Chapter 185 ***

Chapter 185 ***

Maria Styles

Flashback

The hospital corridor feels strangely quiet around me. People walk past in both directions, nurses pushing carts, doctors speaking in low voices, families waiting outside different wards, yet none of it reaches me properly.

Everything around me feels distant, as though I'm watching the world through thick glass. Joseph stays behind to complete the necessary paperwork while I wander aimlessly, unable to remain inside the room any longer. My legs carry me outside before my mind even realizes where I'm going.

I eventually find myself overlooking the hospital garden.

The afternoon breeze is gentle, carrying the scent of freshly watered flowers across the small courtyard below. Families sit together on benches while children run around without a care in the world. The sight only reminds me of everything that has changed today.

My knees slowly give way beneath me until I'm sitting on the ground beside the low wall, staring blankly ahead as silent tears continue slipping down my face.

I don't know how long I will remain there.

The sound of approaching footsteps eventually pulls me from my thoughts. I hurriedly wipe at my eyes, embarrassed to be caught crying, before looking up. Standing a few feet away is a young boy who cannot be older than eight or nine.

His clothes are neat, but there are fresh bandages around one arm, several scratches across his face, and bruises visible above his collar. Without saying a word, he quietly holds out a neatly folded handkerchief toward me.

I blink in surprise before accepting it.

"Thank you," I whisper softly.

The boy simply nods.

I dab at my eyes before returning the handkerchief, but he shakes his head, silently telling me to keep it. Only then do I study him properly. Despite how young he is, there is something unusually guarded about him.

His expression is calm, almost distant, carrying a seriousness no child should have. It makes me wonder what kind of life could leave such a look on someone so small.

"What brings you to the hospital?" I ask gently.

For a moment, I think he won't answer. He stares toward the garden before finally speaking in a quiet voice.

"I was in an accident."

I glance at the bandages again and nod with understanding.

"I'm sorry."

He shrugs as though it no longer matters. A brief silence settles between us before he looks back at me.

"What about you?"

The simple question catches me off guard. A sad smile finds its way onto my face despite everything.

"I... lost my little boy today. Barely two hours ago, actually."

The words leave my mouth quietly, yet saying them aloud somehow makes them feel even heavier. Fresh tears blur my vision again before I quickly lower my head. I don't want to cry in front of a child, but I can't seem to stop the tears.

The boy remains silent for several seconds. Then, to my surprise, he walks a little closer and gently pats my shoulder with his small hand. His actions warm me inside in a way that I can't explain.

"I lost my mum too. A few years ago," he says.

I slowly look up at him. He isn't crying. He simply says it like someone who has learned to carry pain long before he should have to. All of a sudden, I feel embarrassed that I'm crying when a child like this can openly talk about his loss like that.

"The doctors said she was sick," he continues. "I heard them talking once. They said it was cancer."

My heart aches for him. Here we are, two strangers sitting outside the same hospital, both carrying losses far greater than either of us deserves. No loss greater than the other.

"What is your name?" I ask softly.

He looks at me before answering.

"Liam."

He pauses briefly.

"Liam Burton."

The surname immediately catches my attention. I vaguely remember seeing it on the television only days earlier. A wealthy family. A funeral. Reporters standing outside a large estate discussing the tragic loss of the Burton family's young heir.

I never pay much attention to the details at the time, but now I find myself wondering what story lies behind the quiet little boy sitting beside me. Is he the heir that apparently died?

Liam notices my expression but says nothing about it. Instead, he looks toward the sky with surprising calm.

"You don't have to be sad forever," he says quietly.

I swallow against the lump in my throat. My first words of comfort are coming from a child. How ironic is the situation? He continues in the same innocent voice.

"My mum is probably looking after your son now. At least she has a son there, and he has a mother there now. I heard Heaven is a really great place. Although I don’t know why God decides to take people early."

For a moment, I simply stare at him. The words are so simple, spoken with the kind of sincerity only a child can have, that they slip straight past every wall I have been trying to build around my heart. My composure crumbles completely.

A sob escapes my lips.

Before I can stop myself, I lean forward and gently pull the little boy into a hug, holding him close as tears stream freely down my face.

He doesn't pull away. He simply stands there quietly, allowing me to cry.

And somehow, for the first time that day, I don't feel completely alone.