Chapter 321: Quiet Tension

Since Sierra had been busy taking care of Dora, she and Johnathan hadn't really seen each other for the past two days, except for the occasional message on their phones. Both of them had been racking their brains trying to figure out what to do with Dora, but they couldn't come up with a good solution. If she were a typical child, sending her to full-time daycare wouldn't be a problem. But Dora was clearly different—her physical health was shaky, and her psychological state was far worse. She was withdrawn and extremely isolated.

Maybe it was because Sierra had been with her these past couple of days, but Dora had grown very attached to her. Wherever Sierra went, Dora followed—even when she went to the bathroom, Dora would wait right outside the door. At night, she wouldn't sleep unless she was in bed with Sierra. Johnathan had lost his temper more than once over it, but in the end, there wasn't much he could do. It wasn't like he could really argue with a three-year-old.

Sierra was getting a headache from the situation. It was fine for now since she was home, but she had to go back to school the day after tomorrow. After thinking it over, she decided to take Dora to the hospital to visit Quinn. Maybe there was something Quinn could offer that would help them figure things out.

To Sierra's surprise, Quinn's hospital room was much livelier than expected. It wasn't just Quinn—Mateo, Stone, and Maddox were all there too. Quinn seemed a lot better today. She had a slight smile on her face and looked healthier—nothing like the wreck she'd been a couple of days ago. They were all pretty close with Quinn, and the group had been chatting nonstop about stories from when they were kids. Sierra paused outside the room, listening for a bit, just about to open the door when she heard Mateo say:

“Back when we were little, Johnathan was so sweet to you. He had such a bad temper, but he always spoke gently and kept buying you things. We all thought you two would end up together.”

Sierra froze with her hand on the doorknob. Then she heard Johnathan's voice: “If you can’t keep your mouth shut, then don’t say anything at all.” And then Quinn chimed in, “Mateo, what are you talking about? He’s my brother!”

Sierra's tense heart eased, and she knocked gently before opening the door with a smile. “What are you guys talking about?”

She meant it as a lighthearted joke based on what she’d overheard—but the mood in the room instantly shifted. Mateo, especially, looked caught off guard and panicked. “Ms. Sierra! That was just me talking nonsense, seriously, don’t take it to heart.”

His flustered reaction left a faint discomfort in Sierra’s chest. Yes, she had felt a little off when she first heard what he said, but after hearing how Johnathan and Quinn responded, she’d let it go. But now, seeing Mateo this nervous made it hard not to second-guess everything.

Johnathan walked over, clearly glad to see her. “Didn’t think you’d come by.” “I’m going back to school tomorrow,” she said. “Figured I should come check on Quinn while I could.”

Quinn looked truly grateful. “Johnathan keeps telling me how Dora’s doing. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you two.” “You’re family,” Maddox said with a laugh. “You’re our little sister. What kind of brother wouldn’t step up?”

“Exactly, exactly,” Mateo quickly added, trying to recover. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to slap himself. Why hadn’t he kept his mouth shut?

No one had expected Sierra to show up today. What Mateo said might’ve sounded like a joke, but it was also based on the truth. Back when they were young, they had all thought Johnathan and Quinn would end up together. After all, Quinn had been there for Johnathan through his darkest days. No one in the world knew him better. They had always assumed he would choose Quinn—especially since her gentle personality was so much like his late mother’s. But instead, Johnathan had chosen Sierra.

That was why, when they first heard about her, they had all been curious to meet her. They wanted to know what kind of woman had caught Johnathan’s heart. Mateo hadn’t meant anything by his comment. They’d known Quinn for years, but none of them disliked Sierra. On the contrary, they actually admired her. What he’d said had just been a dumb joke. Now he just hoped Sierra didn’t take it the wrong way. Judging by her expression, though, it didn’t seem like she was too bothered. That was the only thing helping Mateo breathe a little easier.

Since Dora had come all this way, Sierra encouraged her to spend some time with Quinn. That was when she noticed something strange—Dora didn’t seem all that fond of Quinn. She wasn’t exactly resistant, but she wasn’t affectionate either. It was hard to say she liked her.