The heating in the room was turned up high.

Mia Grant was under a thick quilt. Although her forehead was beaded with sweat, her hands and feet were still ice-cold.

She hugged a pillow, trying to curl herself into a tiny ball.

On the vast bed, the small bundle that was her took up only a fraction of the space.

The door closed, blocking out the light from the hallway.

A ring of wall sconces was on, casting a warm, yellow glow, but the light was even dimmer than in the hallway.

Still, they provided just enough light to see.

The room was so quiet that the only sound was the ticking of the second hand on an old clock on the wall.

Hayes Hughes tiptoed in, his leather shoes sinking into the carpet, muffling what little sound they made.

From a distance, the large bed in the center of the room appeared to be empty.

But there was no light coming from the bathroom either...

Thinking she wasn’t there, Hayes Hughes stopped, paused for a moment, and prepared to leave.

Just as he turned, a muffled groan sounded from behind him.

It was very, very soft.

When he turned back, it was as if he had just imagined it.

Realizing what was happening, Hayes Hughes’s brow furrowed. He didn’t slow his pace this time, crossing to the bed in a few quick strides.

Mia Grant was sleeping fitfully and didn’t notice someone approaching.

She was lying face down, hugging a pillow and completely hidden under the covers. When Hayes Hughes pulled her out, she was already drenched in sweat, damp and steaming.

After being pulled from under the covers and laid down properly, Mia Grant remained groggy, taking a long while to open her eyes.

She vaguely saw a figure bustling about by the bed and thought it was Lee.

"Just leave it for now. I’ll eat when I’m hungry."

Then, the mattress dipped beside her as if someone had sat down. A voice leaned in and asked, "Stomach ache?"

"Mhm." The voice was a little familiar. Mia Grant tried to think.

She stared at the ceiling as her vision grew clearer and her consciousness slowly returned.

’This voice...’

Before she could find an answer, a source of heat suddenly pressed against her lower abdomen.

A physiological reaction made her body tremble involuntarily.

She snapped her head to the side, looking toward the edge of the bed.

In the dim yellow light, the man sat beside her, still wearing his overcoat. His hands, the same hands that usually held a scalpel, were now buried under her thin, pink-and-white blanket, resting precisely on her lower abdomen.

His long lashes were lowered, his gaze fixed accurately on her stomach through the blanket. His expression was focused and tense, as if he were performing a major surgery.

And without a doubt, the young and renowned Dr. Hughes was the chief surgeon for this procedure.

As if not noticing she was awake, Hayes Hughes pulled his hand out, lowered his head to rub his hands together again to warm them up, and reached back in through an opening in the covers...

"S-Second Brother!"

Mia Grant was instantly wide awake. She rolled over, wrapping the blanket around herself and scrambling away from his hand.

"..."

Hayes Hughes froze for a second, then leaned over to the headboard, pressed a remote, and turned on the overhead chandelier.

The light was blinding, and Mia Grant instinctively shut her eyes.

"Mia."

Hearing her name, she slowly opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the light. She sat up, her expression dazed.

"Second Brother, how did you know I was here?"

Hayes Hughes just smiled without answering and beckoned to her. "Come here. Let me rub it for you a little longer."

"Huh?"

Mia Grant managed to free her hands and waved them frantically. "N-No, that’s okay."

"If your period is this painful, I should take you to the hospital for a check-up."

’Here we go again.’

Mia Grant’s head throbbed. "I don’t want to go."

"Then come here now. I’ll rub your stomach, and I can get you a painkiller later."

"It’s one or the other. How about that?"

"..."

Mia Grant pouted, then lay back down.

Only then did Hayes Hughes let out a small smile.

He took off his coat and draped it over a nearby chair before leaning forward. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

’It was hard to control the pressure from that last position.’

After a moment’s thought, he sat at the head of the bed this time, picking her up and letting her lean against him.

While she was distracted, he pulled the blanket up over her with one hand and slipped his other hand underneath, gently rubbing her lower abdomen.

Mia Grant felt a little shy. She tilted her head to one side and went limp in his arms, playing dead.

It was a hard scene to describe.

She had never dared to even imagine something like this before.

Especially since the person in front of her was the one she had a crush on.

Hayes Hughes called her name, but she didn’t respond.

After a long moment, a sigh came from above her.

Mia Grant’s eyelashes fluttered. She opened her eyes and hesitantly looked up.

The man’s gaze locked onto hers. Seeing her, he chuckled. "Decided to spare me a glance?"

"This is weird." Mia Grant was slightly embarrassed, her cheeks burning as she averted her gaze.

The warm current inside her surged even more intensely.

’It doesn’t seem to be getting any better.’

"Just think of me as a doctor. In my eyes, there’s no distinction between genders."

"Does Dr. Hughes rub other patients’ stomachs, then?" she asked, tilting her head up.

"No."

"Well, there you have it."

He gave a helpless smile and added, "But isn’t it normal for an older brother to help his younger sister?"

"Then would you do this for Serena Grant during her period?"

". . . No."

"Mhm." She blinked, her expression seeming to say, ’See? You even said it yourself.’

Hayes Hughes was at a loss for words.

"Then just think of me as whatever role would allow you to accept this with a clear conscience."

"Huh?" Without even thinking, Mia Grant answered earnestly, "This is something that usually only a boyfriend or a husband could do, right? As a matter of course?"

"..."

The hand on her body suddenly stopped moving.

Realization dawned on Mia Grant a moment too late. She sat up straight, her gaze flickering away. "I think it doesn’t hurt as much anymore. Second Brother, have you... have you eaten yet?"

Hayes Hughes snapped back to his senses. He withdrew his hand and stared at her for a few seconds before saying, "Not yet."

"Then you should go downstairs and eat first, okay?"

’Let me calm down by myself for a bit.’

"Aren’t you going to eat?"

"Um." Mia Grant hesitated for a moment. "It’s a little complicated. In short, it’s best if you pretend you don’t know I’m here."

"Let me figure out how to phrase it, and I’ll tell you why later. But right now..."

"Okay," he said with a nod.

"Huh?" Mia Grant slowly lowered the hand she had raised. "You’re not going to ask?"

Hayes Hughes gave her an indulgent smile and brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek. "I wasn’t planning on asking in the first place."

The happiness and relief she expected to feel never came. Mia Grant pouted. "Is it because it’s not important?"

"No." Hayes Hughes looked down into her eyes and answered seriously, "It’s because I knew you would be put in a difficult position, just like you are now."

"Rather than forcing you to rack your brain to come up with an excuse, it’s better to wait until you’re willing to talk about it."

"Everyone has secrets."

"As long as you can ensure your own safety, you can keep secrets from your brother."

"But... if I told other people and not you, wouldn’t you be angry?"

Hayes Hughes’s lips curved into a slight smile. "It’s okay. You have your reasons.

When this brother becomes that ’matter-of-course’ character, I believe you’ll tell me then."