That multi-center research project is too exhausting."

"Then let's put it on hold," Silas agreed quickly. "I'll have someone else take over. How does that sound?"

Sienna nodded.

She had thought about it for a long time. Pushing that research any further was beyond her current capacity. Forcing herself to endure it would only result in poor data and unpublished papers, ultimately wasting resources.

The car drove out of The Hayes Estate and merged onto the main road.

Henry glanced at her through the rearview mirror. Sienna didn't notice; she was looking at the sycamore trees outside the window, their leaves rustling in the wind as shattered sunlight filtered through the gaps.

Upon returning to The Hayes Estate, Henry walked into the study. Silas was sitting behind his desk, empty-handed, simply sitting there in silence.

"You dropped her off?"

"Yes, Boss," Henry stood in front of the desk, his posture rigid.

Silas glanced at him but didn't speak.

Henry had been following Silas ever since his military discharge. He had been around longer than Caspar and held more of Silas's trust.

Later, Silas had promoted him to manage a branch office.

He was only called back because of Caspar's recent blunder.

"You're familiar with Dr. Sterling's situation now. What do you think of her?" Silas looked at him.

"Mr. Hayes, I don't think you need to worry about Dr. Sterling leaving you," Henry said, his voice measured but clear. "She and I come from similar backgrounds. I understand people like her perfectly. She finally managed to secure a powerful man like you; she will absolutely never let go."