Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO

Substitute Wife For The Blind CEO

Chapter 188 - 188: She Moved

hree days passed like an eternity. The world outside continued as usual — the sun rose, the sun set, footsteps echoed in the corridors, machines hummed — but Stefan's world had narrowed to the four walls of Ruby's ward.

He never left her side. Every hour, he held her hand. Every minute, he searched her face for some flicker of life. Every second, he whispered prayers and pleas to a God he wasn't even sure existed.

He was there again now, sitting hunched in the chair beside her bed, his shoulders rounded with exhaustion, his hair unkempt, his eyes shadowed with sleeplessness. His bandaged hand rested on the edge of her blanket, his uninjured one wrapped around Ruby's fingers.

The door opened softly behind him. Stefan looked up, expecting Rayna or Ethan — but instead, his breath caught when he saw who it was.

"Mom?"

Elizabeth stood there, frailer than he remembered, but with color in her cheeks again and clarity in her eyes. She had been discharged the previous day but Elizabeth had asked them not to let him know.

Elizabeth looked at him with a mixture of relief and sorrow, her gaze lingering on the dark circles under his eyes.

Stefan let out a sigh, his lips twitching into the smallest ghost of a smile. "How are you feeling? I didn't even know you could go home."

"It's fine. I asked them not to tell you anything. Didn't want to add to your stress," she said, waving it off.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked, after a while.

Elizabeth stepped in, her movements careful but steady. "I'm fine," she said gently, coming closer. Her eyes shifted to Ruby on the bed before returning to her son.

Eat something warm

could finish. "No. I need to be here with her. I

his arm lightly, her fingers trembling with the softness only a mother could have. "You're looking so drawn, sweetheart. Stressed. You haven't slept properly in days. And besides, you're not

his voice betrayed the exhaustion weighing on him. His jaw tightened, eyes still fixed on Ruby. "The only thing that matters now is her, Mom. I just want to be here when she

he wanted to be here and that it won't matter if he collapsed and she woke up while he's still bedridden

eyes locked on

gaze, but saw nothing. "What is it? Are

His heart slammed against his ribs. "I thought her hand twitched," he said, more to himself as

but after a few seconds, she shook her head. "I didn't see anything, Stefan. Maybe it was your imagination,"

Stefan's voice was

beginning to see things," Elizabeth said, but Stefan didn't say anything. He just

for Ruby's hand with both of his, clutching it tightly. "Ruby. Baby, it's me. Please, do it again. Show me you're still in

Stefan's chest tightened, fear crawling up his throat. Did he really see it, or had he just been imagining it?

then, he felt it. The faintest twitch of her fingers against

hitched sharply. "Mom! Did you see that? She moved. I swear she

— a slight,

Stefan shouted, his voice breaking

outside, startled at the sound of his voice and rushed in. "What happened?" she asked, panic

and

eyes widened, tears springing up as she spun on her heel and darted