The office was silent.
Sebastian sat behind his desk, the glow of his laptop painting sharp shadows across his face.
Papers were scattered everywhere, marked with notes and highlights, but they didn't mean anything anymore.
Not really.
The clock on the wall ticked quietly, but he barely noticed.
The day had passed in a blur.
Calls.
Emails.
Meetings.
Lillian's laughter still echoed in his mind, soft and teasing, and he realized he hadn't smiled at anything else today.
A sudden ring broke the silence.
Sharp.
Insistent.
He glanced at the screen.
Hospital.
His stomach tightened.
He answered immediately.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Wolfe?" The voice on the line was calm, measured, but heavy with something he couldn't ignore.
"…This is Dr. Harwood from St. Mary's. I'm calling about your father. He's deteriorated, Mr. Wolfe. We don't have long. He wishes to speak with you."
The words hit him like a punch to the chest.
Sebastian's hand trembled slightly as he gripped the phone.
"…I… I understand."
His voice was low, almost steady, but there was a weight behind it that made even him pause.
"…I'll visit in a few days. I'll come prepared."
"Very well, sir. We will have him ready for your arrival."
Click.
The line went dead.
Sebastian exhaled slowly.
His eyes wandered across the office, at the screens, at the neatly stacked reports he hadn't touched.
They might as well have been blank pages. Numbers didn't matter.
Deals didn't matter.
Nothing mattered except the words he'd just heard.
He rose from the chair, feeling the tight knot in his chest.
The quiet of the office pressed in on him, heavy and suffocating.
He grabbed his coat, sliding it on almost absentmindedly, and left the office.
The elevator ride down felt longer than usual, each ding echoing louder in his head than it should.
The drive home was quiet.
Too quiet.
The city lights blurred past as he gripped the wheel.
He kept replaying the doctor's words over and over.
He doesn't have long.
He wants to speak with you.
Every memory of his father came rushing back.
The man he had been—the one who had taught him everything about discipline, control, and strategy.
The man he hadn't fully reconciled with yet.
The one he now had only days to face.
By the time Sebastian arrived at the mansion, it was already past midnight.
He opened the front door, stepping inside.
The mansion was quiet, the silence heavy in contrast to the storm of thoughts inside his head.
Then he smelled it.
Food.
Warm, comforting, familiar.
He followed the scent to the kitchen.
A plate sat on the counter, perfectly arranged, with a note propped beside it.
Don't forget to eat.
Love, Lillian.
He smiled faintly.
She wasn't there.
His footsteps echoed as he moved upstairs to the bedroom.
Empty.
Panic prickled at the edges of his mind.
"…Lillian?" His voice was soft, careful.
No response.
He began searching.
The guest rooms.
The hallway.
The study.
All empty.
Finally, in the living room, he saw her.
She was asleep on the couch.
Phone resting on her chest, screen glowing faintly in the dim light.
Sebastian knelt beside her, careful not to wake her.
Her phone was still on.
A half-typed message.
When will you be
He smiled, a warmth spreading through his chest despite the heaviness from the call earlier.
Carefully, he set the phone on the table.
He gently lifted her into his arms.
She stirred, groaning softly, eyes fluttering.
"Shh…" he whispered, pressing a finger to her lips.
"…It's okay."
Upstairs.
To the bedroom.
Every step was careful.
Every movement measured.
He didn't want to wake her, didn't want to break the fragile moment.
He laid her down on the bed, tucking the covers around her.
Her hand found his, soft and unconscious.
"Don't go," she murmured in her sleep, voice barely audible.
Sebastian bent down, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"I'll be right here," he whispered.
"…I'll join you."
He moved to the wardrobe, pulling out pajamas.
Changed quickly.
Returned to the bed.
Lillian immediately snuggled against him.
Warm.
Safe.
Real.
He held her close, feeling her steady breathing.
He let out a long breath, releasing some of the tension from the day.
The panic, the fear, the memory of the call—they all eased slightly in the quiet of their room.
Outside, the night pressed against the windows.
The world was dark, but inside, there was light.
Warmth.
Security.
Love.
Sebastian's mind kept drifting back to his father.
The reality of the visit that was coming.
He knew the type of man his father was. Stern.
Unforgiving.
Controlling.
The conversation he would have was inevitable, unavoidable, and necessary.
But for now, he didn't need to think about it. Not yet.
He tightened his hold on Lillian, feeling her small hand curl around his.
Her lips rested against his chest.
She shifted slightly, sighing softly in her sleep.
He pressed his cheek to the top of her head.
Felt the warmth.
The softness.
The life of the woman he cared for more than anything.
For a moment, he allowed himself to forget everything else.
The mansion was silent.
The storm outside had moved on.
Clouds had shifted, leaving the night clear.
But inside, the storm in his chest was quieted, if only temporarily.
Sebastian thought about the meals she had prepared.
The notes she left for him.
The small ways she cared for him that he often overlooked in the rush of life, of work, of obligations.
He felt a pang of guilt for letting so much time pass without noticing it.
Without noticing her.
Yet, here she was.
Safe.
In his arms.
He exhaled slowly, allowing himself to just be.
Minutes passed.
Hours, perhaps.
Time was meaningless in the quiet of the bedroom.
Finally, he spoke softly.
"…Lillian."
A small stir, but she didn't wake fully.
"…Hmm?"
"I'll be here," he whispered.
"…No matter what."
A soft shift, a small tightening of her hand around his, and then nothing.
Just the steady rhythm of her breathing against his chest.
Sebastian allowed himself to think, to feel, to process.
The reality of the hospital call, of his father, of the time slipping away—it was all waiting for him.
But it could wait.
Not tonight.
Tonight, there was only her.
Only this.
Only the quiet safety of the room and the warmth of her body pressed against his.
He pressed a soft kiss to her hair.
"…Sleep, Lillian. Sleep. I've got you."
She murmured something incoherent, a small smile touching her lips even in sleep.
He let himself smile too, small and genuine.
Tomorrow would bring the weight, the responsibility, the conversation with his father.
But tonight, it didn't matter.
Tonight, he could be simply Sebastian Wolfe.
Simply the man she trusted.
Simply the man who would hold her, protect her, and be with her no matter what.
The mansion outside was quiet.
The night stretched long and gentle.
And inside, in the warmth of the bedroom, Sebastian Wolfe held Lillian close, letting the world wait.