Kapitel 7: His Indifference Shattered Her Heart

||Liliana||

The lights inside the private ward were dim. The laptop screen reflected its gleam on Asher's facial features, casting a glow on his face.

The man's piercing gaze fell on Liliana's bewildered one. Her throat was so dry but she didn't utter a single word of discomfort. She kept her eyes on Asher who also did the same.

What happened earlier rushed into Liliana's mind. She remembered every scene that occurred.

The stranger who helped her from falling off the windows, the surprising appearance of her husband, the vicious accusations that came from him and...

The despair shattered her heart, followed by the excruciating pain in her lower limbs.

Asher broke their connected gazes when he moved to put the laptop away. He reached out for a remote control before switching on the lights.

In an instant, the darkness was chased away.

Liliana shut her eyes in an instinct, pierced by the lights. She rubbed them a few times.

Next to the bed, Asher was sitting there with his back straight. His dark obsidian eyes carefully traveled on his wife who was still lying on the bed.

"The doctor said you need more rest."

Liliana blinked. She silently listened to the words that flowed from her husband's mouth. Her eyes ran to the ceiling instead of Asher's face.

As usual, Asher's tone was flat. He didn't show any concern or intrigue toward the sick Liliana. It was as if his wife's miscarriage meant nothing to him.

Liliana coughed softly. She could no longer stand how dry her throat was. Without replying anything to Asher, she slowly pushed her body up.

Gritting her teeth to avoid any cry spilling out of her mouth, Liliana turned her back to Asher.

The water thermos was put on the other side of the bed. She just needed to scoot to the edge of the bed to get to the bedside table.

Asher frowned as he watched Liliana's back. Seeing how slowly she moved rising a sense of dissatisfaction in him. He stood up and round the bed until he reached the table.

Liliana was caught off guard once she realized Asher was already standing in front of her. He took the thermos and the mug from her hands before pouring the water inside.

"You don't know to ask for help?"

The curtly-said words stung Liliana.

Scrunching her brows, she irritably slapped Asher's right hand from trying to hold the mug. Disregarding the faint surprise in his eyes, she quenched her thirst with the warm water.

Liliana felt so ironic when her eyes caught the wedding ring on Asher's left hand. He always wore it, the same as her but, obviously, they didn't share the same feeling.

Right now, her wedding ring was stored inside the bedside drawer. She stopped wearing it after being taken off during the time the medical team gave her the emergency treatment.

Asher was displeased by how Liliana reacted but, he just swallowed it down. His mind was inevitably drawn to what his assistant Caleb mentioned before.

"President, you have to remember that Young Madam is in a fragile state. Her physical pain is nothing compared to how she feels inside. Please, try to be gentler with her."

Caleb kept saying the same thing to Asher during their phone call. Asher was annoyed because his chief assistant sounded so worried about his wife yet, he knew the younger man was telling the truth.

It was just... he didn't know which way should he treat her.

Liliana put down the mug after finishing the water. Tilting up her chin, she finally collided her eyes onto her husband's.

Asher remained standing there with an impassive look. He always gave off the vibe of an impenetrable fortress., something that Liliana used to admire before.

But, not anymore.

Liliana glanced at the wall clock. It was showing a quarter to eight.

How long had she passed out? Three hours? Or four?

At this time, Asher would usually still be busy with his tasks either at the office or outside of the company. Liliana could count the times he returned early and had dinner with her with just one hand.

Liliana parted her lips. She finally spoke.

"Isn't every minute of your time precious? How come the president is still here?"

The sweet smile that usually graced her features was nowhere to be seen. Even the tone she used right now was flat and sounded distant.

Asher squinted his eyes. He peered into Liliana's murky gaze.

There was something different about her. But... what was it?

"You got mad because I was late? I had a delegation to entertain."

Asher's justification pricked Liliana's heart. She had to grasp her pants to avoid trembling too much.

Liliana was not afraid of Asher's overbearing stance. Instead, she was getting upset because of how lightly he treated this situation.

