Chapter 234 Only a Dream

Chapter 234: Chapter 234 Only a Dream

After the tests were done, Serena drove to her parents’ house with one hand pressed against her lower abdomen.

The emergency doctor told her the hospital would contact her once the remaining lab results were available.

The moment Robert and Jennifer saw her step through the front door, pale and hunched over, they froze.

Robert rushed toward her. "Did your grandfather find out about the baby?"

Serena blinked.

"Did he send you here to get rid of it?" Robert’s voice cracked. "God, Serena. Why would you go through something like that alone?"

"I knew it." Jennifer grabbed a knitted blanket from the sofa and wrapped it around her daughter’s shoulders. Then she hurried to pull the curtains shut. "That man would sacrifice anyone to protect his reputation. Even his own granddaughter."

Robert looked at Serena’s pale face. The fear in her eyes cut him deeply, but his voice dropped.

"Maybe... maybe it would be easier for everyone if the pregnancy didn’t continue."

Serena stared at him as if he had just offered her something rotten.

"Mom. Dad. I didn’t terminate the pregnancy." Her voice shook with disbelief. "I’m having cramps. That’s all."

Both of them went silent.

Then they crowded around her at once.

"What kind of pain?"

"How long has it been going on?"

"Did you see a doctor?"

"Are you bleeding?"

"Enough," Serena snapped weakly. "The ER doctor said it was probably stress."

Jennifer guided her to the couch. "Probably? What kind of answer is that?"

"Nothing was seriously wrong with the baby." Serena sank down beneath the blanket. "Grandfather threw me out."

Her parents exchanged a worried look.

Serena kept quiet about the lawsuit.

She could not bring herself to say the number out loud. One hundred and eighteen million dollars.

--

At the same time, Eira and Alpha Killian joined Susan on a short video call from Sam’s hospital room.

Eira sat beside the bed, keeping one hand wrapped around Sam’s. Alpha Killian stood behind her, silent and watchful.

"What if they appeal?" Eira asked. "Or ask the court to force mediation?"

Susan smiled from the screen.

"Eira, breathe. We built the case with that exact problem in mind. The evidence is already organized, authenticated, and ready to file. We’re requesting emergency relief and moving to block any attempt to delay the matter through mediation."

"So they can’t drag this out?"

"They can try," Susan said. "But they won’t get much room to maneuver. The moment the court sees the medical records, the caregiver’s statements, and the school’s failures, their options shrink fast."

Eira glanced at Alpha Killian. He looked completely calm.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. You’re enjoying this."

"Am I wrong?"

"No." A tired smile touched her mouth. "You’re dead-on."

Susan nodded. "Then let’s keep it that way. I’ll file the remaining documents tonight and be there first thing in the morning."

The call ended shortly afterward.

It was well past midnight. Eira planned to stay with Sam, and Kate refused to leave her alone. Sam only relaxed when Eira was near him, and Kate was not about to let her friend spend the night in a hospital by herself.

Alpha Killian and Barry headed back to the hotel. The lobby smelled of burnt coffee and industrial floor cleaner.

Barry took one look at Alpha Killian’s exhausted face.

"Go shower. Get some sleep."

"I’m fine."

"Sure you are." Barry grabbed the room key from him. "You’ll be useless tomorrow if you pass out in the hallway. Eira and Kate aren’t getting any real rest in that room either."

For once, Alpha Killian did not argue.

He showered and went straight to bed.

He woke at four in the morning.

The winter sky outside was still black. The image of Eira curled up on a narrow hospital cot came back to him. He washed, dressed, and drove back to the hospital.

Inside the room, Eira was trapped in a nightmare.

Sam was wheeled past her and Alpha Killian, covered in blood. His skin was gray. He was not breathing.

Eira reached for him and tried to scream his name.

No sound came out.

She clawed at her throat, forcing air through her lungs, but her voice was gone.

Alpha Killian caught her as her knees gave way. He pulled her against him and kept saying her name.

She pounded against his back, tears pouring into her mouth.

The gurney carrying Sam rolled toward the morgue.

"Eira. Wake up."

Alpha Killian had just entered the room. He found her thrashing beneath the blanket, her face wet with tears.

Kate was awake too, standing anxiously near the window.

He leaned over Eira and brushed his fingers across her cheek.

"Eira. Come on. Wake up."

Her eyes flew open.

For one terrible second, she could not tell the dream from reality. Then she saw Alpha Killian standing over her, exactly as he had in the nightmare.

She lunged forward and wrapped both arms around him.

"Killian!"

Her voice worked.