บท 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?
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