Chapter 5
Alice slowly opened her eyes, and through the bright white light, she saw the nurse’s worried expression.
“Are you awake?”
She carefully fixed the IV line and asked, “Would you like me to call someone? Maybe your husband or your parents?”
Alice’s dry lips trembled, and her voice came out rough like sand scraping wood. “No need. My parents passed away years ago, and I’m not married…”
Before she could finish, someone suddenly slammed the hospital room
door open.
Vincent stood there, backlit by the hallway lights. His suit didn’t match the clean, sterile smell around him.
“Not married?”
He let out a cold laugh, the sound of his shoes clicking sharply across the
floor tile.
“Then who was the one begging me to get a marriage certificate just last week?”
Alice turned her face to the side, avoiding his intense stare. “Mr. Seibert, maybe you should go check the marriage certificate again…”
“What are you trying to pull now?”
Vincent tugged at his collar, frustration flashing in his eyes.
08 05
Chapter 5
“If Juliana didn’t need your blood type, do you honestly think I’d even notice you?”
The heart monitor suddenly sped up, beeping louder.
Alice’s eyes drifled to the maple leaves gently falling outside the window. Her voice came out soft, almost like a sigh. “Think whatever you want… Whatever’s going on between the two of you… It has nothing to do with me anymore.”
Vincent’s gaze darkened as he stared at the pale woman resting on the hospital bed.
The room fell quiet, the only sound was the soft drip from the IV line.
“Good.”
He suddenly smirked, pulled out a black card from his pocket, and tossed it onto the bed!
“Since you’re being so reasonable, take this three million as your medical compensation.
“Don’t forget your role–when Juliana needs you, you’d better show up right away.”
After dropping the card, Vincent stormed out, slamming the door behind. him without turning around.
Alice opened her mouth to speak but ended up saying nothing, quietly watching the door close.
Over the course of her two–day stay in the hospital, the IV was replaced 12 times, and the nurse came in 23 times, but he never showed up once.
Her phone screen lit up, displaying the latest 3×3 photo grid posted by Juliana.
08-03
Chapter 5
Vincent was tying a silk scarf around her neck on a yacht. The ocean breeze rustled his sleeve, revealing the watch he always wore–the same one Alice had bought him with her very first paycheck.
Another photo showed the two of them toasting in a Michelin three–star restaurant, red wine reflecting the rare smile on his face.
The last photo was a close–up of Juliana wearing a shiny diamond ring, with a caption underneath, “He said he wants to give me the most unforgettable wedding ever.”
All of a sudden, a memory hit Alice–one from a snowy night in her previous life.
She had been waiting outside his office building, holding a container of chicken soup she’d carefully cooked for hours. But through the glass window, she watched as he sat beside Juliana, gently feeding her soup spoon by spoon.
When the security guard came to make her leave, the hot soup spilled onto her hand, causing blisters that stayed for days.
And on what should’ve been their wedding anniversary, the starlit room she had secretly decorated was completely ruined.
That night, Vincent held a drunken, sobbing Juliana in his arms and yelled at Alice, “Get out! Who do you think you are?”
The cold medicine flowed through the IV and into her veins.
Alice slowly removed the needle and wrote her name on the discharge form.
Outside, the spring weather was perfect.
And at last, she understood that some people will always stay cold inside, no matter what you do.
