The car didn't slow.
It cut through the road like nothing behind them mattered.
The estate disappeared.
The gates.
The trees.
The silence.
Gone.
Only the sound of the engine remained.
And Sebastian's breathing.
Uneven.
Too uneven.
Lillian kept one hand in his hair.
The other resting lightly against his chest.
Feeling it.
Monitoring it.
Every rise.
Every fall.
"…Stay with me," she whispered.
He didn't respond.
But he shifted slightly.
Closer.
His face pressed deeper into her stomach.
Like he was searching for warmth without knowing it.
Lillian adjusted her hold instinctively.
"…It's okay," she murmured.
"You're safe."
Chloe glanced back.
Her voice was controlled, but tight.
"We're almost there."
Lillian nodded once.
Didn't look up.
Didn't look away from him.
Then—
Sebastian's body tensed.
Just slightly.
Then—
a cough.
Sharp.
Sudden.
His whole frame jerked with it.
Lillian tightened her hold immediately.
"Sebastian—."
Another cough followed.
Worse.
Deeper.
It sounded painful.
Like it dragged through his chest.
His fingers twitched weakly against her.
Then stilled again.
Lillian's jaw tightened.
"…It hurts, doesn't it," she whispered.
No answer.
But she could feel it.
The strain in his breathing.
The heat in his skin.
The weakness in his body.
Chloe spoke again.
"We're here."
The car slowed.
Then stopped.
The hotel lights were too bright.
Too clean.
Too normal.
Compared to him.
Lillian stepped out first.
Careful.
Slow.
Still holding him.
Chloe moved immediately to the other side.
"On three," she said quietly.
Lillian nodded.
"One—."
"Two—."
"Three."
They lifted him together.
His weight dropped heavier between them.
His arms slipped weakly over their shoulders.
No strength to hold on.
Only instinct.
Chloe adjusted quickly.
"…He's barely conscious."
"I know," Lillian said.
Her voice didn't shake.
But her grip tightened.
They moved inside.
Fast.
The staff barely had time to react.
Chloe didn't stop.
"Private floor," she said sharply.
"Now."
No one argued.
The elevator doors opened.
They stepped in.
The space closed around them.
Too small.
Too quiet.
Sebastian stirred again.
Barely.
A weak breath.
Then—
"…Lillian…"
Her head snapped down.
"I'm here."
His fingers tightened slightly against her.
Not strong.
But there.
"…Don't…" he whispered.
The word broke halfway.
Lillian leaned closer immediately.
"I'm not leaving."
His breathing stuttered.
Then slowed again.
He didn't finish the sentence.
Didn't need to.
The elevator doors opened.
The room was already prepared.
Lights dim.
Bed turned down.
Everything controlled.
Chloe pushed the door open.
"Inside."
They moved quickly.
Carefully.
Lowering him onto the bed.
Lillian didn't let go until the last second.
Even then, her hand stayed on him.
Adjusting.
Supporting his head.
Turning him slightly so he could breathe easier.
"Pillow," she said quietly.
Chloe handed it over.
Lillian slid it under him carefully.
Then paused.
Her hand brushing his face.
Moving his hair back.
And that's when she saw it.
She stilled.
Completely.
A bruise.
Faint.
But unmistakable.
Along his cheek.
Her fingers hovered near it.
Didn't touch.
"…Sebastian…"
Her voice dropped.
Quieter.
Something darker underneath.
"…What happened…"
No answer.
Just his breathing.
Rough.
Uneven.
Chloe noticed the pause.
"What is it?"
Lillian didn't look away.
"…Nothing," she said.
But her voice said otherwise.
Her hand moved gently.
Resting near his face.
Careful not to touch the bruise.
Like she was already protecting it.
Chloe was already on her phone.
Low voice.
Controlled.
"Yes. Now."
A pause.
"No hospital."
Another pause.
"Private. Discreet."
She hung up.
"He's on his way."
Lillian nodded.
Still focused on Sebastian.
She reached for a cloth.
Dampened it.
Pressed it gently to his forehead.
His skin was too hot.
Too warm.
But his hands—
Cold.
She pulled the blanket up around him.
Then added her coat again.
Tucking it around his shoulders.
"…You're freezing," she murmured.
Sebastian shifted again.
Weakly.
Turning toward her.
Closer.
His breathing hitched slightly.
Then—
another cough.
Lillian reacted instantly.
Helping him sit slightly forward.
Supporting him.
"It's okay—."
The cough came harder this time.
Rough.
Painful.
His body shook with it.
Lillian held him steady.
"It's okay… I've got you…"
The coughing slowed.
Then stopped.
But his breathing didn't recover properly.
Still uneven.
Still strained.
She kept her hand against his chest.
Feeling it.
Monitoring.
Counting.
Waiting.
"…You're okay," she repeated softly.
Even if she wasn't sure.
The door opened quietly.
The doctor stepped in.
No hesitation.
No wasted movement.
His eyes went straight to Sebastian.
And his expression changed immediately.
"…How long has he been like this?"
"Too long," Chloe answered.
The doctor moved closer.
Checked his temperature.
His pulse.
Then listened to his chest.
The room stayed silent.
Lillian didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Just watched him.
Every second felt longer.
Then the doctor straightened slightly.
"…He has a severe chest infection."
Lillian's grip tightened.
"He's been left untreated," the doctor continued.
"For days."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
"That's why he's coughing blood."
Lillian looked down at Sebastian.
Her jaw tightened.
"…Will he be okay?"
The doctor paused.
Then—
"He needs immediate treatment."
A beat.
"If this worsens, he'll need hospitalisation."
Lillian nodded once.
"That won't happen," she said quietly.
The doctor didn't argue.
He moved to prepare equipment.
IV.
Medication.
Everything efficient.
Controlled.
Lillian didn't step away.
Not once.
Even as the doctor worked.
Even as Chloe handled everything else.
Her hand stayed in Sebastian's hair.
Slow.
Steady movements.
Grounding.
He stirred again.
Barely.
A weak breath.
"…Lillian…"
She leaned closer instantly.
"I'm here."
His eyes didn't fully open.
But he turned toward her voice.
Instinctively.
"…Don't go back…" he whispered.
Her chest tightened.
"You're not going back," she said softly.
"I won't let them take you."
His breathing hitched.
Then slowed.
Like he believed her.
Even like this.
Time passed.
Quietly.
The worst of it eased.
Slightly.
His breathing still rough.
But steadier.
Less strained.
The doctor stepped back eventually.
"He should rest," he said.
"Stay with him."
"I will."
The doctor nodded.
Then left.
The room fell quiet again.
No more urgency.
Just stillness.
Lillian sat beside him.
One hand still in his hair.
The other resting lightly against his arm.
He shifted slightly in his sleep.
Turning toward her again.
Closer.
Like before.
Seeking warmth.
She adjusted the blanket again.
Careful.
Precise.
Then brushed her fingers lightly through his hair.
Slow.
Reassuring.
"…I've got you," she whispered.
He didn't respond.
But he didn't pull away.
And for the first time since she found him—
His breathing didn't sound like it was fighting him.
Still weak.
Still fragile.
But calmer.
Lillian didn't move.
Didn't look away.
Didn't let go.
Not now.
Not again.
"…You're not going back there," she said quietly.
And this time—
It wasn't just reassurance.
It was a promise.