28 Dying
Sienna stepped away from the window of the apartment she was renting and walked back inside. The soft chime of her phone ringing pulled her toward the bedside table. She picked it up, her heart already heavier than it had been yesterday.
It had been a full day since she arrived in Germany. Yet to her disappointment, not a single moment had passed without thoughts of Adrian. His health. His pain. The very things she didn’t want to think about were now the only things haunting her.
She had come here to escape. To find peace.
Instead, she had locked herself inside the apartment like a prisoner, trapped in her emotions, suffocating under the weight of everything she refused to feel.
The phone rang again.
Her eyes moved to the screen.
Unknown number.
She hesitated—then answered.
“Miss Donovan?” a familiar voice came through. “This is Matthew. Mr. Vaughn’s secretary.”
Her hand trembled. Her voice barely made it out. “Yes, Matthew?”
“Miss Donovan, please don’t hang up. It’s not what you think. It’s about Mr. Vaughn, but not in the way you’re imagining,” he said quickly.
He paused, waiting. When she didn’t hang up, he continued.
“I just need you to sign some papers.”
“What papers?” Sienna asked, confusion creeping into her voice.
“Mr. Vaughn wants to transfer all of his business shares to your name. Everything’s already processed. I just need you to come in and sign the papers,” Matthew explained.
Sienna stiffened. “Why is he transferring everything to me? What’s wrong?”
Even though she already knew the truth, she wanted to hear it from Adrian. She wanted to see that same selfish, arrogant man—drag her back to him, like he always did—especially when he was at his lowest. A part of her ached for it. For the pull. For the weakness in his pride. So she waited, silently urging Matthew to say the words she wasn’t brave enough to ask.
But he didn’t.
“There’s nothing wrong, Miss Donovan,” he said calmly. “Mr. Vaughn is just… sorry. He wants to make things right in the only way he can. You don’t have to meet him. You can just call me, and I’ll come to you with the documents.”
Sienna broke down in tears.
The tears flowed uncontrollably, despite her desperate attempt to stop them. The grief she’d buried since Rosie’s call now flooded out of her. She hung up the phone and placed it aside, sinking to the floor, her knees giving out beneath her as sobs wracked her body.
It was harder for her to breathe, and even harder to see clearly through the haze of tears. She couldn’t think of anything but Adrian.
***
The next night, Sienna walked through the quiet corridors of the hospital, her heart pounding. She knew exactly which room Adrian was in. Her feet moved quickly, almost as if they had a mind of their own, driven by something she couldn't hold back.
She didn’t knock.
She pushed open the door and stepped in.
Adrian was sitting on the bed in a hospital gown. He turned at the sound of the door slamming open, irritation flashing in his eyes, until he saw her.
“Sienna?”
A smile broke across his face, pure and stunned and disbelieving. He moved to get up, but the moment his foot hit the floor, he cried out in pain and collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach in agony.
Sienna’s heart leaped, and she ran to him, helping him back onto the bed. His hand was pressed to his stomach, and the pain was evident in his expression. His face was pale.
Sienna’s tears welled again, but she forced herself to stay still, to not fall apart. But then she looked at him, and everything shattered again. She threw herself into his arms, burying her face into his neck, her body trembling as her tears soaked his skin.
She pulled away, only slightly.
Adrian stood up slowly, cupping her face with his large hands, his gaze intense and filled with an affection she hadn’t seen in years. His voice was low, almost like a whisper.
“You’re really here,” he murmured, the words holding so much meaning.
“Yes.” She sniffled, wiping her eyes. “I came back. Now you have to get better, alright? Why do you look so worn out?” Her voice cracked again as she examined his pale face. He looked sick, so sick that it made her heart ache.
She looked at his sunken cheeks, his weakened body. In all the years she had known him, she had never seen him like this, and it was tearing her apart.
His fingers trailed down her face and cupped her neck. For a moment, he looked away, his gaze falling to the floor in shame.
