Chapter 359

“Sure,” Sienna said. “I have some time this afternoon.”

After hanging up, she heard Joyce protesting angrily. “Josiah, that’s not right!”

“What do you mean?” Josiah asked, scrutinizing his daughter, seeing no problem.

“The pants!” Joyce exclaimed, wide-eyed, pointing. “The butterflies are supposed to be at the front!”

“Oh.” Josiah realized his mistake, though minor. He chuckled. “It was my fault. I’ll fix it immediately. Can you forgive me? I won’t let it happen again.”

Joyce pouted, still unhappy.

Sienna intervened. “Once you’re properly dressed, hurry and wash your face. Breakfast will soon get cold.”

“Mom is angry,” Josiah winked at Joyce. “Hurry up!”

Joyce quickly jumped into Josiah’s arms. “Josiah, don’t make mistakes again! Hug me!”

“Okay!”

They made up and rushed to the bathroom. Sienna, working only mornings, went to the nursing home in the afternoon. Rosie pulled her onto the sofa, her cheeks flushing before she spoke.

“What’s wrong?” Sienna asked curiously, suspecting it might involve Howard.

“Well…” Rosie whispered. “I want to ask a favor; could you talk to Howard about transferring me to a different facility?”

“Why?” Sienna asked, surprised. “Why would you want to change? Is it uncomfortable here?”

“Not at all.” Rosie hesitated. “It’s the person next door… Hendrix.”

So, it was about Howard. Sienna asked, “What has he done?”

Rosie paused, struggling to find the words. “I feel like… he might… have feelings for me.”

“Really?” Sienna was taken aback, then laughed. “Has he said he likes you?”

“Not exactly!” Rosie exclaimed, slapping Sienna’s hand. “Keep your voice down!”

Sienna stopped laughing and lowered her tone. “Then what happened?”

Rosie’s cheeks deepened in color. “He… he… kind of kissed me.”

“Kind of?” Sienna chuckled quietly. “Either he kissed you or he didn’t; how can there be a ‘kind of’?”

“Because I’m not sure!” Rosie rubbed her temples. “Last night, on my birthday…”

“Wait,” Sienna interrupted. “Your birthday was yesterday? Why didn’t you tell me? I didn’t celebrate or bring a gift…”

“I forgot! Only Amy reminded me in the evening… but that’s not the point. What matters is…”

“Hendrix spent your birthday with you?” Sienna blurted out.

“How did you know?” Rosie asked, surprised.

“I guessed,” Sienna replied with a smile. “You’re clearly talking about him, so what happened next?”

Rosie furrowed her brow. “Later… I got drunk, and I’m not sure if it was a dream or real. Someone kissed me, and it seemed to be him.”

Sienna fell silent, pondering. It was hard to imagine Howard acting this way. Appearances can be deceiving.

“So, how will you handle this?” Sienna asked. “I’ve met Hendrix… he’s quite handsome and seems nice. Are you considering his feelings?”

“Hey!” Rosie gasped, paling. “What are you talking about! That’s impossible!”

“Why is it impossible?”

“Must I explain?” Rosie blinked in disbelief. “I’m married!”

Sienna scoffed. “Don’t tell me you have no intention of divorcing.”

“Divorce!” Rosie echoed, frowning.

“Yes,” Sienna replied. “You and Daniel need to separate. You’re still so young—don’t you plan to find love again someday?”

Rosie struggled. “Even if I dated, it certainly wouldn’t be now, and I hardly know him…”

“Then maybe you should get to know him better,” Sienna suggested. “Who knows? You might find you’re a great match.”

Rosie was silent before shaking her head. “No, that’s not possible. Married or divorced, my past is my past. How could I involve someone in that? Absolutely not.”

Clutching Sienna’s hand, she begged, “Please tell Howard I’d like to switch facilities, okay?”

“I can do that.” Given Rosie’s persistence, Sienna couldn’t refuse. She gently released Rosie’s hand. “But, Rosie, you should also consider your feelings for Hendrix. If he likes you, what about you? Do you feel any… affection for him?”

Rosie froze. She didn’t dislike him. Hendrix had rescued her twice and had a wonderful character; he was the gentlest person she’d met. But someone like her simply couldn’t fall in love again.

Sienna didn’t push. “Think it over; you don’t have to answer now.” She would inform Howard about the transfer; his response was his choice.

Changing the subject, Rosie looked at Sienna. “What about you? Are you getting married to Josiah?”

Sienna paused, surprised. “You knew?”

“Amy told me,” Rosie said with a smile. “With Josiah’s background and you practically being a half-star now, it’s all over the trending searches. Don’t you want to share details?”

Sienna sighed softly. “I thought you might find it boring… In the end, it’s about doing what he wants.”

Rosie was silent. Furrowing her brow, she said, “If he’s that stubborn, maybe he truly… has feelings for you.” Sienna was shocked. “Why do you think that?”

“Why else?” Rosie reasoned. “If he’s asking so much of you, what could he possibly gain?”

Sienna fell quiet. She seemed to have little of value to offer him. Rosie sighed. “If it weren’t for Yvette, you two probably wouldn’t be in this…”

Sienna’s expression turned serious. “There are no ‘ifs’; hypothetical thinking is meaningless.”

At the hospital, Yvette finally woke and saw Howard. Half-joking, half-complaining, she said, “Finally, I’ve seen you—it feels like forever.” Howard frowned. “I came yesterday; you were asleep, so I didn’t want to wake you.”

Yvette smiled sweetly. “Then today, can you stay a bit longer?” Her sentence was interrupted by Howard’s phone ringing.

“Excuse me.” Howard stood to take the call. It was Sienna.