From Exile To Queen Of Everything - Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Mason didn't answer, just downed his drink.
"So what if you did?" another friend chimed in. "You're not in love with her anyway. Now you can finally marry Chloe."
A third friend scoffed. "Get real. Chloe is fine as a mistress on the side, but she'll never marry into the Quinn family. Vivian Hart, for all her faults, is still the daughter of the Hart Corporation. Ten years ago, that company was a force to be reckoned with. And don't forget, she's also got the Bayer family behind her. Chloe can't compete with that."
Mason poured another glass and drank it in one go. "Whatever. Vivian said she wanted to break up. I don't care."
"Come on, Mason," the friend laughed. "She'll come crawling back in a few days. 'Breaking up' is just her playing hard to get. The girl is hopelessly devoted to you. She was willing to be Chloe's personal blood bank, for God's sake. You really think she's going to leave you?"
"True," another agreed. "Everyone knows she was happy to be Chloe's stand-in just to be with you."
Hearing their words, the unease in Mason's heart began to fade. They were right. Vivian couldn't live without him. She would be back. He just had to wait.
Sienna found a quiet corner and dialed Jason's number. The person on the other end went from calm to chaos in a split second.
"Wait for me!" Jason called out in the phone. "Wait, I'm on my way, right now! Don't move!"
Jason's eyes were red as he threw on his coat and sprinted out of his office. He slapped himself hard across the face in the elevator, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
Ten years. A full decade of silence. But that voice... it was hers. He would never mistake it. She was back. He knew she was still alive. He had always known.
He burst through the hospital doors and saw her, a vision of elegance standing by the entrance. "Sienna!" he yelled.
She turned. A handsome, breathless man was running towards her. When he saw her face, his eyes lit up.
She was even more beautiful than he remembered, with a mature, captivating allure. He closed the distance between them and pulled her into a tight, desperate hug.
"Enna!"
"Jason, it's me," Sienna said, gently patting the back of the man who was currently squeezing the life out of her.
He was a grown man, a respected doctor, but he couldn't stop the tears from welling in his eyes. "Enna, where have you been? Why didn't you come back? Why?"
"Sienna?" Vivian, worried that Sienna had been gone for so long, had come looking for her. She was met with the sight of a tall man clinging to her sister.
"Sienna," she said again, a little louder.
Sienna saw her and tried to gently push Jason away. He refused to let go, his heart still pounding with a joy so fierce it was almost painful.
"No," he whispered. "Let me just hold on for a second. I'm afraid this is a dream and you'll disappear."
Vivian's eyes narrowed. She marched over and started pummeling his back with her fists. "Let go of my sister! Didn't you hear me? Let her go, you creep!"
"Ow! Stop it, stop it!" Jason yelped, surprised by the girl's strength. "You're going to break my ribs!"
Sienna ruffled Vivian's hair. She could tell Jason was exaggerating, but she played along. "Vivian, apologize. This is my friend, Jason Now a very famous and respected doctor."
Jason waved his hands dismissively. "Don't say that, Enna, you'll embarrass me. Look at me, I'm losing my hair from stress. If you hadn't come back soon, you would have missed my handsome prime."
Sienna smiled faintly. "Alright. I'm here because I need you to take a look at my sister."
"Enna," Jason said, his tone serious, "don't say 'need.' Anything for you."
"Vivian," Sienna said, "go with him."
Vivian nodded.
An hour later, Jason walked into his office with a chart. "How is she?" Sienna asked immediately.
Jason's brow was furrowed, a look of grave concern on his face.
"It's not good, Enna. She's your sister, so I'll be blunt," he said. "She has significant trauma, most likely from prolonged bullying and abuse. There are signs of recent improvement, which is a good start. But... I need to be clear. She has a history of multiple suicide attempts and exhibits signs of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder."
Sienna nodded, and Jason went on. "Psychological illnesses like this ultimately have to be overcome by the patient herself. You can't just medicate the pain away. But I think you, being here, can help her heal. Your presence, your support—that's the most important thing. She was only fifteen when you left. We don't know everything she went through, but it's clear that your disappearance was the primary trigger. Her emotional state is extremely fragile. I strongly advise you not to disappear suddenly again. It could cause a catastrophic relapse."
In short, the loss of her only protector had left her vulnerable to years of abuse, and the constant stress had shattered her psyche.
Sienna's gaze, which had been heavy with sorrow, now sharpened into a blade of cold, hard fury. She looked at the words on the report—multiple suicide attempts—and her anger melted into a familiar, aching guilt.