Three days passed like an eternity. The world outside continued as usual — the sun rose, the sun set, footsteps echoed in the corridors, machines hummed — but Stefan''s world had narrowed to the four walls of Ruby''s ward.

    He never left her side. Every hour, he held her hand. Every minute, he searched her face for some flicker of life. Every second, he whispered prayers and pleas to a God he wasn''t even sure existed.

    He was there again now, sitting hunched in the chair beside her bed, his shoulders rounded with exhaustion, his hair unkempt, his eyes shadowed with sleeplessness. His bandaged hand rested on the edge of her nket, his uninjured one wrapped around Ruby''s fingers.

    The door opened softly behind him. Stefan looked up, expecting Rayna or Ethan — but instead, his breath caught when he saw who it was.

    "Mom?"

    Elizabeth stood there, frailer than he remembered, but with color in her cheeks again and rity in her eyes. She had been discharged the previous day but Elizabeth had asked them not to let him know.

    Elizabeth looked at him with a mixture of relief and sorrow, her gaze lingering on the dark circles under his eyes.

    Stefan let out a sigh, his lips twitching into the smallest ghost of a smile. "How are you feeling? I didn''t even know you could go home."

    "It''s fine. I asked them not to tell you anything. Didn''t want to add to your stress," she said, waving it off.

    "How are you feeling now?" he asked, after a while.

    Elizabeth stepped in, her movements careful but steady. "I''m fine," she said gently,ing closer. Her eyes shifted to Ruby on the bed before returning to her son.

    "You should rest, Stefan. Go take a bath. Eat something warm and rest a bit. I''ll stay with Ruby for a while."

    But Stefan shook his head immediately even before she could finish. "No. I need to be here with her. I need to be with her when she wakes up."

    Elizabeth''s brows furrowed. She touched his arm lightly, her fingers trembling with the softness only a mother could have. "You''re looking so drawn, sweetheart. Stressed. You haven''t slept properly in days. And besides, you''re not fully recovered yourself. The smoke… the burns… You can''t push your body like this—not when you don''t know when she''d wake up."

    "I''m fine," Stefan said firmly, though his voice betrayed the exhaustion weighing on him. His jaw tightened, eyes still fixed on Ruby. "The only thing that matters now is her, Mom. I just want to be here when she wakes up. I don''t care if I copse a hundred times. I''m not leaving her."

    Elizabeth''s throat tightened at the steel in his words. She wanted to argue, to tell him it was good he wanted to be here and that it won''t matter if he copsed and she woke up while he''s still bedridden — but before she could say anything, Stefan stiffened.

    "Wait," he whispered, his eyes locked on Ruby''s hand.

    Elizabeth followed his gaze, but saw nothing. "What is it? Are you okay?" she asked, frowning.

    "I thought…" His heart mmed against his ribs. "I thought her hand twitched," he said, more to himself as if trying to assure himself he''d indeed seen it.

    Elizabeth leaned in, watching closely, but after a few seconds, she shook her head. "I didn''t see anything, Stefan. Maybe it was your imagination," she said with a sigh.

    "No." Stefan''s voice was sharp, desperate.

    "I really think you should go have some rest now. You''re beginning to see things," Elizabeth said, but Stefan didn''t say anything. He just kept looking at Ruby.

    He reached for Ruby''s hand with both of his, clutching it tightly. "Ruby. Baby, it''s me. Please, do it again. Show me you''re still in there. Please."

    For a moment, nothing happened. Stefan''s chest tightened, fear crawling up his throat. Did he really see it, or had he just been imagining it? He asked himself doubtfully.

    Just then, he felt it. The faintest twitch of her fingers against his palm.

    His breath hitched sharply. "Mom! Did you see that? She moved. I swear she moved!"

    Elizabeth''s eyes widened as she leaned closer. And this time, she saw it too — a slight, deliberate movement, as though Ruby was trying to answer his plea. Tears filled her eyes instantly.

    "Oh, my God! Rayna!" Stefan shouted, his voice breaking with urgency. "Get the doctor, now!"

    The door flung open within seconds. Rayna, who had been sitting outside, startled at the sound of his voice and rushed in. "What happened?" she asked, panic surging through her voice.

    "She moved!" Stefan''s voice was trembling with hope and disbelief. "Her hand twitched twice. Get Dr. Noreen!"

    Rayna''s eyes widened, tears springing up as she spun on her heel and darted down the hallway.

    Momentster, Dr. Noreen entered briskly, her faceposed but her eyes alert. She went straight to Ruby''s side, checking her vitals, her pupils, the monitors. Stefan leaned forward anxiously, his grip on Ruby''s hand tight, as though he could pull her back into consciousness with sheer will.

    Noreen finally looked up, her voice calm but touched with cautious hope. "It seems she''s beginning to respond. Her body''s trying to wake. It may take a few hours, but this is a very good sign."

    Stefan''s chest tightened; the weight he had been carrying for days finally lifted just a little. He swallowed hard. "So… she''s really going to wake up soon?"

    "She will," Noreen said firmly, giving him a rare smile. "She''s fighting her way back. But before then, I''ll take a blood sample and run a few tests to make sure there are noplications once she regains full consciousness."

    Stefan nodded quickly, unable to stop the tears that spilled from his eyes. "Thank you. God, thank you."

    Noreen gently touched his shoulder. "Stay strong, Stefan. You''ve been her anchor this whole time. Don''t let go now." With that, she began preparing the materials for the blood test, her presence calm and efficient.

    When she finally left, carrying the samples with her, Stefan turned back to Ruby. He leaned down, pressing a trembling kiss against her knuckles. His tears soaked her skin as he whispered, "I knew you wouldn''t leave me. I knew it."

    Behind him, Rayna was smiling through her tears, her hands pressed together as though in prayer. Elizabeth, though her eyes were glistening, let out a shakyugh of relief, her hand covering her mouth.

    Ethan, who had slipped quietly into the room during themotion, pped a hand on Stefan''s shoulder, his voice thick. "She''sing back to us."

    For the first time in days, the heaviness in the room shifted. The suffocating sorrow loosened its grip, reced with a fragile but undeniable hope.

    Stefan kept his gaze on Ruby, his entire soul pouring into the sight of her faint movements. She wasn''t gone. She was finding her way back.

    Even though he knew she''d be hurt, mourning the loss of their child, he was still d that she was waking up soon.

    Together they would weather the storm of sorrow.