[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603222E6F78-161":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},161,63,"Chapter 63: Mommy, Is Daddy Turning Into a Rabbit?","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The night air hung heavy and cold. Maximus sat motionless by Rose’s bedside.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Five years. He had waited five agonizing years. The wedding dress had been hanging in the closet for five years, and Shiloh was already five years old.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Rose, please. Just wake up. I’m so tired. I’m… I’m scared,\" Maximus whispered, his voice cracking.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Five years had taken their toll. He had aged significantly; when he looked in the mirror that morning, he saw the silver strands creeping into his temples. He was terrified. He was terrified that by the time Rose finally opened her eyes, he would be an old man. He was simply terrified.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Moonlight spilled through the window, painting the floor in silver. The shadow of a man hunched over a bed, weeping silently, looked as desolate as a shipwreck.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The next morning, Maximus left with red-rimmed eyes. He had arranged for a world-renowned specialist from Tokyo to fly in to examine Rose. He had to meet them at the airport.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Shiloh had received his \"marching orders\" from Daddy: keep Mommy company until he got back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The little boy nodded eagerly, his excitement bubbling over as he scurried to the side of Rose's bed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mommy! Guess what? Daddy’s eyes were so red today! Do you think he’s turning into a rabbit?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He leaned in closer, his voice a soft, conspiratorial whisper. \"Little bunnies are so cute. I saw one at Grandma’s house, and I touched its fur. It was super soft, like a cloud. Oh, and you know the cat, Pudding? Her fur is soft too. I wonder… if Daddy grows soft fur, he’ll be really cute, right?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He giggled to himself, satisfied with the logic.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh! Mommy, I learned a new rhyme today! Miss Jenkins taught me. She’s so gentle, Mommy. I bet you’re even gentler than her.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He paused, then puffed out his chest. \"I’ll recite it for you, okay? I hope you wake up to tell me how I did.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He cleared his throat and began, his high-pitched, clear voice filling the sterile room. \"Heaven and earth, vast and deep. Sun and moon, their watches keep...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Shiloh was five now. Perhaps it was the influence of the stories Rose had whispered to him before he was even born, but he had a natural affinity for classic nursery rhymes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mm… that was beautiful, Shiloh.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The voice was soft, melodic, and faint—just a ghost of a sound.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mommy! You’re awake!\" Shiloh let out a gasp of pure, unadulterated joy. \"Wow! You’re even more beautiful and gentle than I imagined! I missed you so much!\" He stretched his little arms out, wrapping his chubby hands around Rose’s neck, pulling her forehead into his chest.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Rose inhaled, anchoring herself in the scent of him—warm, milky, and sweet. Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over onto the hospital sheets.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A moment later, Shiloh pulled back, his large, liquid eyes searching hers. \"Mommy, I’ve missed you so much. Daddy misses you too. So much.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As if remembering his duty, he suddenly jumped up. \"He misses you, I have to go get him!\" Without another word, he scrambled off the bed and dashed out of the room to find Maximus.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Rose watched him go, a faint, weary smile playing on her lips. She didn't want to look away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had finally drifted back from the void. Her little boy was five years old—it was a miracle. She had been trapped in the dark for five years, floating in a sea of consciousness, listening to the world go by. She had heard his prayers. She had felt his waiting.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maximus rushed back into the room a few minutes later, breathless, his face a mask of shock and desperate hope. \"You’re… you’re awake?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yes, Maximus,\" she whispered, her voice like dry leaves. \"I’m awake.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I heard you, she thought. That’s why I came back.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Meeting you was my greatest trial, the fire that almost consumed me. But we’ve made it through the flames. And now, I can finally see the light waiting on the other side.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272923737]