The Wrath of Julian

Nora instantly understood the weight behind Stella’s words. The little girl thought her illness made her a burden. She didn't want to drag a stranger down with her medical bills.

"Stella, you're not a burden," Nora said, her voice shaking with fierce maternal sincerity. She reached out, desperate to bridge the gap. "You're the best gift God has ever given me."

The heavy emotion in Nora’s declaration sailed right over the four-year-old’s head. Stella blinked, puzzled by the intense woman kneeling before her. She took a physical step backward, her small brows drawing together in confusion.

"But..." Stella whispered, clutching the fabric of her dress. "I don't want you to be my mommy!"

Before Nora could process the devastating rejection, Stella turned and ran down the hallway. The quick patter of her tiny shoes echoed in the air, leaving an agonizing silence in her wake. Nora stayed frozen on the floor, her outstretched hands grasping at nothing. The innocent rejection carved a hollow ache in her chest.

Roman stepped up to her side, his presence a calm anchor in the storm of her emotions.

"Nora, it's bedtime for the kids. We need to leave," he advised gently but firmly.

Nora scrambled to her feet. "Roman, can I just take her—"

"No," Roman cut in, keeping his tone level. "I understand how you feel, but you cannot act rashly. Assuming Stella is your daughter based on a photo is reckless in the eyes of the law. This welfare facility will never let you walk out with a sick child just because you claim to be her biological mother. They have strict rules."

Nora swallowed hard, reality crashing down on her. "Then what do I do?"

"If you want to take Stella home, we follow a strict plan of action," Roman explained. "First, we leave right now. I will take you to a public facility for a preliminary bone marrow transplant test. You have the highest chance of matching if you are indeed her mother. Second, you must formally apply for a legal maternity test. Once the DNA result confirms your relationship, you bypass the standard three-month adoption probation period."

Recognizing the cold logic in his words, Nora nodded. She wiped her damp cheeks. "You're right. Let's go to the hospital for the test now."

Roman drove her across town to a renowned public hospital. The hematology department here was famous nationwide, and Roman pulled enough strings in the emergency ward to get her preliminary blood and marrow processing started immediately. The more detailed matching would have to wait for the other departments to open the next day, but the initial draw was done.

Three grueling hours slipped by. Nora sat in the waiting area, her mind a chaotic mess of anxiety. She checked the clock on the wall. She was terrified of the repercussions. Did Julian discover her missing? Was the volatile man already tearing the private hospital apart? Was Leo caught lying to the guards? She had to maintain her cover and get back. If Julian found out, he might ruin her chances of saving Stella.

"Roman, I have to go back to the private hospital right now," Nora urged.

Roman nodded and drove her back under the cover of night. He parked near the side entrance of the Crawford medical facility. Nora reached for the door handle to sneak back in, but Roman stopped her.

"Hold on."

He stepped out of the driver's side, walked around, and opened her door. To Nora's surprise, Roman knelt on the asphalt. He reached for her bloody, ruined shoes, carefully removing them from her blistered feet in a display of profound devotion. From a shopping bag, he produced a brand new pair of size 37 white lambskin shoes. He slipped them onto her feet. They were soft and comfortable, soothing her battered skin.

Nora looked down at the man, a lump forming in her throat. After everything that happened five years ago, people treated her like dirt. But Roman showed her nothing but kindness.

"Have a good rest," Roman said, looking up at her with a solemn, warm promise. "I will keep a close, protective eye on Stella at the welfare home. And I will utilize all my resources to track down the missing Hazel. You will reunite with both of them soon."

"Thank you, Roman."

He stood and patted her hair. "Go in. Don't upset Julian."

Nora turned and hurried toward the hospital entrance. Roman stood by his car, his posture shifting. He cast a sharp, challenging glare upward toward the towering hospital building.

In the distance, standing on a high balcony with the night wind whipping around him, Julian watched the intimate shoe-changing exchange. His dark eyes brooded over the scene, a storm brewing in his gaze.

The tension exploded the second Nora quietly sneaked back into her private ward.

A bodyguard stood rigidly by the door. He gave her a blank look. "Mr. Crawford is waiting for you."

Nora's heart skipped a beat. She pushed the door open, stepping inside with trepidation.

A heavy, luxurious crystal glass flew directly at her face.

Nora flinched, turning her head just as the glass shattered against the doorframe. Razor-sharp shards exploded outward. One stray piece grazed her pale cheek, drawing a thin line of bright red blood.

Julian radiated pure rage. He stood in the center of the room, having discovered her daring escape via the balcony drainpipe. But what infuriated him most was her manipulation of his son.

He closed the distance in a single second. His large hand grabbed her face, his fingers digging into her jaw. He held her chin in a tight grip, ignoring the fresh blood trickling down her cheek.

"Nora Sterling, you are very bold," his voice was a deadly snarl. "How dare you teach Leo to lie to his own guards?"

Physically trembling, Nora gripped his wrist, driven by desperate maternal instinct. "Julian, let me explain! I found out from Leo that the twins were at Maplewood Welfare. I couldn't help it. I had to go see them."

"Couldn't help it?" Julian sneered, his grip tightening until her jaw ached. "You held back just fine during the four years you spent in prison."

"Have you forgotten what you did?" Nora pleaded, tears welling in her eyes. "You brought them to the prison just to tell me my babies died! If I had only known they were still alive earlier, things would be different! I would have appealed. I wouldn't have let my daughters be labeled as a murderer's children!"

Julian was devoid of empathy. He ruthlessly cut off her explanation.

"Use Leo as a pawn again, Nora, and you will never find your daughters," he issued a dark, uncompromising threat, shoving her back.

Nora stumbled but immediately surged forward, grabbing his muscular arm. She ignored his threat, her mind laser-focused on Stella's rapidly fading sake.

"Julian, please," she asked urgently, looking up into his cold eyes. "Is your bone marrow record currently registered in the Central Bone Marrow Registry? Just tell me. It's important."

If his marrow was in the registry, Stella had a higher chance of finding a match from her own father.

Julian responded with a cruel, dismissive sneer. "What does it matter to you?"

"Stella is sick! If you're in the registry—"

"If I could choose, I wouldn't want my son to have anything to do with you," Julian replied bitterly, yanking his arm out of her grasp. He harbored bitter, traumatic memories of undergoing extensive, painful testing when Leo was first diagnosed with leukemia. He had prayed his marrow would save his son, only to find out he wasn't a match. He viewed her frantic question as irrelevant nonsense. He never expected Nora would be Leo's only hope for survival, and he refused to entertain her demands now.

Dismissing her pleas, Julian loomed over her, delivering a final, freezing warning.

"Stay confined in this hospital bed," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. "If you ever attempt to escape my control again, I will personally tie you down to the operating theater table."