Chapter 140

Chapter 140

Ethan Blackwood's POV

Kimber's words were like a blinding light, piercing through the gloom in my heart without warning.

She was right—why was I obsessing over whether Serena loved me at this moment?

As long as she was by my side, as long as I could affect her emotions—even if it was guilt, even if it was gratitude—those were leverage points I could use to break down her defenses. I had the opportunity, and I had time, to transform these feelings into deeper bonds. I'd been the one trapped in a mental dead end.

The furrow in my brow gradually smoothed, and the suffocating tightness in my chest eased a bit.

Just then, the hospital room door was carefully pushed open a crack.

A little head with adorable pigtails peeked timidly through the gap—it was Lily. Her big eyes surveyed the room cautiously. When she spotted me, she flinched like a fawn encountering a hunter, her lashes trembling, but she didn't immediately come in.

"Lily?" Kimber instantly switched to a bright smile. "Come in, come see your dad."

Only then did Lily push the door open and tiptoe inside. I noticed she was clutching something in her small palm—a slightly wilted pink flower. Its petals were curling at the edges. She must have picked it from some patch of grass and held it the whole way here, the warmth of her hand causing it to lose moisture.

She ran to my bedside on her short legs, stopped, and looked up at me.

Her big eyes were filled with worry, clear as a lake, reflecting the harsh white hospital lights.

"Daddy..." she began softly, her voice carrying a hint of strained restraint. "Does it still hurt?"

Then she gently placed the little flower in my uninjured hand, explaining earnestly, "This is for Daddy. With the flower, it won't hurt anymore."

I looked down at the small, wrinkled pink flower lying in my rough palm.

It was pitifully small and pitifully wilted.

But something inside me quietly melted into a puddle at that moment.

With my uninjured hand, I gently tapped Lily's cheek. Her skin was soft like cotton candy, carrying a hint of sun-warmed warmth. "Thank you, Lily. Seeing this flower makes Daddy feel much better."

Lily's eyes lit up, and her courage immediately grew.

She stood on tiptoe, leaning against the bedside, her small hands braced on the mattress. Like a little adult, she sighed and said in an especially solemn tone, "Daddy, don't be scared. Mommy is very worried about you too!"

She scrunched up her little face, trying hard to recall, choosing her words carefully. "Last night, Lily saw Mommy crying in secret. Mommy said it was because Daddy got hurt saving Evan, and Mommy was so, so sad."

I froze.

Serena cried in secret?

I exchanged a glance with Kimber.

Her eyes also showed a moment of shock.

Serena... cried for me?

That Serena who habitually sealed herself behind ice walls no matter what adversity she faced, that Serena who always seemed unruffled in front of me—she actually shed tears for me in a hidden corner?

A surge of warmth rushed to my heart without warning.

Bittersweet feelings mixed with enormous, overwhelming joy, washing away all my previous obsessions and resentment, leaving nothing behind.

So that ice-sealed wall around her heart wasn't impenetrable after all.

The blood I shed, the pain I endured—it had moved something after all.

Just as I was immersed in this epiphany, my phone on the nightstand vibrated urgently, the screen lighting up—the caller ID showed "Harlan," calling for Serena.

I gestured for Kimber to hand it to me.

At that moment, the hospital room door opened and Serena walked in.

She must have heard the phone vibrating. She quickly walked over, took the phone from Kimber's hand, glanced at the caller ID, her expression shifting slightly, and immediately answered.

"Hello? Harlan?"

I couldn't hear what was said on the other end, but I could see Serena's expression suddenly tighten—not ordinary anxiety, but the kind of tension that touched some deep nerve, a flash of hesitation in her eyes as her gaze unconsciously swept toward me.

After hanging up, she said anxiously, "Ethan, there's a problem with the special fox leather that's essential for Crimson Jewelry! Our long-term partner, the only supplier with rights and channels to the source, just suddenly notified us that they won't be supplying us with this year's quota anymore! And their attitude is extremely firm, with no room for negotiation!"

Fox leather was the soul of Crimson Jewelry's gown designs. That special luster and softness were irreplaceable, and the annual production was extremely limited, all monopolized by that supplier.

Without this material, Crimson Jewelry gowns would lose their core distinction and competitive edge!

"What did they say? Did they give a reason? Or offer to raise the price?" I asked.

"No! Just a unilateral notification! I suspect," she paused, then continued, "Crimson Jewelry is being targeted! They struck precisely, cutting off our lifeline! Right now I need to..."

She didn't finish, instead turning her gaze to me lying in the hospital bed.

I knew what she wanted to say. She needed to go to Crimson Jewelry to handle this.

"Don't worry, I'm already..." I was about to tell her not to worry about me.

"Mommy!"

"Mommy!"

Two crisp children's voices exploded from the doorway simultaneously, cutting off my words.

Aiden stepped forward, looking directly at Serena, his voice steady and firm. "Mom, go ahead. We'll take care of Dad."

Evan nodded vigorously, his voice somewhat hoarse from crying but exceptionally determined. "Mom, don't worry! We'll take good care of Dad! I'll pour water for Dad and cut apples! Mission guaranteed!"

Lily also obediently raised her little hand, promising earnestly, "I'll tell Daddy stories! Help Daddy fall asleep!"

Serena's eyes reddened.

Quickly reddened, and just as quickly suppressed, fast as lightning, disappearing in a blink behind her calm expression.

I pushed down the dull ache from my wound and spoke. "Serena, go. The kids are here, plus Kimber and Lucas are watching. I'm fine. As for Crimson Jewelry, if you need help with the supplier—"

"I don't need it. I can handle it myself." She cut me off.

I saw that flash of stubbornness and pride that belonged to her in her eyes, feeling a moment of bitterness in my heart, but even more admiration.

This was her battlefield.

I knew that.

"I'm entrusting the children to you all." She looked at me deeply. That look held something unspoken. Then she touched each of the three children's heads in turn.

"Go get 'em, Mom!" the three children shouted in unison.