Chapter 130 The childhood I never had ii

Chapter 130 The childhood I never had ii
Anastasia felt a sudden wave of nostalgia in her chest. Hearing Morgana talk to her about William and, as always, giving her permission to love him felt like a blessing. She looked at her list and realized she had missed out on a lot since childhood.

As she scrolled through the glamorous destinations, her thoughts drifted elsewhere. What she wanted wasn't adventure. It was the childhood she never had. She wanted to feel young again.

“I think I know where I want to go today." She told Morgana.

“Good," Morgana said. “Then I'll take my leave. He will be back soon. We'll continue with the list later.”

Anastasia nodded, smiling as she watched Morgana leave.

\~~~

By the time William returned from Umbra-Hollow, Anastasia had made her decision.

“I want to go to a playground," she announced excitedly the moment he walked through the door.

William stopped in his tracks, his eyes sweeping over her outfit. She had dressed in a pair of denim shorts, a stylish bowtie crop top, and sturdy leather boots.

William frowned slightly, his brows knitting together. “A playground? Anastasia, that is for children. I'm not going to the playground."

“But you said I should think of where I wanted to go."

"I never said a playground,” William said, his frown deepening as he walked toward the couch, and sat rubbing his temple. "Out of all the places you could have chosen, a playground is what you came up with?”

She walked to him standing by his side, and nodded firmly.

“That's not even part of what we discussed before."

“Isn’t it part of that ‘date me like you mean it’ agreement we discussed and you accepted?” Anastasia pouted.

William exhaled. “You know, this is what we call blackmail.” He pulled her to his lap. “A playground is too crowded, and dangerous for you."

"But I've never been to one before.”

He raised his eyebrows. "Really?”

She nodded. "Never. Grandma never allowed me.”

He groaned softly, a sound that was half-annoyed and half-defeated. He looked at her determined face. “You really aren't going to let this go, are you?"

Anastasia shook her head.

He sighed. “Fine," he muttered, though a faint, reluctant softness flickered in his eyes. “We will go."

\~~~

As they walked out of the castle, William dressed in a vintage shirt and black pants, walking side by side with Anastasia. A white Rolls-Royce Phantom parked in front of them, a man got out of it, bowed to William, and walked away. William headed for the passenger door and opened it.

Anastasia looked amused, surprised as she walked toward the car. “We're not taking the one we took out yesterday?"

“No. We are not. Or else how will people know your boyfriend is fifthly rich."

She grinned and got into the car, William closed the door, got behind the wheel, and pulled out of the estate. Anastasia sat in the passenger seat, humming happily. As they drove from the city into a high-end district, a massive, state-of-the-art building caught her attention. It was a sprawling, ultra-modern private hospital, its glass windows gleaming under the daylight. Just as they were passing it, a loud, rhythmic thumping sound echoed through the air. Anastasia leaned forward, pressing her hands against the window as she saw a sleek helicopter descending into the hospital's rooftop helipad.

“Wow," she breathed, her eyes wide. “Look at that helicopter. What is a chopper doing landing on a hospital roof?"

William glanced briefly at the building, his expression perfectly calm as he kept one hand on the steering wheel. “It is an air ambulance. They must have a critical patient being flown in for emergency treatment." His voice was entirely nonchalant as he added, “The hospital actually belongs to the Liam & Group."

Anastasia's jaw dropped. She turned her head so fast toward him that her neck almost popped. “Wait… you own this? The entire hospital belongs to you?”

William gave a casual, single nod. “I do."

Anastasia couldn't close her mouth. She stared back at the towering hospital, completely stunned by the sheer scale of his wealth and influence in the human world. But as she stared at the glass building, a sudden memory flashed in her mind.

She remembered her promise to Lucius. He had made her promise that she would go get a proper medical check-up. Seeing the massive, top-tier hospital right in front of her was the perfect opportunity. Yet, a sudden wave of reluctance and fear washed over her. Her chest tightened, and she froze, staring blankly out the window.

William noticed the shift in her mood and her sudden silence. “What is it?" he asked.

“Nothing," Anastasia lied quickly, shaking her head. She had already answered before she realized what she just did, and she didn't know why she did that.

William didn't buy it. He reached over, wrapping his hand around her hand, squeezing it gently as he drove. “Are you sure? Or do you want to go in there for a full- body medical check-up?

Anastasia let out a nervous, breathless laugh. “A check-up? For me? Do you even believe in that kind of stuff?”

William looked at her seriously. " Why wouldn't I? Before you were a witch, you were a human, Anastasia. Your body still operates within physical limits.” He held her gaze, a knowing smirk touching his lips. " If it surprises you, even the werewolves go for regular medical check-ups to monitor their vitals. Medicine is medicine, regardless of species."

Anastasia went quiet, her throat suddenly feeling very dry. She looked back at the hospital gates drawing closer.

"Do you want to do it?” William asked again, his tone gentle, leaving the choice entirely up to her. "We can turn in right now.”

Anastasia swallowed hard. An inner voice inside her head was screaming at her to say yes. ‘Tell him to drive in. Just tell him to turn the car into the damn hospital and get it over with.’ The urge to find out more about her health was right there, pushing against her lips. But the words simply wouldn't come out. Fear and a stubborn desire to keep pretending everything was fine paralyzed her tongue.

She shook her head, forcing a soft, dismissive smile. “No… It's fine. Grandma and Zevrak are already taking good care of me at the castle with the herbal remedies. That's more than enough.”

William looked at her for a long moment, searching, seeing her insistence, he finally let out a quiet breath. “Okay," he said softly, accelerating past the main gates. “If you change your mind, just tell me."

Anastasia nodded, looking down at her boots. Deep down, a sinking feeling settled in her stomach. The words were lingering on her tongue, but so difficult to speak.