Chapter 320

Chapter 320

Lucas withdrew his gaze and looked down at Juliana. "Hungry? I'll get you something to eat."

Juliana shook her head.

After the wedding, David and Chloe's married life was sickeningly sweet. The couple often came to Juliana's apartment for meals. David complained that marriage was a graveyard and he'd already given up, but the way his eyes lit up whenever he looked at Chloe told a different story.

Chloe's temperament had mellowed considerably. She tried making soup, though eight out of ten attempts ended with a scorched pot. Still, David drank every drop and praised her cooking even when it gave him an upset stomach.

Juliana's belly grew day by day. Her due date drew closer.

Lucas cancelled all unnecessary business trips. That investigation network diagram about Blackbird was locked in the deepest drawer of his study.

He seemed determined to make up for all the time he'd failed to spend with Juliana, with interest.

That evening, Juliana had just finished her shower and was about to get into bed when a sharp, pulling pain shot through her lower abdomen.

She let out a muffled groan and grabbed the edge of the bed. A fine sheen of sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.

"What's wrong?" Lucas was heating milk for her. Hearing the sound, he immediately rushed out of the kitchen.

Seeing her pale face, his heart skipped a beat.

"My stomach... it hurts."

Lucas froze completely. For the first time, panic appeared on that face that never changed expression even before a thousand troops.

Two seconds. That's all it took.

He snapped back to himself, swept Juliana up in his arms, and strode toward the door.

"Butler!" he shouted downstairs. "Call an ambulance! Central Hospital! Notify Professor Lynd!"

On the way to the hospital, Juliana was in so much pain she nearly lost consciousness. She only felt her hand being gripped tightly by a large palm.

She wanted to say something comforting but couldn't make a sound.

The hospital was already prepared.

Professor Lee personally oversaw everything. As soon as Juliana arrived, she was wheeled directly into the delivery room.

The red "Surgery in Progress" light came on, bathing the corridor in a bloody glow.

Lucas stood outside that closed door, motionless as a stone statue. He still wore his loungewear, his hair disheveled—a far cry from his usual impeccable image.

David and Chloe rushed over too. Seeing Lucas like this, David wanted to say something, but Chloe held him back.

She shook her head.

After what felt like an eternity, the delivery room door finally opened.

A nurse emerged and removed her mask. "Mr. Sharp, congratulations. Mother and daughter are both safe. It's a girl."

Lucas seemed not to hear, still staring fixedly at that door.

Only after the nurse repeated it did his tense body suddenly relax.

At the corner at the end of the corridor, a figure in a janitor's uniform took it all in.

The person pushed a cleaning cart, only a pair of shadowy eyes visible. Watching the unprecedented look of relief on Lucas's face, the corner of their mouth curved into an eerie smile. Silently, they turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Lucas didn't notice that fleeting shadow.

All his attention was on Juliana in the delivery room.

Juliana was wheeled out. She was very weak, but conscious.

Lucas rushed forward, leaned down, gripped her hand, and pressed a kiss to her sweat-beaded forehead.

"You did so well." His voice was terribly hoarse.

Juliana smiled at him. The smile was pale but peaceful.

A nurse brought over the bundled baby and placed her beside Juliana.

The little one was wrinkled like a little old man, eyes closed, sleeping deeply.

Lucas looked at that tiny life. He reached out his hand, wanting to touch her but afraid of disturbing her. His finger hovered in the air for a long time before carefully, gently touching her cheek.

Soft. Warm.

This was his daughter.

His and Juliana's daughter.

Back in the hospital room, after everything was settled, Lucas sat by the bed, quietly watching mother and daughter.

He looked at Juliana for a while, then at the small baby crib.

"Let's give her a name." Lucas said softly, his gaze tender enough to melt.

Juliana looked out the window. The sky was already showing the pale light of dawn. A new day beginning.

She thought for a moment, then spoke. "Let's call her Skye."

Lucas tasted the name.

Skye.

Skye Sharp.

"Good." He gripped her hand. "Skye it is."

