Come in 296
Posted on July 09, 2025 ยท 0 mins read
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Chapter 296

Looking down at Zinnia asleep against him, Nathan sighed softly. Her brows remained furrowed even in slumber.

With gentle fingers, Nathan smoothed the tension from her furrowed brows, watching as they gradually relaxed.

With a gentle bend, Nathan lifted Zinnia into his arms and carried her out of the room to her own bedroom. He pulled back the covers and tucked her in for a sound sleep.

After breaking down in tears and nearly having a heart attack, Zinnia was at her limit. She badly needed a proper rest.

Nathan stepped out of the room and made a phone call.

โ€œNathan,โ€ Yannis replied, his voice clear and pleasant.

โ€œYannis, can you come over tonight?โ€ Nathan glanced at Zinnia, still asleep in the room.

Yannis replied, โ€œWhatโ€™s wrong? I can come right now.โ€ Hearing the sigh in Nathanโ€™s voice, Yannis, who had been working on some documents, immediately grabbed his coat from the hanger and headed out.

โ€œZinnia found out a bit about my condition,โ€ Nathan said quietly. โ€œShe canโ€™t handle it.โ€

Zinnia woke up to find that night had already fallen. The tightness in her chest had eased somewhat.

She ran a hand through her hair. Remembering Nathanโ€™s condition, she bolted upright from bed, her bare feet hitting the floor as she hurried out.

โ€œMaster,โ€ she called out anxiously. Her voice carried a note of urgency. She didnโ€™t know how sheโ€™d suddenly fallen asleep.

Though sheโ€™d checked Nathanโ€™s pulse recently and found nothing amiss, the thought of Nathan being ill still filled her with unease.

It wasnโ€™t until she stepped out of the room that she heard voices coming from the living room.

โ€œYannis,โ€ Zinnia murmured. She spotted Yannis sitting on the sofa and froze for a moment, a bit taken aback.

Yannis wore a simple gray sweater and black dress pants, his well-defined bone structure standing out even in such casual attire. His neck was slightly bent as he arranged a fruit basket in his hands.

Zinnia saw it was a bunny-shaped basket crafted from cantaloupe rind, filled with neatly prepared fruit.

With his head slightly lowered, the sharp angles of his face became even more pronounced. The wall lamp cast a silhouette over his skin, half his face was lit, the other half shrouded in shadow. There was a sharp intensity about him.

โ€˜He doesnโ€™t seem to be in the best mood,โ€™ Zinnia thought.

โ€œAwake?โ€ Seeing her, Yannis softened his expression and made a gentle smile, carefully hiding the concern in his eyes.

โ€œYannis, whereโ€™s Master?โ€ Zinnia looked around the living room, not seeing Nathan anywhere, and felt uneasy. Subconsciously, she wanted to go to Nathanโ€™s room to look for him.

Yannisโ€™s gentle voice stopped her. โ€œNathanโ€™s in the kitchen baking cookies for you. See?โ€ His words calmed Zinniaโ€™s anxious heart.

Following his gaze, Zinnia saw that, perhaps knowing sheโ€™d worry if she woke up and didnโ€™t see him, Nathan had deliberately left the kitchen door open this time. She could see his busy figure inside. A wave of relief washed over her.

If the kitchen door had been closed, she would have gone to check on him. But with it wide open, Zinnia knew Nathan was reassuring her that he was fine.

โ€œHave a seat. Youโ€™ve been sleeping all afternoon, hungry? Come have some fruit,โ€ Yannis said, patting the sofa beside him to invite her over. Zinnia wandered over absentmindedly and sat down.

โ€œWhatโ€™s troubling my sweetie? Did something happen? Want to tell me about it?โ€ Yannis asked gently, immediately noticing the exhaustion on her face.

โ€œYannis.โ€ Just thinking about Nathanโ€™s illness and how heโ€™d kept it from her for so long made an ache rise in Zinniaโ€™s chest, her throat tightening with unshed tears.

