From Exile To Queen Of Everything novel Chapter 3

Sienna had already dried her own hair and was leaning back against the headboard. Her expression was unreadable as she stared out the window, but when Vivian emerged from the bathroom, her gaze softened right away.

"Come here, Vivian," she patted the spot beside her. "Let me dry your hair."

Vivian wanted to refuse. Sienna had just come back, and she didn't want to trouble her. But Sienna's gentle, soothing voice drew her in before she could say no.

Before she knew it, she was sitting on the floor, leaning back with her head resting in Sienna's lap as the warm air from the hairdryer surrounded her.

It felt… so safe, Vivian thought. Her eyes fluttered closed in contentment, but then snapped open again.

She was terrified this was all a dream, a beautiful, fragile fantasy she would wake from at any moment. She drank in the sight of Sienna's face, her heart aching with a desperate question.

"Sienna," she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "Are you going to leave again?"

Sienna's hands paused for a moment. "No," she said softly but firmly. "I'm not going anywhere."

She had made up her mind. From now on, wherever she went, she would bring her sisters along.

Hearing this, a pure, overwhelming joy blossomed in Vivian's chest. Tears slipped down her cheeks, and Sienna reached down to wipe them away.

She knew Vivian must have suffered unimaginable pain in the years she was gone. She wouldn't press her for details. Not yet.

The rest of her life would be free of suffering, Sienna vowed silently. Because she was here now.

"Alright, go get the hand cream from my suitcase," she gently patted on Vivian's shoulder.

"Okay!" Vivian bounced up, grabbing a pink tube from the suitcase. She watched curiously as Sienna uncapped it.

"Here," Sienna said. "Give me your hands."

Vivian held them out, and the cool touch of the white lotion against her skin felt like a spark to her heart.

"You have to take care of yourself," Sienna said gently as she rubbed the hand cream into Vivian's hands. "That includes your hands, of course."

Tears welled in Vivian's eyes as she bit her lip, trying to hold them back. She couldn't let herself cry again. She didn't want to push Sienna away.

She just gave a faint nod, her throat closing up. The cream smelled lovely, a gentle blend of fruit, flowers, and a trace of tea that lingered without being too sweet.

"This smells amazing," Vivian exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

Sienna smiled. "Just something I whipped up myself. If you like it, it's yours. Use it every morning and night."

Vivian's face flushed. She shook her head quickly. "No, I couldn't. It's yours."

Before she could finish, Sienna pinched her cheek again. "What's mine is yours. Now, put it away and get some sleep."

Vivian nodded, slipping under the covers and immediately plastering herself to Sienna's side, clinging to her arm.

Just like when they were children, Sienna held her, patting her back gently until her breathing evened out.

It was the most peaceful night's sleep Vivian had had in ten years, wrapped in her sister's arms, just like old times.

Sienna was really home. She couldn't be more happy.

"Sienna…" Vivian murmured in her sleep.

Sienna, her own eyes wide open in the darkness, gazed down at her. The carefully constructed dam around her own emotions finally broke, and a single, hot tear traced a path down her cheek.

Later that night, once she was sure Vivian was sound asleep, Sienna carefully slipped out of bed, and stepped over to the window to dial a number.

"It's me," she said to the phone, her voice cool and clipped. "Lana, I need you to check on something. Pack a bag. You're coming to Solara. I'll be here for a while. Hand the company to the board."

The next day, Vivian woke in a haze, a pleasant dream fading from her mind. Then reality crashed in, and she shot upright.

The other side of the bed was empty.

Was it all a dream? Had Sienna never really come back? She thought, disappointingly.

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