Sophia's fingertips lightly traced the bandage on Ethan's temple. "Does it still hurt? Any dizziness?"

The pain was excruciating.

Surviving a high-speed car crash was nothing short of a miracle.

But he simply took her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. "It won't hurt if you kiss it."

Sophia chuckled.

She leaned down and brushed her lips against his twice.

Before she could pull away, his hand cradled the back of her neck.

"Say you love me," he murmured, his voice rough with a hint of pleading.

Her ears burned.

She had always been reserved—those three words still made her shy.

But seeing the expectation in his eyes, her heart softened.

Leaning close to his ear, she whispered "I love you" over a dozen times in one breath.

Ethan still wasn't satisfied. "Say it every day from now on."

"Fine, fine. I'll tell you every day," Sophia relented with a sigh.

Raised by strict grandparents and a blunt adoptive mother, she had never been comfortable with overt affection.

Yet Ethan thrived on it.

"Oh," she suddenly remembered, "your mother is here too. She fainted from the shock. I should let her know you're awake."

As she moved to stand, Ethan caught her wrist.

"Stay a little longer." He buried his face in the curve of her neck.

They stayed like that for over ten minutes.

By the time Sophia finally made it to Audrey, the older woman had just regained consciousness.

"Ethan's awake!" The moment she heard, Audrey leapt from the hospital bed.

In the private ward, Ethan sat propped against the headboard.

The injuries to his temple and his slinged arm left him looking battered.

But his eyes remained as cool and composed as ever.

"You reckless boy!" Audrey rushed forward and pulled him into a tight embrace, tears streaming down her face. "You scared me half to death!"

Ethan stiffened. "Audrey, mind your dignity."

"Dignity my foot!" She cupped his face, inspecting every inch. "If anything happened to you, I wouldn't want to live either."

Ethan scoffed. "The devil found me too troublesome to keep."

The quip made Audrey laugh through her tears.

She pinched his cheeks mercilessly until his expression darkened.

Watching the mother and son bicker, Sophia felt a pang of envy.

This was what a normal family looked like.

"It's my fault," she said guiltily. "If you hadn't been coming to see me—"

"Don't be silly," Audrey cut her off. "It was an accident. Not your doing."

Sophia's nose stung.

If it had been Willow, she would have torn into her without hesitation.

She would never forget the day Willow chased her down three streets with a cleaver when she was ten.

How could someone as kind as Audrey have ended up married to Victor?

For the first time, Sophia wished she could find her mother-in-law a better husband.

The next morning, Vincent arrived with flowers and gifts.

Audrey was feeding Ethan porridge—one reluctant, the other thoroughly amused.

"Feeling better?" Vincent asked gently.

Ethan gave a slight nod. "Thank you for your concern."

Audrey turned, her expression shifting imperceptibly at the sight of Vincent.

After exchanging polite pleasantries, she offered to walk him out when he prepared to leave.

Their conversation about Ethan and Sophia's well-being seemed casual enough.

But once they reached a quiet corner of the hospital entrance, Audrey fell silent.

After a long pause, she asked softly, "How is... Vincent Senior?"

Vincent smiled. "He's well. When he heard about Ethan's accident, he insisted I check in."

He hesitated. "It's been years since my sister-in-law passed, but he's remained single. The family pushes him to remarry, but he always refuses."

Audrey's fingers trembled.

Had her parents not objected all those years ago, she should have married Vincent Senior.

But youth lacked conviction—one misstep led to another.

"It's all in the past," she murmured, unable to mask the regret in her voice.

Nearby, Victor sat in his car, face stormy.

Watching his wife linger with Vincent, his knuckles cracked under the force of his clenched fists.

This was an affair, plain and simple.