Sign It

Serena pushed the heavy hospital door open just a crack and froze in her tracks.

Through the narrow gap, she watched Lyla holding a glass of water for Declan. He didn’t bother reaching for the glass. Instead, he lowered his head and drank straight from her hand. The intimacy of the gesture struck Serena like a physical blow to her ribs. They looked like a real family.

She squeezed the crisp divorce papers in her hand, the sharp edges digging into her skin. With a harsh push, she swung the door wide open.

The bang of the door startled the quiet room. Leo, whose small face burned a bright, feverish red, jolted in Declan's arms. The three-year-old let out a sharp wail, burying his face deeper into Declan’s chest.

Declan’s head snapped up. Surprise flashed across his dark eyes, quickly replaced by a deep, defensive frown. No one had expected her to show up here.

"Serena," Declan said, his voice low and tight. "What are you doing here? Leo finally fell asleep just now."

Serena stood tall, her face a pristine mask of ice. The agonizing heartbreak from this morning vanished, hardening into pure detachment.

"What's that to me?" she retorted, her tone freezing over. "What about you? Is he even your son? Why do you care so much?"

Declan's jaw clenched. "Serena!" His voice grew sharper, echoing off the stark white walls. "He's a sick kid. If you're here to pick a fight, wait until I get home. Don't disturb him now."

Serena felt a bitter laugh bubble up in her throat. She was there to hand him divorce papers. Even as a normal visit, as Leo's aunt by marriage, she had every right to stand in this room. Yet his very first instinct was to treat her like a malicious intruder. He assumed she only came to cause a scene.

She snapped out of her lingering daze. She stepped fully into the room, walked straight to the edge of the bed, and thrust the thick stack of papers toward him.

"Sign it," Serena demanded, her voice stripped of any warmth. "The sooner you do, the sooner we'll be done with all this."

Declan stared at the bold words printed on the top page. His eyes turned frigid. He looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

Before he could speak, Lyla stepped over. She wrung her hands, her face the picture of innocent distress.

"Rena," Lyla said softly, offering a gentle, pleading smile. "Maybe it's all a misunderstanding. Declan only came for Leo. He's better now. Why don't you both go home?"

Lyla leaned over the bed, bringing her face close to the sick boy. "Leo, come to Mommy," she coaxed in a sweet whisper. "Dex needs to go home and rest now."

Leo trembled. The lingering fever left him looking frail and haggard. He curled his small fingers tight into the fabric of Declan's collar. He shook his head, refusing to let go of the man.

"Dex, I want you to be here with me," Leo cried, his voice hoarse and broken. "Please don't go..."

Lyla’s face shifted into a troubled frown. Her tone turned a fraction sterner. "Leo, good boy, come here."

Declan wrapped his arms securely around the crying boy. He didn't even glance at Lyla. His gaze remained locked on his wife.

"Alright, I'll stay with him," Declan declared. He tightened his hold on the child. "You can see how he's suffering, Serena. Can't you be more reasonable?"

Serena met his stare. A sharp, splitting pain ripped through her chest, but she refused to let it show. She crushed the vulnerable parts of her soul, burying her bleeding heart under thick layers of frost. He chose them. Again. Right to her face, he chose to comfort a crying boy and his mother rather than deal with his own wife's demands.

A scoffing, sarcastic laugh escaped Serena's lips. The sound hung dry and hollow in the stifling hospital room.

"Can you be reasonable?" she countered. She nodded at the documents in her hand. "Sign the papers... or..."

She took a deliberate step closer to the bed. She locked eyes with the trembling boy. She leaned in, letting a menacing, dark edge coat her words.

"The bad wolf's coming for you, kid."

Leo was already fragile and worn out. The cruel threat hit him like a physical strike. His eyes went wide with sheer terror. He wanted to wail, but the fear of the "bad wolf" choked his voice. Instead of loud sobs, quiet, trembling sniffles escaped his lips. Tears streamed down his red cheeks, making him look utterly pitiful.

Declan’s face darkened like a thundercloud. Fury radiated from his tense shoulders.

"Serena, really?" he growled, his voice vibrating with anger. "Picking on a child?"

Serena didn't flinch. Her expression remained blank, a solid wall of cold detachment. She shoved the papers closer to his chest.

"Sign it." Her gaze delivered the silent message loud and clear. No signature, no peace for his precious Leo.

She watched Declan’s furious eyes. *He's so desperate to protect them, isn't he?* she thought bitterly. *Alright, I'll step back. Without me around to get in the way, he can do whatever he wants. Even get cozy with them, sleeping in the same bed? I don't give a damn anymore.*

The tension in the ward grew thick and suffocating. Declan glowered at her, his jaw set in stone. Leo whimpered softly against his shirt. Lyla stood frozen to the side, looking flustered and guilty, biting her lower lip.

Serena lowered her gaze to the luxury watch on her wrist. The second hand ticked away, steady and indifferent.

She looked back up at her husband. She dropped her final, mocking challenge into the heavy silence, her tone lethal.

"It's late. I need to go get some rest," Serena said. "Declan, if you're a real man, sign it."