Hope lay in tomorrow.

Postpartum recovery went very well. Juliana recovered faster than expected. Professor Lee's regimen, combined with Iris's five different nutritious meals a day, made Juliana look more filled out. Her once-cool features, softened by motherhood, gained an ineffable warmth.

When Damian came home on break, he'd grown taller. He leaned over the crib, curiously poking Skye's little cheek. "Mom, why is she always sleeping?"

"Because she's growing." Juliana leaned against the headboard.

Lucas had just managed to change Skye's diaper, sweat beading at his temples.

He straightened up and looked at his two sons, one big and one small, by the bed, then at his smiling wife on the bed. That corner of his heart that had been frozen for years melted bit by bit.

That afternoon, Juliana was nursing Skye. Lucas was peeling an apple beside her. Damian was building Legos on the carpet. The apartment was quiet, only small sounds filling the space.

The phone rang then.

It was Milo.

Juliana answered. Before she could speak, she heard a suppressed yet ecstatic, almost incoherent male voice.

"She's awake! Juliana, she's awake!"

Juliana paused. "Who?"

"Kate! Kate!" Milo's voice carried a sob but also laughter. "She opened her eyes! She recognized me! She said my name!"

Juliana held the phone, speechless for a long moment. Lucas stopped peeling the apple, the blade frozen on the peel. He looked up at Juliana.

This news was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly shattering the room's peace.

"We'll... we'll come right away." Juliana came back to herself, her voice dry.

After hanging up, she and Lucas exchanged a glance. There was relief, but more than that, a premonition of gathering storm clouds.

Kate's awakening meant that case forcibly closed now had a crucial witness.

A living witness who'd seen Blackbird's pawns—and the real mastermind behind them.

...

Damian's break ended.

On the first day of school, Juliana insisted on going to see him off. Lucas couldn't dissuade her, so he bundled her in layer after layer, afraid she'd catch even a breath of wind.

Damian wore his new backpack, his little face tight, looking back every three steps, his eyes full of reluctance.

"Alright, big guy, crying isn't cool." Juliana crouched down and straightened his collar.

Damian's mouth drooped. "Mom, I don't want to go to school. I want to play with Skye."

"Skye needs to sleep too. At school, you can play with friends." Lucas lifted him from Juliana's arms, his tone flat but brooking no argument. "Get in the car."

Damian hung his head and shuffled toward the vehicle.

Juliana stood below, waving at Damian through the window.

Just as the school bus door closed and slowly started moving.

Lucas's movements paused.

At the corner newsstand, a man in a gray hoodie was looking down at his phone. When Lucas's gaze landed on him, the man seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up.

Their eyes met briefly in the air.

The next second, the man pulled down his brim, turned, and quickly ducked into a nearby alley, his figure soon disappearing.

The whole thing took maybe three seconds.

But the air around Lucas turned instantly cold.

"He's gone. Let's go back, it's windy out here." Juliana turned and took his arm, not noticing anything unusual.

Lucas hummed and withdrew his gaze, helping her walk back.

Back in the car, he started the engine without a word.

The atmosphere inside was somewhat oppressive.

Juliana looked at his tense profile. The jawline that moments ago had carried gentle warmth had returned to that familiar, cold iron.

"What did you see just now?" she asked softly.

Lucas looked straight ahead. "Nothing. Someone asking for directions."

Juliana didn't press further.

She just reached over and placed her hand on his large, distinct-knuckled one.

His hand was very cold.

"Lucas," she began, her voice soft but clear, "when it was Owen, you pushed me away. Not this time."

Juliana looked at him, each word deliberate.

"I don't know what you're afraid of. But you promised me—we're husband and wife."

"So no matter what's ahead, knives or fire, don't think about shouldering it alone."

She tucked her hand into his palm.

"I'm with you."

Lucas didn't start the car immediately. He turned and looked deeply at her.

Finally, he gripped her hand back, hard. The force was as if he wanted to fuse her into his bones and blood.

This time, there was nowhere left to retreat.