Chapter 268: Going Home

Chapter 268: Going Home

She said it as she headed out, her heels clicking a quick, sharp rhythm on the floor. At the door she stopped, turned, and gave David a look that said everything — watch over her — then pulled the door open and left.

The room went quiet again.

David stood holding Noah, Lily leaned against the headboard. Less than two meters between them, but it felt like a river stretched wide.

Lily's eyes were down, fixed on her hands hidden under the blanket. Hard to tell what she was thinking.

David spoke first.

"Chase," he said.

Lily looked up and met his eyes.

"How's he doing? He's on the floor above us, isn't he? If I bring Noah up, those two would be happy to see each other."

"Yes... but Chase is sick..." Her voice came out soft, barely there, like a feather settling down.

David looked at her. That faint curve at the corner of his mouth appeared again.

The nurse arrived quickly, and Faye came in right behind Olivia.

Faye was carrying a cup of warm milk. When she saw the nurse tending to Lily's wound, she set the milk on the nightstand and leaned in for a closer look.

"Lily, your hand's bleeding again?" Faye's voice was full of worry. "Did it happen when you were holding Noah? That kid, dragging everyone to the hospital in the middle of the night..."

"It's fine, just a little blood." Lily smiled at the nurse and let her clean the wound, put on fresh ointment, and rewrap the bandage.

The antiseptic stung when it touched the cut. Lily bit her lip and didn't make a sound, but her fingers curled tight around the bedsheet without her realizing it.

David stood nearby holding Noah, his gaze resting steadily on Lily's hand.

It wasn't an intense stare — if anything, it was calm. But Lily could feel the weight of it on her skin, solid and grounded, like a hand laid gently over hers.

The nurse finished up, gave a few instructions, and left.

Faye pressed the warm cup into Lily's hands and told her to drink. The heat slid down her throat, and for the first time all night, she felt like she was coming back to life.

"Alright, Faye. David." Lily set down the cup and checked the time. Almost one in the morning. "You should both head home. It's late."

"I'm staying." Olivia's hand shot up like a student answering a question in class. "I'm not leaving you here alone."

"I'll also—" David started, but one look from Lily stopped him.

"Faye, take Noah home with you. He has preschool tomorrow." Lily glanced at the boy asleep in David's arms — out cold, completely unaware of the adults around him. "David, you should go too. Getting dragged to the hospital this late at night, honestly."

David didn't move.

Lily said it again. "Really, both of you go. Olivia will stay with me."

"Yes, yes, exactly," Olivia jumped in, nodding. "I'm staying, I'm staying. You two go get some rest. Lily's got me, don't worry."

Faye glanced at David, and then looked away without saying what was on her mind.

David, once he made up his mind about something, stayed put. But tonight was different — Lily had clearly asked him to leave. Knowing her brother, he'd probably respect that. Right?

David was quiet for a moment, then finally spoke.

"Didn't we just agree I was staying tonight?"

His voice was calm, his tone easy. But the moment the words landed, the whole room seemed to freeze.

Olivia's expression locked up — visibly. Her mouth fell open. She looked at David, then at Lily, eyes wide.

Faye caught on fast. The corner of her mouth pulled up, and she worked hard to keep the smile from going any further.

Lily heard him and felt a wave of helplessness wash over her. She had said don't go home tonight — but she was only being polite, because Noah had fallen asleep. She didn't actually mean it.

And honestly... she admitted her head wasn't fully clear when she said it. But the moment Olivia showed up, she'd already regretted it, which was why she'd quickly walked it back and told everyone to leave.

She hadn't expected David to actually take her at her word.

"About that..." Lily cleared her throat and tried to recover. "What I meant was, if it was too hard to take Noah home..."

"Faye can take him." David said it without blinking.

Faye opened her mouth — she was about to say I never said I was leaving — but David's eyes swept over to her. The message was clear: you're leaving now.

Faye swallowed the words and gave a quick, cooperative nod. "Right, I need to get going. I have a meeting in the morning."

Olivia had watched the whole thing unfold and understood exactly what was happening.

She crossed her arms and looked between David and Lily, the smile spreading wider across her face. This time she'd learned her lesson — no teasing. She just stood there with the expression of someone who knew everything and wasn't saying a word.

"No." Olivia's smile disappeared. Her voice went serious. "David, you need to go."

David looked at her.

Olivia held his gaze and didn't step back.

"Lily is my best friend," she said, her voice quiet but every word deliberate. "I know better than anyone what she's been through, how much she's carried. You said just now that you wouldn't hurt her — and I'm willing to believe you. But right now—" she paused, her eyes dropping to Lily's bandaged hand, "—right now, I'm the only one who can make her feel safe enough to actually rest. With you here, she won't sleep."

Lily's lashes flickered.

Olivia wasn't wrong. If David stayed, she probably wouldn't sleep at all tonight.

Not out of fear. But because her heart was beating too fast — too fast to ignore.

David looked at Olivia for a long moment.

Olivia felt a chill crawl up her spine, but she kept her chin up. Her heart was hammering and her palms were sweating, but she told herself she couldn't back down. For Lily's sake.

"Alright..." Something in David's voice softened — the earlier certainty was gone.

Olivia blinked. She hadn't expected him to give in that easily.

All the arguments she'd lined up got stuck in her throat. For a second, she didn't know what to say.

The room settled into quiet. Olivia climbed into the bed beside Lily.

She sat on the edge, hand over her heart, letting out a long, exaggerated breath.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god—" Three times, voice low but all the shakiness still there. "Lily, did you see the way he looked at me? I genuinely thought he was going to kill me."

Lily leaned back against the headboard, a small smile on her lips. "He's not like that."