When the Flame of Love Fades (Sierra) novel Chapter 321

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 She was withdrawn and extremely isolated.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

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 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 with kept buying you things. We all thought you two would end up together.”

you

and

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.

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.”

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3:29 PM