b11:17 /bbSat/bb, /bbOct /bb4 /b

bChapter /b346

Joshua woke up early, but his body feltpletely worn out.

When Cyrus turned back, Joshua had already closed his eyes and drifted off again.

Toile

Seeing Joshua bundled up in nkets, Cyrus stood there thinking for a few seconds, then quietly slipped out of the hospital room.

For the next few days.

Noelle cared for Joshua Lynch without resting, staying by his side day and night.

When she found out Xylia was in the hospital too, she kept urging the doctors to let Joshua go home.

But his injuries were just too severe, and the doctors wouldn’t budge, insisting it was for his own good.

Finally, Noelle had to resort to threats. She demanded the doctors discharge Joshua immediately, warning, “If you don’t, I swear I’ll cause a scene right this minute.”

With no other choice, the doctors had her sign a waiver and reluctantly agreed to let Joshua go.

Relieved, Noelle grabbed a wheelchair and headed back to the room.

Joshua was propped up against the headboard when Noelle came in.

His bones were a mess–after surgery, he could only manage to move just a little.

Noelle looked after Joshua, sure, but she made sure to call in a male nurse for all those hygiene chores.

She wasn’t about to roll up her sleeves for anything involving a sponge bath–or worse. Even if it was Joshua, that kind of stuff was absolutely off–limits for her.

Noelle rolled in with the wheelchair and gged down the male nurse to help transfer Joshua into it.

Joshua shot her a puzzled look. ‘What’s all this about?‘ he muttered.

‘I signed your discharge forms. We’re leaving–don’t argue. I’ll get you to a real orthopedic hospital,‘ Noelle said, all business.

Noelle had just finished speaking when the male nurse couldn’t help but chime in.

“Look, even if you’re thinking about transferring him, it’s really better to wait until he’s healed up a bit. His injuries are still pretty serious–moving him now just isn’t safe.”

He’d barely finished when Noelle shot back,

“I hired you to look after him, not to tell me how to do my job. Just because Joshua’s stuck in this hospital doesn’t mean I need your advice.”

b11:17 /bbSat/bb, /bbOct /bb4 /b

She was blunt and didn’t hold back at all.

0:5

The nurse was just a guy working here–no way he could change the boss’s mind. All he could do was go along and help Noelle out.

All he could do was help Noelle transfer Joshua into the wheelchair.

Joshua couldn’t even move without hurting, and every jolt made sweat break out across his forehead as they helped him into the wheelchair.

He kept silent through it all, just clenching his jaw and enduring the pain.

‘It’s not that I’m just surrendering, Joshua thought. ‘I’ve learned by now there’s no getting through to Noelle, so what’s the point in arguing?‘

Ever since Joshua could remember, Noelle had always been messing with his head, constantly pulling psychological tricks on him.

She’d tell him they used to be all lovey–dovey, took a trip to Daltonia before he lost his memory, and that he got messed up trying to save her from some bad guys.

He’d gotten beaten up real bad defending her and wound up losing his memory because of it.

At first, Joshua totally believed everything she said.

But as time went by, he started seriously wondering if he and Noelle had ever even been a real couple.

Honestly, he just couldn’t feel any love from Noelle. It was like she was supposed to care about him, but it just wasn’t there.

If she really did love him, she wouldn’t be acting annoyed every time he was sick, and she definitely wouldn’t be making him go through all this before he’d even recovered.

And to be fair, Joshua couldn’t say he had any deep feelings for Noelle, either.

Even if she was supposed to be his girlfriend, seeing her treat him like this didn’t sting at all–he honestly didn’t care.

Noelle practically raced the wheelchair down the corridor, her pace urgent.

Just as she reached the elevator, she nearly collided with Cyrus and Kaden, who were heading down at the

same moment.

Cyrus was cradling a baby in his arms, making the whole encounter feel even more surreal.

Instantly, Noelle’s expression shifted–her face went stiff and she quickly lowered her head, trying to avoid their gaze.

She was wearing a mask, and Joshua’s head was all bandaged up–you couldn’t see either of their faces at all.

Cyrus and Kaden stood there for a moment, but when they realized Noelle and Joshua weren’t about to get in,

b11:17 /bbSat/bb, /bbOct /bb4 /b

55 vouchers

they didn’t bother saying anything.

They just waited until the elevator doors slid shut, ignoring thempletely.

Joshua couldn’t help but stare at Cyrus and Kaden, his brow creasing with confusion.

‘Why do they seem so familiar?‘ Joshua wondered. ‘It’s like I’ve met them somewhere before, but I just can’t remember.’

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, someone reached out and grabbed the door, pulling it back

open.

Cyrus stepped out, still holding the baby.

“Mrs. Garcia just texted,” he said. “Xylia must’ve taken the stairs–let’s go find her.”

‘Xylia,‘ Joshua thought. The name punched straight through him—a jolt right to the heart, with emotions swirling he couldn’t even name.

