"Yeah," Michael continued quickly. "She asked me to find you. She was afraid you wouldn’t come, so she told me to... exaggerate the situation a bit."

‎Silence.

‎Then I asked slowly,

‎"After she was injured... did you see her?"

‎"No. She called me," Michael admitted. "She said your phone wasn’t working. Bro, this isn’t on me. She was crying, saying she was scared you wouldn’t care anymore. What was I supposed to do?"

"Do you know what day yesterday was?"

‎Of course, it had been Lilian’s birthday.

‎But Michael knew that wasn’t the answer I wanted.

‎Silence stretched over the line.

‎After a moment, his uneasy voice came through.

‎"Your... anniversary?" Michael guessed weakly.

‎"Yes."

‎He let out an awkward laugh.

‎"Well... what a coincidence. Everything just happened to fall on the same day..."

‎My voice remained calm.

‎"You didn’t know this time, so I’ll let it pass."

‎A pause.

‎"But apologize to Alicia when you see her."

‎"And don’t let something like this happen again."

‎"I understand, bro," Michael replied immediately.

‎Not long after, Jane sent over the footage from the set.

‎Along with it came a message:

‎CEO Blackwood, the set’s surveillance system conveniently malfunctioned, but this clip was accidentally captured by the behind-the-scenes photographer.

‎My gaze darkened slightly.

‎The surveillance system broke down...

‎Was it truly a coincidence?

‎Or something arranged?

‎I opened the video.

‎After watching it once, I already had my answer.

‎Without hesitation, I headed straight for Lilian’s attending physician’s office.

‎The doctor was on break.

‎When he saw me enter, he immediately looked flustered.

‎"CEO Blackwood... what brings you here at this hour?"

‎"Doctor, I have a question."

‎He forced a smile.

‎"It’s about Miss Lilian’s injuries, right? Please ask. I’ll tell you everything honestly."

‎I looked at him steadily.

‎"I want to know the true extent of Miss Lilian’s burns."

‎His expression stiffened for a brief second, though he quickly tried to recover.

‎"CEO Blackwood, I’m not sure what you mean. Her medical report clearly states the affected area."

‎I remained composed.

‎A faint smile touched my lips, but there was no warmth in it.

‎"Doctor."

‎My voice was quiet.

‎"Choose carefully."

‎"Offend Lilian..."

‎"Or offend me."

‎The color drained from his face.

‎"I—I’ll tell you."

‎He swallowed hard.

‎"Miss Lilian’s actual burn area is less than one percent. There were only two minor blisters on her leg."

‎His voice trembled.

‎"She and her talent agent asked me to exaggerate the report. The file wasn’t signed or stamped, so it holds no legal validity."

‎My eyes narrowed slightly.

‎"So she was never unconscious?"

‎"N-No," the doctor admitted quickly.

‎"When she arrived yesterday, she was fully conscious the entire time."

‎Silence filled the room.

‎After a moment, I stood.

‎"I understand."

‎I adjusted my cuffs.

‎"Thank you, Doctor."

‎Then I turned and walked out of the office.

‎

I remembered that by the time I arrived at the hospital last night, it had already been past nine—close to ten.

‎Yet Lilian had only "woken up" this morning.

‎That meant she had an entire night to arrange everything.

‎I stood outside her room in the corridor, staring at the distant sky.

‎If I hadn’t asked directly...

‎I would never have believed it.

‎Lilian and Kendra had lied to me together.

‎But why?

‎Deep down, I already knew the answer.

‎Still, I wanted to hear it from Lilian herself.

‎I pushed open the door and walked in.

‎Lilian’s face brightened immediately.

‎"Alexander, you’re back."

‎She smiled softly.

‎"You didn’t have to stay out so long. The crew left ages ago."

‎My expression remained faint.

‎"Just took a walk."

‎I looked at her calmly.

‎"How are you feeling now? