Morning sunlight spilled softly through the massive windows of the Wolfe mansion.
The rain from the night before had finally stopped.
Everything felt quieter today.
Calmer.
Lillian woke slowly beneath the blankets, still half asleep at first.
Then she felt warmth beside her.
Sebastian.
Her eyes opened properly.
Sebastian was still asleep beside her, one arm wrapped loosely around her waist while his head rested against her shoulder.
Even asleep, he stayed close to her now.
Like some part of him feared waking up alone.
Lillian's expression softened immediately.
Carefully, she brushed her fingers through his dark hair.
Sebastian shifted slightly at the touch.
Not waking.
Just unconsciously moving closer.
Lillian smiled faintly.
Then quietly checked his temperature with the back of her hand against his forehead.
Better.
Much better.
Still warm.
But no longer feverish.
Relief settled softly in her chest.
For a moment, she simply watched him.
The sharpness usually present in Sebastian's face disappeared completely when he slept peacefully.
He looked younger somehow.
Softer.
More vulnerable.
Then slowly, Chloe's words from earlier that week returned to her mind again.
"Sebastian is definitely in love with you."
Lillian looked down at him quietly.
Because honestly—
she knew that.
She saw it constantly.
In the way he held her.
Trusted her.
Needed her.
In every silent action.
Every quiet touch.
Every glance.
And still—
something inside her continued aching anyway.
Because he never said it.
Sebastian stirred slightly again before slowly opening his eyes.
For a second he looked disoriented.
Then he saw her.
And immediately relaxed.
"Morning," Lillian whispered softly.
Sebastian's voice was still rough from sleep.
"…Morning."
He didn't move away from her.
Instead, his arm tightened slightly around her waist.
Lillian smiled faintly.
"You're clingy lately."
Sebastian closed his eyes briefly.
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It's not."
Not even slightly.
Eventually, they got out of bed and headed downstairs.
Breakfast was already prepared by the staff.
Caroline and Thomas were seated at the dining table by the time Lillian and Sebastian entered.
Caroline immediately smiled warmly.
"Good morning."
Lillian smiled back.
"Morning."
Thomas looked toward Sebastian carefully.
"How are you feeling today?"
Sebastian sat down beside Lillian before answering calmly.
"Better."
"You still look pale," Caroline said immediately.
Sebastian looked slightly caught off guard by the comment.
Like he still wasn't used to someone openly worrying about him.
"I'm alright."
Caroline gave him the exact same look Lillian usually gave him.
"You don't sound convincing either."
Lillian nearly smiled seeing Sebastian visibly lose against maternal concern within seconds.
Sebastian quietly took a sip of coffee instead of answering.
Thomas hid amusement behind his cup.
Breakfast continued peacefully after that.
Mostly light conversation.
Thomas discussed a few business topics with Sebastian while Caroline occasionally reminded Sebastian to eat more.
Surprisingly—
Sebastian listened.
Not without slight reluctance.
But still.
Lillian noticed it immediately.
And so did her parents.
After breakfast, Thomas stepped outside briefly to answer a phone call while Sebastian received a call from one of his executives and moved toward his office downstairs to handle it.
That left Lillian and Caroline alone in the kitchen.
Caroline quietly poured herself another cup of tea before glancing toward her daughter.
"You look tired."
Lillian leaned lightly against the counter.
"I'm fine."
"Mhm."
Lillian smiled faintly.
"You sound like Chloe."
"That should concern you."
Lillian laughed quietly under her breath.
Then silence settled softly between them for a moment.
Until Caroline finally spoke again.
"…Lillian."
Something in her tone made Lillian look up immediately.
Caroline hesitated briefly.
Then quietly admitted:
"I heard him last night."
Lillian froze.
Immediately.
Her chest tightened.
Caroline softened instantly seeing the reaction.
"I wasn't trying to listen," she said gently.
"I woke up for water."
Lillian looked down briefly.
Because suddenly she felt protective.
Not of herself.
Of Sebastian.
Caroline noticed immediately.
"I'm not judging him."
Lillian stayed quiet.
"I was worried," Caroline continued softly.
Silence.
Then finally, Lillian exhaled quietly.
"…He's been having nightmares every night."
Caroline's expression softened further.
"About what?"