‘Why did that name feel so… close?‘ Joshua wondered, his chest tightening all over again.

‘It’s that same weird, familiar feeling,‘ he thought, unsettled by how strong it was.

Kaden gave Joshua a brief, indifferent nce–barely a second–then moved on.

He followed Cyrus into the elevator, keeping silent.

Noelle didn’t hesitate–she all but rushed Joshua into the elevator in one quick, urgent move.

The doors mmed shut right behind them.

Noelle finally exhaled, her whole body rxing for the first time in ages.

‘Good thing I was fast,‘ she thought to herself. ‘If we’d bumped into that whole crew, there’s no way I could’ve slipped away!

Joshua’s face twisted with pain as he sat in the wheelchair, unable to get that name out of his head. It echoed over and over, making his mind feel like it was splitting.

‘Xylia.‘ Joshua’s heart skipped a beat, the name tumbling around in his brain, refusing to let him go.

‘Who is she…?‘ he kept asking himself, the question circling endlessly in his tortured thoughts.

As the elevator doors slid shut, Kaden couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Those two had seemed strangely familiar to him.

And that woman–she was behaving oddly, almost like she was trying to dodge us.

‘Do we look like viins or something?‘ Kaden grumbled to himself, annoyed.

11:17 bSat/bb, /bbOct /bb4 /b

When Xylia finally came down the stairs, Cyrus called out, his voice firm, “Xylia, I’ve told you again and again not to wander around–why won’t you listen?”

He strode over, his tone tough, but the worry was obvious in his eyes.

Xylia just shrugged. She just needed to stretch her legs–a couple of days glued to a hospital bed was driving

her nuts.

She nced at the baby in Cyrus’s arms, a soft smile on her lips as she reached out and caressed the little girl’s cheek.

“I just needed to stretch my legs for a minute, okay? It’s really nothing,” Xylia said, her words yful but reassuring.

“You just had a baby–now you’re already running around and not listening to any of the doctors? Seriously, Xylia, do you even care about taking care of yourself?” Cyrus huffed, frustration and worry tangled in his voice.

Cyrus couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head, his concern written all over his face.

Xylia was dressed in a hospital gown, bundled up in a wool hat–she looked like she was armored up and ready for anything.

Xylia couldn’t help but shoot back, “Big bro Cyrus, nowadays everyone’s all about scientific postpartum recovery! You’re a doctor–why are you still preaching the old ways?”

As she said it, she reached out to take her daughter into her arms.

But Cyrus stepped back, keeping the baby away from her.

“We’re taking the baby for a check–up, so you go back first,” Cyrus said, using his free hand to gently motion Xylia toward her room, not giving her any room to argue.

Xylia had alreadye all the way down–turning back now was thest thing on her mind. ‘No way I’m just heading back after finally getting out,’ she thought stubbornly.

“I’ming with you guys. And if you try to leave me, I’ll just go on my own,” Xylia dered, her chin lifted in defiance.

Kaden and Cyrus were about to say something, but knowing how stubborn their little sister could be, they realized it was pointless to argue with Xylia.

In the end, they just had to bring her downstairs with them–there was simply no telling her otherwise.

After the check–up, the doctor grinned and said the little one was perfectly healthy.

Everyone thanked the doctor, and only then did Xylia scoop her daughter into her arms, ready to head back to their room.

Kaden turned to Xylia. “So, have you picked a name for her yet?”

11:17 bSat/b, bOct /bb4 /b

Xylia nodded. “I’ve decided. Her name’s Nian Garcia.” fn336f The rightful source is f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?/fn336f

1:

891

66 Vouchera

For days, Xylia wracked her brain trying to name her baby girl, but every time, Joshua’s face kept shing through her mind.

No matter what she did, she couldn’t let him go–even in her sleep, her heart kept wishing he’d walk back through the door.

Honestly, she could barely even think straight about the name anymore–her whole world was just tangled up with thoughts of Joshua.

So in the end, she went with Nian Garcia–the name itself was a piece of her longing, a way to hold onto him every day.

Kaden traced a gentle finger over Nian’s chubby little cheek.

In just a few days, the little dumpling had already grown a ton–her newborn wrinkles had smoothed out, and her features were getting more and more adorable.

Cute level off the charts, with Xylia’s spark in her eyes and a face that looked just like Joshua’s–seriously, she was their mini–me.

She scored both of her parents‘ gorgeous genes. Even as a baby, you could tell this kid was destined to be a real heartbreaker.

“Our little Nian finally has a real name now!” Kaden grinned, his tone full of fondness.

Nian was such a chill baby–she almost never cried.

When Kaden offered his finger, her tiny hand wrapped right around it and she broke out into the cutest giggle.

Xylia saw that and let out a lightugh. ‘What a little charmer,’ she thought, shaking her head fondly.

“With that bold little attitude, she’s totally got Joshua written all over her,” Xylia joked, pride and nostalgia showing through her smile.