Chapter 174: Fractured Hearts
She hadn’t moved in hours.
Lunara lay still under the blanket, her breathing soft and even. The light outside had changed, it was no longer morning. A warm, late-afternoon glow slipped through the curtains, touching her face gently. She looked peaceful now, but the signs of exhaustion were still there. Faint lines under her eyes. Dry tears on her cheeks. Like someone who had carried too much for too long.
Eryx sat beside the bed, quiet.
He hadn’t left her side since she broke down. She had cried until her body shook, until the words stopped coming. Then finally, her eyes had closed, and sleep took her.
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. The doctor stepped in, his voice low and careful.
"She’s just resting," he said after checking her pulse. "But you need to keep an eye on her, Sir. Emotionally, she’s not in a stable place."
Eryx’s brows pulled together. "What do you mean?"
The doctor hesitated, then said carefully, "After a loss like that... especially when everything piles up emotionally, it can lead to something deeper. Postpartum depression doesn’t always show right away. It’s subtle, and if ignored, it worsens. She needs rest, yes... but also time, understanding, and someone who really sees her."
Eryx didn’t respond at first. His gaze stayed fixed on Lunara, asleep and quiet, her features softer now, almost childlike. He’d never seen her this still, not in the past few weeks, not even before.