Chapter 193: ***

Avery Rose

The room felt brighter than it had in days. Morning sunlight poured through the large windows, warming the private hospital room with a comforting glow that almost made everything feel normal again. Ethan still lay peacefully asleep, his breathing steady, while Maria and I sat on the sofa beside the bed scrolling through baby nursery ideas on my phone.

Every now and then, we would stop on a picture we liked, laughing over tiny details that somehow felt incredibly important now that the worst seemed to be behind us.

"I think this one is adorable," Maria said, enlarging a picture of a nursery painted in soft sage green with little woodland animals decorating the walls.

"It's calming and not too overwhelming."

I nodded thoughtfully before swiping to another picture with cream-colored furniture and cloud-shaped lights hanging from the ceiling. We spent several minutes comparing colors, curtains, cribs, rocking chairs, and tiny stuffed animals, carefully imagining what our baby's first room would eventually look like. I glanced toward Ethan, who remained peacefully asleep, and smiled to myself.

"You'd better hurry up and wake up," I teased softly as I reached over to squeeze his hand. "At this rate, your opinion won't count anymore. Mother and I are making all the decisions." Maria burst into laughter, shaking her head as she leaned back comfortably in her chair.

"He's going to complain that the two of us bullied him into accepting whatever we choose," she joked, making me laugh even harder.

Just then, Maria’s phone began ringing.

She glanced at the screen and immediately answered.

"Honey?"

I couldn't hear everything from where I sat, but I recognized the excitement that gradually spread across her face as she listened. Her expression changed from careful concentration to visible relief within seconds.

"You caught Truman?" she asked. "Good, I’ll meet you there.” Tears instantly filled my eyes.

I turned back toward Ethan and carefully wrapped both of my hands around his.

"Did you hear that?" I whispered, smiling through my tears.

"It's finally over. We don't have to look for that monster. You can wake up now. Everything is going to be alright."

The words had barely left my lips when I felt it.

A faint squeeze, so slight that I wondered if I had imagined it. I froze completely. Slowly, I looked down at our joined hands.

There it was again.

Another gentle squeeze.

My heart practically stopped.

"Ethan?" I whispered shakily.

His fingers curled weakly around mine once more.

I shot to my feet so quickly that the chair scraped loudly across the floor.

Maria immediately looked over.

"He squeezed my hand," I breathed.

"He squeezed my hand!"

Both of us turned toward the bed at exactly the same moment.

Ethan's eyelashes fluttered gently before his eyes slowly began opening. They were unfocused at first, adjusting to the light, but gradually they settled on my face.

His expression was tired, and faint bruises were still visible around his jaw, yet the familiar warmth in his eyes hadn't disappeared.

For several long seconds, neither of us spoke.

I simply stared at him, unable to believe he was finally awake.

Maria let out the loudest squeal I had ever heard from her. Into the phone she was still holding, she exclaimed excitedly, "Jacob! Ethan's awake!"

Without waiting for another response, she hurried toward the hallway.

"I'm getting the doctor!"

The door swung shut behind her, leaving Ethan and me alone.

I immediately moved closer to the bed.

"Ethan," I whispered.

He smiled faintly.

"Hi."

His voice was hoarse from disuse, but hearing it almost made my knees give way.

"Are you alright?"

I asked quickly.

"Are you in pain?

Does anything hurt?

Should I call the doctor back first?

Do you feel dizzy?"

He chuckled weakly despite himself.

"So many questions."

I laughed through my tears.

"I've been worried."

"I know."

He slowly lifted his hand and gently brushed his thumb against mine.

"I'm okay."

His eyes moved slowly over my face before settling on my stomach.

"And you?"

I nodded immediately.

"I'm fine. The baby's fine."

His shoulders visibly relaxed.

"Good. I was more worried about the two of you than myself."

Fresh tears escaped before I could stop them.

Without thinking, I leaned down and pressed my lips gently against his.

It was meant to be a brief kiss.

Instead, Ethan smiled against my lips before carefully cupping the side of my face and pulling me a little closer. The kiss deepened just enough to remind me that despite everything we'd endured, he was still here. When we finally pulled apart, we rested our foreheads together, both smiling through damp eyes.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you more," he answered softly.

"You almost scared me to death."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't ever do that again."

"I'll try."

Before either of us could say anything else, the door opened once more.

Maria returned with the doctor and two nurses.

The doctor quickly performed several routine checks, asking Ethan simple questions to assess his awareness and responsiveness.

Ethan answered each one patiently despite still looking exhausted, earning a satisfied nod from the doctor. After explaining that his recovery was progressing well but that he needed plenty of rest, the medical staff quietly excused themselves, leaving the three of us alone again.

Maria stepped closer to the bed.

Ethan looked up at her and smiled warmly.

"Mom."

She tried very hard to maintain a stern expression.

"You certainly know how to frighten people."

"I know."

"You owe all of us an apology."

"I know."

"You especially owe me one."

"I definitely know."

Her attempt at glaring lasted barely two seconds before she sighed and leaned forward to hug him carefully.

She wrapped her arms around him with incredible gentleness, mindful of his injuries.

"You foolish boy," she whispered.

"You scared me. I thought..."

Her voice caught.

"I thought I was going to lose my baby again."

Ethan hugged her back as best he could.

"I'm sorry, Mom."

She stroked his hair affectionately before kissing his forehead.

"As long as you're back, that's all that matters."

When she finally pulled away, her smile returned.

"Your father wanted me to tell you that he has Truman."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

Maria nodded proudly. A slow grin spread across Ethan's face.

"I already feel better."

Maria folded her arms knowingly.

"Oh?"

"I can think of one thing that would make me feel even better."

She immediately shook her head with an amused smile.

"Don't even finish that sentence."

I looked between them curiously.

"What is it?"

Mother laughed.

"He probably wants to go and personally give Truman a piece of his mind."

Ethan tried his best to look innocent.

"I wasn't going to phrase it exactly like that."

I gasped dramatically before giving his uninjured arm a gentle, playful tap.

"You've been awake for less than fifteen minutes, and you're already thinking about murder?"

He laughed softly, though the movement clearly tired him.

"I'm joking."

"You'd better be."

"I am."

I squeezed his hand once more and smiled.

"No more revenge."

He looked into my eyes for several quiet seconds before nodding.

"No more revenge. Our family comes first."

I smiled through happy tears.

For the first time since this nightmare had begun, I finally believed those words.