Chapter 3 - The Sanctuary of Blake Manor
"Claire!" Edward screamed, rushing forward and catching her before her head hit the hardwood floor. Her skin was burning hot—a severe fever brought on by untreated pneumonia and sheer physical exhaustion.
Within fifteen minutes, Edward’s private medical team arrived, escorted by two security vehicles. Ignoring Claire's faint, delusional protests, Edward carried his daughter down the narrow stairs himself, refusing to let his staff touch her.
By nightfall, Claire was resting in the master guest wing of Blake Manor—a sprawling, twenty-acre estate in Connecticut surrounded by stone walls and manicured gardens. Top specialists monitored her IV fluids and administered high-dose antibiotics, assuring Edward that she would recover with proper rest and nutrition.
Downstairs in the grand kitchen, Lily sat at a marble island, happily eating a gourmet dinner prepared by the estate's private chef. Her wet clothes had been replaced with soft cashmere pajamas, and a giant plush teddy bear sat on the stool beside her.
Edward stood in the doorway, watching his granddaughter. For five years, Blake Manor had been a cold, silent mausoleum dedicated to his grief. Now, the sound of a child’s laughter echoed through the high-arched corridors, breathing life into the dead quiet.
"Grandpa?" Lily called out, spotting him.
The word Grandpa hit Edward like a physical warmth spreading through his chest. He walked over, sitting on the stool next to her. "Yes, Lily?"
"Is Mommy going to be okay?" she asked, her hazel eyes searching his face.
"She is going to be completely fine," Edward promised, taking her small hand in his. "I am going to make sure no one ever hurts either of you ever again."
Lily smiled, a soft dimple appearing on her cheek—the exact same dimple Claire had as a child. "Mommy said you were a king who lived in a stone castle, but you were too busy taking care of the kingdom to visit us."
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Edward swallowed hard, a painful lump rising in his throat. Even while starving in an attic, Claire had protected his image in her daughter's mind, turning his cruel abandonment into a noble fairy tale.
"I wasn't taking care of the kingdom, Lily," Edward whispered, pressing a kiss to her tiny forehead. "I was just a foolish old man waiting for a little girl to show me the way home."