“Sienna... I’m very sick,” he admitted, his voice rough. He met her eyes again. “You shouldn’t be here. You should go.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she interrupted him, grabbing his hands and pressing them against her heart. “You need to get better. We’re going to live a life together. I’ll stay by your side until you’re well, and then we’ll start fresh. We’ll forget the past.”
Her voice trembled, and then she finally said what had been buried inside her for so long.
“I love you, Adrian.”
Adrian looked stunned, his eyes widening. "You really love me?" his hand tightened on her neck as he pulled her closer, just a breath away from his body. "You just said it… right? You love me?"
Sienna nodded, a smile appearing on her face at his reaction.
"At first, I didn’t want to be with you. I thought maybe I’d forget you in two years, especially after you said you didn’t want to marry me," she choked, her hands gripping his waist tightly. "I tried to leave you behind. I even went to another country... but even then, no matter what I did, I couldn’t forget you."
She looked into his eyes, and when she saw him breaking—his eyes silently begging her for more—she whispered again, “I love you too much. I can’t be apart from you.”
Adrian pulled her into his arms without a second thought, his lips trailing over her face and neck in a frenzy of kisses. His voice trembled with breathless joy.
"I'm so fucking happy, he whispered between kisses. "You have no idea what I'm feeling right now. My whole life feels complete. Even if I don't live another day, I won't have any regrets. I can die for you. I'd marry you a hundred times over. Hell, I'd marry you every single month if that's what you want. I love you."
She let out a soft laugh as his kisses lit her skin on fire.
"Then live for me. I don’t like being alone," she whispered, her voice cracking through her smile.
He nodded instantly, his eyes locked onto hers before he leaned down again and kissed her deeply, madly, as if he’d been starving for her.
A sudden clearing of a throat snapped them out of their moment.
Startled, Sienna jerked back, her hand still resting lightly against Adrian’s chest. Both their eyes snapped toward the door.
Standing there, leaning casually against the frame, were Matthew and Larry.
Matthew was grinning from ear to ear, as if he’d just walked in on his favorite soap opera.
Larry, however, stared at Adrian with an odd look on his face.
"Aren’t you both being a bit too dramatic for a simple stomach cleanup?" he questioned, arms crossed, brow raised with a dry frown.
Sienna stiffened, confusion flashing across her face.
"Cleanup?" Her horrified eyes darted to Adrian. "You said it was serious… You lied to me?!"
Adrian's brows knit together, about to speak, but Matthew stepped in, still chuckling.
“Relax, Miss Donovan,” he said, lips twitching. “Mr. Lawson overheard the doctor say the inflammation has reduced and jumped to conclusions. I didn’t get a chance to explain the rest.”
Sienna frowned, still trying to process. “Wait… so it’s not—”
Matthew cut in gently, “The doctor said it’s not as bad as we feared. The inflammation has reduced, and right now, it just needs medication. Though, it’s confirmed that Mr. Vaughn doesn’t have cancer.”
Sienna blinked, her knees suddenly weak. Her body sagged with relief, and her hand instinctively found Adrian’s as if grounding herself.
She let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed with relief. “Oh, thank God…”
But Adrian’s expression changed. Still pale from the hospital stay, clad in loose hospital clothes with his IV drip now removed—tightened his hold on her. He looked dead serious, laser-focused. Without wasting another second, he turned to Matthew.
“Matthew,” he said, voice low, commanding. “Bring the car around.”
Matthew blinked, clearly thrown. “Sir?”
Adrian didn’t answer him. He turned to Sienna, gripping her hand tighter. “We’re going dress shopping. And getting married. In a church. Today.”
Sienna froze. “Adrian—what?! Wait, wait, slow down. Dress shopping?”
“You heard me,” he said, already moving.
“Adrian!” she gasped, stumbling to keep up. “You’re still in the hospital! Can we just… stop and get you treated properly first?”
He stopped mid-stride and turned to face her.
