Nora was being stubborn again — refusing to eat, take her medication, or rest. Zayan had been patient, but today, he had reached his limit.
"Nora!" he snapped, eyes sharp. "Stop acting like a child. You have to take care of yourself. This isn't a game!"
Nora's lips trembled. Her eyes, once playful, clouded with hurt. "I hate you!" she screamed. "I'll never talk to you again!"
Before Zayan could react, she bolted — tears streaming down her face as she ran out of the mansion barefoot.
"Nora!" Lisa shouted, but she didn't stop. She ran and ran, the cold wind drying her tears even as more fell. She didn't know where her legs were taking her… only that she wanted to run far, far away.
Eventually, she found herself standing before an old iron gate — the cemetery.
She pushed the gate open with trembling hands and walked past the gravestones. Her heart pounded. Then… she stopped.
There it was.
Lilly Anthony Drake.
Nora's breath caught in her throat. The picture. The name. The words Rest in Peace.
"N…n…nana…" she whispered.
Suddenly, her head spun. Her nose began to bleed. Her legs buckled.
Black-and-white flashbacks hit her like lightning — Nana smiling… Nana crying… Nana protecting her… the smell of herbs… warmth… fire… screams.
Then darkness.
Nora collapsed right on Nana's grave.
Moments later, a teenage boy from the orphanage, Isaac, arrived to pay his respects. He saw her lying there, bleeding.
"Oh my God!" he panicked, rushing to her. "Nora?!"
He quickly called for an ambulance and then dialed Asher's number.
"Isaac?" Asher answered, distracted. "I'm kinda busy right—"
"She's bleeding! Nora's—she's unconscious at the graveyard!"
Asher froze. Zayan turned to him, his blood turning cold. "What happened?" he asked.
Isaac's voice came through the phone: "She collapsed on Nana's grave. She was bleeding from the nose."
Zayan's entire body went numb.
Without a word, he ran — jumped into the car and drove like a man possessed.
They reached the hospital within minutes. Isaac met them at the entrance.
"Where is she?!" Zayan demanded.
"In the operating room," Isaac said, pointing.
Dr. Arion emerged moments later, blood on his gloves. "Mr. Kai."
Zayan rushed forward. "How is she?"
Arion sighed. "She's out of immediate danger… but her condition is worsening. Her brain is reacting severely to the trauma. If she's pushed again, we might lose her."
Zayan's fists clenched. He hated himself.
"In four months," Arion continued, "her surgery will begin in Switzerland. I've contacted the best neurosurgeons — six from different countries. Please… be careful with her, Zayan. If not for Isaac, she'd be gone."
Zayan nodded silently, guilt gnawing at his soul.
They watched her through the glass — pale, weak, connected to oxygen. Zayan couldn't bear the sight.
An hour later, Nora's eyelids fluttered. She tapped the nurse and pointed at the mask. The nurse gently removed it.
"Z?" she whispered hoarsely. "Where's Z… Ash?"
She started crying, panic setting in.
The nurse rushed out and burst into Arion's office. "Mr. Kai! Your wife is awake — and crying. She's asking for you."
Zayan didn't wait a second.
He burst into the room. "Nora, darling," he whispered.
She looked up, and instantly reached for him, sobbing like a child. "T…t…there… what happened to Nana?"
Zayan's heart shattered. "Baby… Nana passed away four years ago. She had an accident. But she's in a blessed place now."
Nora cried harder. Asher sat beside her and hugged her tightly, ordering her favorite food in hopes of comforting her.
"But where is the blessed place?" she asked. "I want to go there."
Asher wiped her tears. "You know how when we sleep, we get dreams — good ones and bad ones?"
She sniffled. "Yeah?"
"Well… Nana is in your good dreams now."
Nora blinked, then smiled softly through her tears. "Then she'll visit me in my good dreams?"
"She will, darling," Zayan said gently.
Even the nurse teared up.
Later, Nora was discharged. She napped in Zayan's arms as he carried her into the mansion.
But he stopped in his tracks when he saw her.
"Grandma?" he blinked.
Lady Kim stood tall, regal as ever, with a young woman by her side. "Ah! Zayan, my dear grandson."
She noticed the sleeping girl in his arms. "And who is this?"
"She's my wife, Grandma," Zayan said as he placed Nora gently on the hammock.
The young woman gasped. "Y–your wife?"
"Yes," Asher replied coldly. "His wife."
"But I brought a bride for you," Lady Kim said. "Her name is Dasha."
"No, Grandma," Zayan said firmly. "My wife's name is Nora. Miss Nora Zayan Kai."
Lady Kim narrowed her eyes. "I don't like her."
Asher stepped forward. "Should I tell her everything?"
Lady Kim hesitated, then nodded. "Go ahead. I'll arrange food for the girl."
Asher told her everything — about Nora's trauma, her illness, the accident, and how deeply Zayan loved her. Every word struck Lady Kim and Dasha like thunder.
Nora stirred and opened her eyes. "Z? Z?"
Everyone turned.
Zayan rushed over. "Yes, love. I'm here."
She looked around. "Who are they?"
Zayan smiled. "That's my grandmother, love."
Nora gasped. "My Nana?!"
Lady Kim softened, approaching her with a gentle smile. "Hello, sweet girl."
Nora nodded. "Hi, Nana!"
Lady Kim patted her head. "You're a sweet one, aren't you?"
Zayan beamed with pride. "Alright, darling. Let's eat."
Asher's food arrived, and Nora devoured everything. She even tried to feed Zayan, who ate happily from her hand. Lady Kim watched with quiet surprise as her grandson — usually cold and distant — laughed and smiled like a boy in love.
Later that night, Zayan read her a bedtime story while she rocked gently on the wooden chair.
"…and they lived happily ever after."
She was asleep before he finished. He carried her to bed, tucked her in, and kissed her forehead.
Lady Kim watched quietly from the hallway.
"Hm," she murmured to herself with a tiny smile.
Back in his study, Zayan opened the file Arion had sent — full of reports, updates, and surgery plans.
He stared at Nora's picture at the top of the file.
"Soon, my love," he whispered. "We'll fix everything. I promise."