[Author's POV]
The discharge from Peralta Hospital was not a celebration; it was a somber, high-security extraction. Keifer had coordinated the logistics with the precision of a military operation. He didn't want a single camera lens, a single stranger, or even a stray breeze to touch Jay as she left the place where her world had shattered.
A private exit was cleared. A fleet of black SUVs sat idling, forming a wall of steel between the hospital doors and the world.
The Departure
[Jay's POV]
The wheelchair felt like a cage. I sat in it, wrapped in one of Keifer's oversized cashmere sweaters, feeling smaller and emptier than I ever thought possible. My body felt light, but my heart felt like it was made of lead.
As we reached the glass doors, I froze. I looked at the sunlight hitting the pavement and felt a wave of nausea. The last time I was out in the sun, I was still a mother. I was still carrying the "Powerhouse."
"Easy, Wiefy," Keifer's voice was right at my ear.
He didn't let the nurse help me into the car. He pushed the wheelchair aside and gathered me into his arms, lifting me as if I were made of glass. He held me against his chest—the same chest I had beaten in my rage—and I buried my face in his neck.
"100% security," he murmured to the lead guard. "Move out."
The Return to the Mansion
[Keifer's POV]
The drive back to the estate was silent. Jay kept her eyes closed the entire time, her hand clutched in mine. I watched the city fly by, but my mind was already at the front door.
When we pulled up to the grand entrance of the Watson mansion, the entire staff was lined up. There was no chatter. No "Welcome home." Every head was bowed in a silent show of respect for the loss of the heir.
Pappa Keizer and Mamma Serina were waiting at the top of the steps. As I stepped out of the car with Jay in my arms, I saw her flinch. She was looking at the grand staircase visible through the open double doors—the place where the "glitch" happened.
"Close the doors," I barked.
"Keif..." Jay whispered, her voice trembling.
"I've got you, Jay. Look at me. Only at me." I walked past the stairs, my stride long and steady, heading straight for the elevator to our private wing. I wouldn't let her feet touch that marble today.
The Quiet Suite
[Jay's POV]
Keifer carried me into our bedroom and set me down on the edge of the bed. The room was different. It was filled with white lilies—hundreds of them. The scent was overwhelming, sweet and sad.
I looked toward the corner where the nursery door was. It was closed.
"I had Keigan lock it," Keifer said softly, kneeling in front of me to take off my shoes. "No one goes in there until you're ready. The data in that room is paused. Permanently."
I looked at him, seeing the dark circles under his eyes and the way his hands shook just a fraction as he handled my feet. He was trying so hard to be the CEO of my recovery, but he was bleeding just as much as I was.
"Keif," I reached out, touching his stubbled jaw. "You don't have to be the Shield right now. You can just be the Hubby."
He leaned his head into my palm and let out a long, broken breath. He stayed there on his knees for a long time, the two of us just existing in the silence of the house that was supposed to be filled with the sound of a baby's heartbeat.
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