โ€œWe donโ€™t have to talk about it right now. Letโ€™s just relax a bit and have some fruit. Look, do you like these?โ€ Yannis nudged the bunny-shaped fruit basket toward her.

โ€œYeah.โ€ Looking at the cute cantaloupe bunny basket filled with all her favorite fruits, including strawberries, grapes, kiwi, and mango, Zinnia felt a faint smile tug at her lips.

Each piece was cut into charming shapes and so delightfully crafted. Heโ€™d even used seeds to dot on eyes and mouths. The sight made

โ€œHave a strawberry,โ€ Yannis offered. He speared a bunny-shaped strawberry with a toothpick and handed it to her.

โ€œThanks.โ€ Zinnia took it and bit in.

The strawberry was sweet, but Zinnia could barely taste it. Her worried gaze remained fixed on Nathan in the kitchen.

Yannis gently asked, โ€œSweetie, is something bothering you?โ€

Zinnia lowered her head. โ€œYannis, Iโ€ฆ I just feel awful.โ€ Her heart ached. She thought, โ€˜Iโ€™m so useless. I didnโ€™t even know Master was sick.โ€™ She felt so helpless and hadnโ€™t even realized her master was ill.

Yannis softened his eyes as he listened to her hoarse, muffled voice, his tone as gentle as warm spring water. โ€œWhat happened? You can tell me.โ€

โ€œMasterโ€™s been sick all this time, and I had no idea. I must be so useless. If I hadnโ€™t come back today by chance, I still wouldnโ€™t know. Heโ€™s been hiding it from me all along,โ€ Zinnia said, her voice trembling with guilt.

Zinnia lowered her face, not hiding anything from Yannis. "But have you ever thought about why Master kept it from you?" Yannis asked gently, waiting patiently for her to finish.

โ€œHe was afraid Iโ€™d worry,โ€ Zinnia replied, fully aware of why Nathan had hidden it from her. He just didnโ€™t want her to be anxious about him.

โ€œBut isnโ€™t the way you are now just making him worry more?โ€ Yannis pressed softly.

โ€œBut the more he hides it from me, the more I worry about him,โ€ Zinnia said, her voice trembling. โ€œWhen I found out he was sick today, it felt like a knife was twisting in my chest. Iโ€™m terrified something might happen to him.

โ€œIโ€™m scared something will happen to him, scared that his illness is much worse than I think,โ€ Zinnia spoke each word carefully, her emotions raw.

Nathan was afraid sheโ€™d worry, but he didnโ€™t realize that by keeping her in the dark, she could only guess if something had happened to him, left to stew in endless anxious speculation.

These past days, Zinnia hadnโ€™t had a single good nightโ€™s sleep.

Yet after learning about Nathanโ€™s illness today, she actually felt a strange sense of relief, like a weight had finally lifted from her heart.

But that relief was quickly replaced by even deeper worries. She began to worry about Nathan and thought, โ€˜What on earth is wrong with Master? How serious is his condition?โ€™

Hearing Zinnia describe the pain in her heart as if a knife were carving it out, Yannis finally understood why Nathan had kept everything hidden, even when things were so serious.

โ€˜She could barely handle just finding out something was wrong with Nathan,โ€™ Yannis thought. โ€˜If she ever learned the full truth about his condition, the consequences would be unbearable for anyone.โ€™

Her own health was a ticking time bomb. Yannis understood why Nathan had never dared to tell her. Zinnia had a heart condition. The realization sent a belated wave of fear washing over him.

โ€˜Sheโ€™s never had an episode before,โ€™ he thought. โ€˜Few people could withstand a shock like that.โ€™

Nathan stepped out of the kitchen, a tray of freshly baked cookies in his gloved hands, their sweet aroma instantly filling the air. โ€œYouโ€™re awake?โ€ he greeted gently.

Zinnia approached him, her voice scratchy from hours of sleep. โ€œMaster, let me check your pulse.โ€

โ€œNo rush,โ€ Nathan said with a soft smile. โ€œLet me put these down first.โ€ He bent over and set the cookies on the coffee table, still wearing his gloves, his movements careful and unhurried.


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