While Zaden sat there, frowning and lost in thought, Teri suddenly came out hugging her stuffed animal. She rubbed her eyes and asked softly, "Daddy, Mommy's not back yet? I woke up and didn't see her. When's she coming home?" Zaden pinched the bridge of his nose. He had no idea how things ended up like this. He hadn't even noticed how much he'd neglected Athena. And now ... he didn't know what to do. Teri noticed the worry on his face and plopped down beside him. "Daddy, what's wrong? When's Mommy coming back?" she asked curiously. Zaden looked at her, and when she kept pressing, he realized he couldn't keep avoiding the truth. He let out a sigh and said, "She's not coming back tonight." "What?!" Teri stared at him in shock. "Why not? Didn't she already move back from the hospital? It has to be your fault! You must've made Mommy mad, and that's why she didn't come home!" Teri pointed at him accusingly, putting all the blame squarely on his shoulders. Zaden didn't really want to admit it ... but he nodded. "Hmph! I knew it!" Teri huffed, clearly upset with him. Then she turned to him and said seriously, "Well, I guess I'll just have to help you out. You are my daddy, after all. I'll call Mommy and talk to her. Maybe I can get her to come back!" Zaden couldn't help but smile faintly at his daughter's sweet determination. This was one of those moments where he was actually glad to have a daughter.Teri pulled out her tablet and started a video call to Athena. The line rang for a long time, but no one picked up. Still, Teri waited patiently, not giving up. Eventually, the call timed out and disconnected. Athena hadn't answered at all. Teri's face fell. "Daddy, why didn't Mommy pick up? Do you think she already went to bed?" But deep down, Teri was getting anxious. She and Athena had only just started to really bond. What if Athena left? What if she stopped being her mommy? Teri couldn't even imagine that. Just thinking about it made her eyes well up with tears. Zaden noticed she looked even more heartbroken than he felt. He quickly reached out to comfort her. "Don't cry, Teri. Maybe Mommy's taking a shower, so she didn't hear the call. Or maybe she's already asleep." "Really?" She sniffled, her voice shaky. "Yeah, just think about how busy she is with work all the time. She must be super tired, she probably fell asleep and didn't hear your call." Only then did Teri finally accept Zaden's explanation. Oh, that made sense! Mommy was probably just too exhausted from work, and since their house was far from the hospital, she had chosen to stay there and rest. Teri decided she was going to be a good girl and not disturb Athena. She turned to Zaden and said, "Alright then, Daddy, I'm gonna go to bed now." With that, she grabbed her pillow and headed upstairs. Once she was gone, Zaden let out a long sigh. At this time of night, Athena usually wasn't asleep yet. There was a good chance she'd seen Teri's video call ... and just chose not to answer.And truthfully, Zaden had guessed right. Athena had stared at her ringing phone, hesitant. If it had been before, she would've answered Teri's video call right away, probably even excitedly. But after overhearing what she had last night, things felt strange. Facing Teri now just reminded her of Maya, of the possibility that Teri was Maya's daughter. While Athena sat frozen in her own thoughts, the call eventually timed out. When Teri didn't call again, Athena figured she must've assumed she was busy and gave up. She finally let out a quiet sigh of relief. Right now, she didn't know how to face any of it. The only thing she could do was stay distant for the time being. Maybe in a few days, she'd know how to deal with this whole mess. ... The next morning, Athena got up early. Today was her official first day on the job. Thanks to the huge success of her last surgery, she had formally joined Storm Hospital as the Chief Surgeon. It was a massive step forward in her career, made possible because the surgery had been recorded and picked up by a top medical journal. That procedure had been incredibly complex, and she'd more than proven she had the skill to handle it. And with Kate backing her and Zaden as a powerful ally, she didn't have to climb the ranks the slow way like most doctors did. Jaylee handed her a patient file and said, "Dr. Hall, this is a new admission—an elderly woman, around 70. She's already been assigned a room. Just waiting for your instructions."Athena gave a small nod. "Got it. I'll go check on her in a bit."