His palm cupped her cheek, gentle and firm, his thumb brushing her skin like a promise. His voice dropped to a low, raw murmur.
“I thought I was dying, Sienna.” His eyes burned into hers. “And the only thing I regretted was not putting a ring on your finger. I’m not wasting another damn minute.”
Sienna's lips parted, her breath caught somewhere between her chest and her heart.
Before she could answer, Larry's voice echoed behind them, teasing and amused.
“So, let me get this straight—you’re storming out of the hospital in pajamas to get hitched and didn’t even think to invite your charming, loyal best friend? Ouch, man.”
Adrian turned around, marched straight to Larry, and clapped a hand on the back of his neck, dragging him forward like a stubborn kid.
“You’re coming with us.”
Larry stumbled, laughing. “What the hell for?! I didn’t agree to be a part of your wild romantic meltdown!”
"We need another witness besides Matthew to sign the marriage papers. You're the only spare human around with no other fucking job to do."
Matthew was already reaching for his phone, muttering, “I’ll have the driver ready in five. Should I also call in security to help the hospital staff when they realize you’ve escaped in their patient clothes?”
Larry grinned. “If this ends in cuffs, I want a copy of the wedding photo for my cell wall.”
Sienna, breathless, dazed, couldn’t help but laugh—half-shocked, half-overwhelmed. But when she looked up at Adrian, still clutching her hand like his life depended on it, she realized something…
Now, he was hers. Forever.
***
Sienna sat cross-legged on Adrian’s lap, nestled comfortably in the plush leather chair in his office. A notepad rested on her thigh, scribbled with a list of dream-like destinations—some real, some completely whimsical.
“Hot air balloon over Cappadocia,” she mumbled, scribbling it down. “Cuddling alpacas on a mountain farm… and…” she tilted her head, thinking, “Oh! A treehouse stay in Bali.”
Adrian’s arms circled her waist, pulling her back gently against his chest. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his breath warm against her skin as he peeked at her messy list. “Cuddling alpacas on a mountain farm?” he murmured with amusement, pressing a soft kiss to her bare shoulder. “Am I not enough to cuddle with?”
She giggled, her hand swatting at him when he pressed another kiss to her neck, then another—slow, teasing, deliberate.
“Adrian—stop,” she laughed, squirming. “That tickles!”
But instead of letting her go, he wrapped his arms around her tighter, letting out a low chuckle.
“Oh, no. You started this list in my lap, remember?”
Before she could slip off, his hands slid under her thighs and gently pulled her legs to one side, settling her completely in his lap, her back pressed to his chest. He tipped her face up and kissed her mouth—slow, deep, and filled with the kind of longing that made her heart stutter.
When he pulled back, she blinked at him, cheeks flushed. “You really planned three months for this honeymoon?”
He nodded, unapologetically smug. “Booked. Sealed. Private jet, private islands, no meetings, no calls.”
“But that’s a huge loss for your company,” she said softly, studying his face. “Adrian… you run half the damn cars industry.”
“I have enough money for this lifetime and the next,” he said without hesitation. “After all those excruciating days I spent without you, do you really think I’d let you out of my sight now?”
He traced his knuckles along her jaw, his tone dipping lower. “I need to make up for those two years. Every single minute. I told you, we should take two full years off, just you and me. But you’re the one refusing.”
He frowned slightly, almost like a sulky child, and it made her laugh.
Sienna cupped his cheek, smiling. “I don’t want to disconnect from the world completely just yet.” She leaned in, nose brushing his. “Let’s take more trips, more often. But shorter. What I want most is you. Every single day. A few hours. Just for me.”
His expression softened, the stubborn edge melting into something fierce and tender.
He cupped her face gently with both hands, leaning in until their foreheads touched.
“You are my only person,” he whispered. “I will cherish you every damn minute of my life until you’re sick of me.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be,” she whispered back.
His lips found hers again, and this time, the kiss wasn’t teasing or rushed. It was a vow.
One he intended to keep for a lifetime.