The fondness that Liliana held for Asher was swallowed by the silent rage building within her body.

She had so many things to lash out at him, to vent the resentment that almost ate her soul, but...

At this time, she simply wished for him not to appear in front of her.

Liliana averted her gaze from Asher's probing one. More energy was drained out of her the longer she had to put up the calm facade.

"Then... keep yourself busy as always."

Asher was stupefied. His initial annoyance changed into fury. Despite knowing his wife was in a weak state, he couldn't stand to see how detached she was right now.

"Liliana..."

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

The shout that came from the door startled both Liliana and Asher. They abruptly looked in that direction.

An angry Nancy was standing there with both hands on her hip. Her blazing gaze was shot toward Asher.

"Miss Wu," Asher ignored the obvious wrath exposed by Nancy toward him, "I see that you're here."

Nancy strode quickly to the bed. She stood in front of Asher, shielding Liliana behind her.

"Of course, I am! Lili needs moral support. I'm not like someone who only sends his assistant here as if it's not his wife who's sick right now."

Asher silently gritted his teeth. He had always known this friend of Liliana outrightly detested him.

Ignoring Nancy, Asher stared again at Liliana. His tall height allowed him to see her even though Nancy tried to keep her away from him.

"You haven't eaten. Someone will send you food. I'll go now."

Asher's indifference irked Nancy.

"Go! Just go! Lili doesn't need your fake concern!"

Asher continued paying no regard to Nancy's outburst. He gave Liliana a look before he left the ward with the laptop. She kept her head down, not even peeking at him.

Women... How troublesome.

Nancy slammed the door shut once Asher walked out of the ward. She hurried back to Liliana.

"Lili! Are you alright? What did he..."

Liliana pulled Nancy to her. She buried her face in her friend's chest. The tears that she held back when Asher was there began to drip down her cheeks.

"Nancy... I'm stupid, right? Even right now... he doesn't care about me."

Liliana's woeful sorrow stung Nancy's heart. She tightly embraced her grieving friend.

"...Lili, you're precious. Please... I really hope you won't... cry like this again for that scum."

Liliana didn't reply. Her heart-wrenching cries echoed in the ward.

Kommentar Kommentar von 4

Abstimmen

GESCHENK VERSENDEN

next chapter

Kapitel 8: The Man Who Saved Her Twice

Nancy accompanied Liliana in the ward that night, saying that she didn't have work tomorrow. She already brought a change of clothes and had a shower inside the ensuite washroom.

"Lili, have you finished the meal?" asked Nancy right after she walked out of the washroom. A dark gray baggy sweater and thick cotton loose pants were donned on her tall and slender frame.

Liliana looked up from the bowl sitting on the small dining table. With a sheepish smile, she hummed.

"It's tasty as always."

Nancy came closer to her friend. She was satisfied to see how empty the bowl was. It was a chicken and corn porridge together with slices of mushrooms.

Nancy bought it from a famous porridge store nearby the restaurant she was working. Liliana had always loved the huge selections of porridge there.

On the same table, a three-tiered lacquer box in deep red color was left untouched. It was the food delivered by someone on Asher's behalf to Liliana.

Just from seeing the packaging, Nancy knew it came from a top-rated fine dining restaurant in the city.

"You should eat that," Liliana noticed Nancy's gaze on the red meal box, "Aren't you hungry after working hard all day?"

"Don't worry, I'll finish this," Nancy hung her towel before pulling up a chair at the dining table, "No matter how much I hate that trash, I can't stand wasting food."

Liliana's lips curled up but the smile didn't reach her reddened eyes.

Nancy didn't point it out. She didn't want to add to her friend's despair anymore. Liliana's cries from earlier still rang in her mind.

Liliana didn't move back to the bed. She remained seated on the dining chair. Looking at her friend who was enjoying the fine cuisine, she asked quietly.

"Is Gilbert at home? Would he be alright with you here?"

Nancy shrugged. She picked the sweet and sour prawn with the chopsticks, "Don't mind him. We fought last night."

