With the first flight of the morning, Juniper flew to the capital. Three hours later, she landed and checked into a hotel. After freshening up, she headed straight to the hospital where Edward had been admitted.

Her pace faltered in the lobby when she spotted Cillian speaking with a doctor about Edward's deteriorating health. As his gaze landed on Juniper, he whispered a final word to the physician, who walked away with a nurse.

"June!" he called out, giving her a small wave.

She walked over to him, her expression guarded. "I hope I'm not late."

"No, you're not," Cillian replied, gesturing toward a door down the hall. "Dad is inside."

Juniper gave a tight nod, clutching a bouquet of flowers and a box of health drinks. She walked into the room, followed closely by Cillian.

The sight of Edward stopped her heart for a beat; he lay motionless on the bed, various tubes connected to both forearms and an oxygen cannula resting in his nose.

The man who had once seemed like an immovable pillar of the family now looked dangerously fragile.

"Dad, June is here," Cillian said, his voice unusually soft.

Edward opened his eyes slowly, his gaze drifting until it finally settled on Juniper. He immediately recognized the buckwheat flowers in her hand, his favorite.

"These are for you," she whispered. She placed the box of drinks on the bedside table and carefully unwrapped the bouquet, placing the flowers into the vase. A silence stretched between them for a long moment.

After she was finished, she turned to face him. "I'm here," she said firmly. "For the last time."

Edward didn't argue. Instead, he gestured weakly for her to sit in the chair beside his bed. As she lowered herself, he reached out a trembling hand and rested it on her head.

A strange sensation coursed through her veins. It was a familiar comfort of her childhood and the bitter resentment of her adulthood.

"Cillian," Edward muttered, his eyes never leaving Juniper's. "Bring what your mother left for her."

Cillian moved swiftly to the cupboard across the room and pulled out a plain paper bag. He walked back to the bedside and reached inside, withdrawing a thick envelope. He held it out to Juniper, who furrowed her brows together.

"What's this?" she frowned.

"Open it and see for yourself," Edward said, his voice a ragged whisper.

Juniper took the envelope from Cillian, noting the seal that had remained intact for years. She tore it open, her fingers trembling as she pulled out a stack of documents and a handful of photographs.

Tears immediately brimmed in her eyes as she looked at the pictures. They were candid shots from her childhood, moments she didn't even remember being captured.

"When did she even take these?" she whispered, tracing the edge of a photo where she was laughing in a garden. She went through them again and again, the ache in her heart intensifying with every turn. "I wish she were still here," she breathed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"June, look at the documents now," Cillian urged gently.

She took a few deep breaths to steady herself, calming the frantic beat of her heart before grabbing the stapled pages. The paper had weathered over the years, but the typed words remained clear.

"She transferred all her personal assets into your name before she passed," Edward explained, his gaze fixed on her. "They are yours, held in a trust that no one, not even the rest of the family, can touch. I intended to give them to you much sooner, but the timing never seemed right."

"You hate me, that's why. You believe that because of me, your wife didn't live long," Juniper muttered, the old bitterness flavoring her words.

"And I have spent every day regretting that I let that hate blind me. Now, it's too late," Edward muttered, his voice trailing off into a raspy cough. "You were right when you said I never stopped my sons from treating you badly. Now, Daxton is suffering in prison while I have succumbed to a disease for which no cure exists."

"I don't need these assets. You can ask the lawyer to transfer them into Cillian's name," Juniper whispered, looking down at the wealth that felt like nothing. "All I ever wanted was love, respect, and a family. And it's not like I'm innocent. I hid the truth about myself and asked all of you to do the same."

"That is not allowed," Edward affirmed. "Cillian is already the chairman of the company. He has his own path and his own things to build. You are supposed to keep what your mother intended for you. This was her final wish, Juniper. Do not let my failures keep you from her love."

"June, just keep them," Cillian stated. "Mom would be happy knowing they're finally with you."

She couldn't hold back anymore; the tears poured down her cheeks. She had spent so long trying to be invulnerable in front of them, building walls out of spite and survival, but the weight of her mother's foresight broke her.

After some time, when her breathing finally steadied, Cillian handed her a box of tissues. He quietly poured a glass of water and held it out to her.

Juniper whispered a thank you and drank, the cold water soothing her parched throat. As she set the glass down, a heavy quiet returned to the room.

"I heard you started a life in San Ravendale," Edward began, his eyes searching hers.

"Yes," she replied simply.

"If you ever need anything, any help at all, you call Cillian. He will come to you," Edward stated.

Juniper hummed just for his sake, but deep down she knew she would never seek help from Cillian. The distance between them was more than just miles; it was years of silence and wounds that couldn't be healed with a simple phone call.

"Forgive me, June, for not becoming the father you always wanted," Edward said, his voice cracking with a vulnerability she had never witnessed. "Just live your life well and be happy always. And take pride in your origins. You're an alpha, keep that in mind."