Lillian hesitated.
Because Sebastian hated people knowing things about him.
Especially weakness.
Especially fear.
But this was her mother.
And after what Caroline saw last night—
hiding everything suddenly felt pointless.
Lillian lowered her eyes slightly.
"…He went back to the estate he grew up in."
Caroline frowned slightly.
"The Wolfe estate?"
Lillian nodded once.
"He… hadn't been there in years."
Something in her voice already told Caroline the place carried terrible memories.
Lillian swallowed quietly before continuing.
"He was locked in a room there for days."
Caroline's expression changed immediately.
"What?"
Lillian's jaw tightened slightly.
"He got really sick."
That was still the gentlest version of the truth.
And even that sounded horrifying aloud.
Caroline stared at her daughter in disbelief.
"Locked in a room?"
Lillian nodded again slowly.
"He already had trauma from growing up there."
Caroline went very still.
Then quietly—
"…Trauma?"
Lillian looked down at the counter.
Her voice softened.
"I've never seen someone so afraid before."
Those words settled heavily between them.
Because Sebastian Wolfe never looked afraid.
Not publicly.
Not professionally.
Not ever.
Yet Lillian sounded genuinely shaken even now remembering it.
"He thought I was someone else at first," Lillian admitted quietly.
Caroline frowned softly.
"What do you mean?"
"He was hallucinating from the fever."
Lillian's chest tightened painfully at the memory.
"He thought I was his stepmother Charlotte."
Caroline immediately understood from the way Lillian said the name.
Not confusion.
Fear.
Real fear.
Lillian's eyes lowered slightly.
"He was terrified of her."
Silence filled the kitchen.
Heavy.
Heartbreaking.
Then softly, Caroline whispered:
"Oh, sweetheart…"
Not directed at Lillian.
At Sebastian.
And somehow that hurt Lillian's heart even more.
Because almost nobody reacted to Sebastian with gentleness first.
Most people reacted to his power.
His reputation.
His control.
Not this.
Caroline stepped closer slowly.
"That poor boy."
Lillian looked away quickly.
Because hearing someone say that aloud nearly made her emotional.
Caroline's voice stayed gentle.
"And you've been taking care of him through all of this?"
Lillian nodded quietly.
"He doesn't really sleep unless I'm there."
Caroline remembered the way Sebastian calmed almost immediately once Lillian held him last night.
Like her presence alone grounded him.
"He trusts you completely," Caroline said softly.
Lillian's expression softened immediately.
"I know."
And she did know that.
Without question.
Sebastian trusted her more than anyone else in the world.
Maybe more than himself.
Caroline studied her daughter carefully for a moment.
Then gently asked:
"You know he loves you, right?"
Lillian went quiet.
Because yes.
She did know.
At least logically.
Emotionally though—
it felt more complicated lately.
After a long silence, Lillian finally answered softly:
"I know."
Then quieter—
"…I just wish he'd say it sometimes."
Caroline's expression softened immediately.
Not judgmental.
Not dismissive.
Understanding.
"That doesn't make you selfish."
Lillian looked down.
"Sometimes I feel selfish."
"You shouldn't."
Caroline stepped closer.
"Lillian, some people grow up hearing love constantly."
Her voice stayed soft.
"Others grow up learning vulnerability is dangerous."
Lillian's chest tightened slightly.
Because that sounded exactly like Sebastian.
Caroline gently touched her daughter's arm.
"You can understand why he struggles and still want reassurance too."
That hit something deep inside Lillian immediately.
Because nobody had phrased it like that before.
Usually it felt like:
either Sebastian's trauma mattered or
her feelings mattered
But Caroline somehow made space for both.
"He shows it constantly," Caroline continued softly.
"I can see that clearly."
Lillian smiled faintly.
"…Yeah."
"But wanting to hear it is human too."
Silence.
Then softly, Lillian admitted:
"I think he physically doesn't know how."
Neither of them noticed the quiet figure standing just outside the kitchen entrance.
Sebastian.
He had returned halfway through the conversation.
And accidentally heard the final words.
"I just wish he'd say it sometimes."
He stood completely still.
Something unfamiliar tightening painfully in his chest.
Because suddenly—
he realised this was hurting her.
And somehow that terrified him more than almost anything else.