Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Serena's POV

The top-floor VIP ward of Manhattan's finest private hospital was dimly lit, only a single amber wall sconce casting soft shadows across the room.

I'd just finished a lengthy call with the legal team and set my phone down. Exhaustion washed over me like a tide rising from somewhere deep behind my eyes.

Even with Robert's intervention, I couldn't afford to be complacent about the BioNova Labs situation. This lawsuit was one we absolutely could not lose—I knew full well that suppliers were watching from the shadows, and if Crimson Jewelry lost this case, I'd face a cascade of contract cancellations. For Crimson's future, this battle had to be won.

"Serena."

Ethan's voice cut through the silence of the hospital room.

I looked up and met his gaze—those dark, fathomless eyes. His stare was focused, carrying something undisguised that I couldn't quite name. All I knew was that it felt too direct, making me vaguely uncomfortable.

"The BioNova Labs matter—let me handle it." His tone was a statement, not a suggestion.

I avoided his eyes, turning toward the heavy Manhattan night beyond the window. "I told you, Crimson Jewelry's affairs are mine to resolve."

"Serena..." He spoke again, his voice carrying a note of something I couldn't quite catch.

I didn't respond, my brow furrowing slightly as my mind continued churning through strategies.

Then—

Something lightly hooked my pinky finger.

My body went rigid.

It was a finger—warm, tentatively hooking around my pinky where it rested on my knee.

I whipped my head around.

Ethan was looking at me, and on that usually stern face, he was now attempting to make an expression that took me half a second to recognize.

Pitiful.

He was trying to look pitiful.

His deep eyes widened slightly, as if deliberately mimicking some kind of innocent expression. His voice dropped low and soft, carrying a husky magnetism yet somehow radiating an incongruous, wheedling quality:

"Serena, my wound really hurts. Without you here, I can't sleep." As he spoke, the finger hooked around my pinky gave a gentle shake. "Don't shoulder everything alone. Let me help you, okay? Just a little bit."

I was completely stunned.

My mind went utterly blank for a split second—and then an image crashed in without warning: Lily clutching her little bunny plush, gazing up at me with big, dewy eyes, softly calling "Mommy."

It was the exact same expression.

I looked down at the finger hooked around mine, at a loss for words.

Something lightly scratched at the tip of my heart, leaving it sour and soft and inexplicably tender.

The cold, rigid barrier I'd been maintaining cracked open in that moment—not because he'd said anything persuasive, but because this clumsy, almost absurd display of helplessness made it impossible for me to maintain my serious expression.

"Ethan, you..." My voice caught in my throat. I wanted to tell him he was being ridiculous, wanted to pull my hand away, but faced with those earnestly pitiful eyes, the words simply wouldn't come.

I sighed helplessly, hearing the surrender in my own voice that I hadn't even noticed: "Do whatever you want, just don't make things harder for me."

The moment the words left my mouth, I realized how utterly lacking in conviction they sounded.

Ethan's eyes lit up instantly.

I felt the finger hooked around my pinky tighten, his warm palm slowly covering mine, trying to envelop my entire hand.

My heartbeat inexplicably quickened. I instinctively lowered my lashes, unable to tell if I was trying to hide or something else—

"What time is it?"

From the caregiver's couch in the corner of the room, a drowsy mumble exploded into the air.

I shot upright, reflexively yanking my hand back.

Kimber rubbed her eyes and sat up groggily, blinking sleepily toward the hospital bed. "Ethan? Serena? You're still awake? What are you two talking about?"

Her voice stopped.

I knew she'd seen.

Heat flooded my face in an instant, spreading all the way to my ears. The mortification of being caught made me feel like I could barely stand. I didn't dare look at either Ethan or Kimber. I bolted to my feet, the chair legs scraping across the floor with a harsh screech.

"I still have work at the office! I'm leaving!"

I grabbed my bag and practically fled the hospital room.

In the hallway, the smell of disinfectant hit me full force, and the harsh white fluorescent lights stung my eyes.

I walked quickly, my mind in complete disarray.

It wasn't until I stepped into the elevator and leaned against the cool metal wall that I realized—

My heart still hadn't settled.