Chapter 159

ARIA

I clutched William's letters in my hands, tears dripping onto the envelopes with his careful handwriting. God, it hurt. A four-year-old shouldn't be writing goodbye letters. My chest ached so bad I couldn't breathe.

"He's so foolish," I choked out. "Why would he do this?"

Blake pulled me against him, his body trembling slightly. We stood in the dim hallway outside our son's room, just two terrified parents facing the unthinkable.

I didn't sleep that night. Every hour, I tiptoed to William's bed, watching him breathe. The medical consent forms for the bone marrow transplant sat on the nightstand, our signatures seeming to shout from the page. Tomorrow, everything would change.

I asked the nurses to bring two temporary beds for Aurora and Ethan. No way was I sending them home tonight.

At 3 AM, I checked William's room again. What I saw stopped me in my tracks. All three kids had squeezed onto William's hospital bed. Aurora curled against him, her small hand clutching his. Ethan lay on William's other side. Three kids huddled together, finding strength in each other.

Morning came with the arrival of the medical team. Aurora stood beside William, her eyes watery but her chin raised.

"I'll be watching you through the window," she told him. "Me and Ethan will stay right there so you can see us whenever you want!"

William smiled at her. "Whenever I don't feel good, seeing Aurora's face always makes me better."

He turned to Ethan. "Take care of Aurora for me? She acts tough but gets scared super easy."

Ethan straightened his shoulders. "I promise. I'll protect both of you."

The nurses came to take William away. He waved goodbye, trying to seem brave, but I caught that flash of fear in his eyes as the isolation chamber door closed.

I pressed my palm against the glass window, my throat burning with unshed tears. My baby was about to go through hell, and I couldn't even hold his hand. Blake stood beside me, our shoulders touching.

"He's stronger than both of us," Blake whispered, his fingers finding mine.

Ten days of hell followed. We barely left the hospital. Olivia turned into our personal chef, bringing different meals daily to keep us going. Blake worked from a makeshift office in the waiting room, canceling board meetings without hesitation.

On the eleventh day, the doctor approached.

"The chemotherapy has successfully eliminated William's white blood cells," he explained. "His immune system is essentially gone now. We're ready to begin the transplant."

Through the window, I watched them connect William to an IV containing Rebecca's harvested stem cells. Just fluid dripping through tubes - so simple yet so crucial.

"The transplant takes about two days," the doctor added. "Then comes the critical rejection period."

That evening, I stood alone at the window. William looked so small against those white sheets, so much thinner than before. Blake appeared with coffee.

"You need to rest," he said, pressing the cup into my hands. "You've barely slept in days."

"I can't," I admitted. "Those letters keep flashing in my mind whenever I close my eyes."

Blake squeezed my shoulder. "This is William's rebirth, not his end."

"He's lost so much weight," I whispered. "His face is all angles now."

Aurora came skipping down the hall with Ethan trailing behind her.

"Mommy! When Willie comes out, I'm giving him ALL my chocolate cake!" Aurora announced, bouncing on her toes. "He'll get fat again! A chubby little piggy!"

Ethan sighed. "Aurora, that's not healthy. William needs nutritious food to recover."

Aurora scrunched her face, thinking hard. "Okay! We'll make healthy snacks AND cake! He still needs to be a chubby piggy!"

Her determination broke through our gloom, making us smile despite everything.

Blake chuckled. "Maybe I should learn to cook healthy stuff too."

"For William?" I asked.

"No, for you." His eyes locked with mine. "You've gotten too skinny."

I punched his arm. "Stop worrying about me."

For a second, we were teenagers again - before everything went wrong. Blake stared at me with an intensity that made my stomach flip.

Rebecca appeared in a hospital gown, looking pale but determined.

"How's the transplant going?" she asked.

I stepped away from Blake, suddenly self-conscious, and hugged Rebecca. "Thank you so much. The doctors say everything's on track."

Rebecca smiled weakly. "Good. The bone marrow collection wasn't terrible. I'm feeling better already."

"After Victoria's incident, I worried something might happen to you too," she confessed, glancing at William through the glass.

Blake's jaw tightened. "They didn't target you because they didn't expect a second donor. This must be Henderson's hidden son working against us."

"Hidden son?" I repeated, caught off guard.

"Yes. Only an illegitimate son would want to destroy me this badly," Blake said. "Using AIDS to infect Victoria so she couldn't donate bone marrow - that's beyond cruel. It's sick."

Rebecca grabbed my hand. "Should I worry about this brother of yours?"

"No," Blake assured her. "He's backed off for now after his plan failed."

I nodded, but internally? I wasn't buying it. Matthew disappearing, Emma going off that cliff - this felt bigger than failed plans. Someone was wrapping a web around all of us.

The next day brought amazing news. William's transplant was complete. He still needed a month in isolation during recovery, but we'd cleared the first hurdle. I sobbed with relief, thanking the doctors over and over.

Richard and Elaine arrived, both red-eyed as they spoke with the medical team. Afterward, they pulled me aside.

"You should rest," I told them. "Go home for a while."

Richard shook his head. "We're not going home. We're catching a flight to Europe in two hours."

"What?" Panic shot through me. "Is something wrong? What aren't you telling me?"

Elaine took my hand. "We're handling Grant family and Nouvelle business matters abroad. The management team can't make certain decisions - they need the CEO and chairman there personally. We'll be back in a few months."

I got it immediately. "You're going in my place because I need to stay with William."

Richard nodded. "He's passed the worst part, but he needs his mother during the rejection period." He looked sad. "We'll probably miss seeing him leave isolation."

"I'll video call you," I promised, tears welling up. "I'll tell William his grandparents gave up their chance to be here so his mom could stay."

Elaine hugged me tight. "Take care of yourself too, not just the kids."

"I will, Mom."

"Mrs. Grant," Blake said solemnly, "I'll take care of Aria too."

Elaine gave us a knowing smile. "Aria, when William recovers and you and Blake decide to remarry, remember to video call us."

"Mom!" My face burned. "Why bring that up? And remarriage? Things don't move that fast!"

"I know you won't rush," Elaine laughed. "But Blake has such hunger in his eyes. He won't wait long to make his move."

Blake didn't deny it. "Mrs. Grant, I promise I'll tell you first if Aria and I reconcile."

Richard's expression hardened. "Three years ago, you used despicable tactics to force my daughter into marriage. Don't you dare try anything underhanded again. You respect Aria's true wishes."

Blake nodded seriously. "I'll never use those methods again. Aria is irreplaceable to me. I won't hurt her again."

My heart pounded at his words. Flustered, I changed the subject. "I want to arrange private security for you in Europe."

Richard refused. "We're just handling routine business. I don't need bodyguards tracking my every move."

"Dad, please," I insisted. "After everything with Blake's family and this hidden son... I can't lose you too." My voice cracked. "Three years ago, I lost Aaron to a drowning accident. I can't go through that again."

Richard exchanged a look with Elaine. "Fine, you're so stubborn. If it makes you feel better, arrange the security."

Blake stepped forward. "I'll send my elite team with them. I'll personally select the best people."

Before leaving, my parents hugged Aurora and Ethan, and waved to William through the glass. Olivia returned with food containers, disappointed to learn they were leaving.

Richard and Elaine embraced Olivia. "Life is short," Richard told her. "Your happiness matters most."

Olivia wiped her eyes, smiling as she hugged them.

They rushed through final goodbyes and headed to the airport, boarding their flight to Europe.

I watched the hospital doors swing shut behind them, feeling suddenly alone.