"What? Again?" Liliana gasped.

Gilbert An was Nancy's boyfriend from college. They used to study in the same faculty of business.

While Nancy had difficulty securing a job thus leading her to work in a restaurant, Gilbert was quick to get a spot in one of the top companies in the city. He was currently the assistant to his team leader.

Nancy and Gilbert lived together in an apartment nearby the latter's workplace. They moved there from a shabby rooftop apartment when he started to complain frequently about the long commute.

"Why did you fight?" Liliana repeated the question.

Nancy pouted, "He said I'm too busy working. He'd rather me stay at home and take care of the apartment."

"You certainly won't agree," Liliana nodded in understanding.

"Of course! I know that his income can take care of us both but, it's better if I have mine too. It's not like he'd give me allowance if I didn't work."

Liliana once again nodded. Even though she rarely met Gilbert, she often heard about him from Nancy.

Gilbert was a man with a traditional mind. He actually preferred Nancy to not work at all and just stay at home. They often fought about the matter until they reached a compromise.

Nancy could work until they had a child. Gilbert always said he wasn't comfortable allowing their child to be taken care of by a personal nanny or a daycare center.

"Then... would you wait until he apologizes?" inquired Liliana with an uncomfortable smile.

"Nah, let him come to find me," Nancy scoffed. She wiped her greasy lips with a tissue, "He's busy with work too. We don't see each other often. He always comes home late these days."

Liliana had nothing else to say. She could only smile faintly.

Because Nancy accompanied her tonight, it helped Liliana not to think much about the events that transpired today. The despair still clawed her heart out painfully but, numbness also followed.

After some time, Liliana returned to bed. A doctor had come to check her condition before she had her meal earlier. Despite what happened before, her body was still recuperating well.

Nancy unfolded the couch to turn it into a bed. It was comfortable enough for her to lie on it all night long. She got a spare pillow and blanket from the small closet.

"Oh, right... Lili, did someone come to see you before Asher?"

"Someone?" Liliana looked at Nancy from the bed. She was already leaning against the headboard with the blanket covering her.

"Yeah. A man to be exact. He..."

"Oh! Did you know him, Nancy?"

Liliana quickly cut Nancy off when the stranger from before popped into her mind.

Her friend's reaction baffled Nancy.

"Why? You guys didn't talk much? Or, did he not tell you anything?"

"...well, the doctor came so, he left right away."

Liliana didn't dare to tell Nancy about her almost falling off the window together with the accusations that came from Asher when he saw her with the stranger. Nancy would erupt once more tonight.

"Well, he's the man who called me that night. He said he wanted to visit so, I told him your ward number and notified the hospital about him."

Nancy was listed as Liliana's guardian during her stay here. Because of her words, the attendants in the private ward section allowed Lucas to come inside.

"That's him? I should thank him myself..."

Liliana was grateful to the stranger who helped her before. Nancy did give her the man's number but, she was hesitant to contact him when she was still emotionally unstable.

"His name is Lucas Liu. I think he's younger than us. Well, don't worry, Lili. Focus on getting better first. Then, you can thank Mr. Liu later."

"Yeah, I should do that..." Liliana nodded absent-mindedly.

Right now, she was more indebted to the young man. If he didn't help her earlier, she might really fall outside the windows. Just remembering the chill shuddered Liliana.

Maybe... her red blood would spill on the white snow.

"Lili, go to sleep," Nancy reached for the remote sitting on the coffee table, "You need more rest now. Nadia should be here tomorrow."

"Ah, yes... She called me today."

Nadia Lin was their best friend from high school too. She was a rising webtoon artist with a massive number of followers on her account. Currently, she was out of the city for research purposes.

That night, Liliana's sleep didn't come easily. She kept thinking about the events that happened during the day as well as certain memories of the past.

Asher...

Was her love for him enough to mend her heartbreak all this time?

Shouldn't she...

Love herself more from now on?

Kommentar Kommentar von 4

Abstimmen

GESCHENK VERSENDEN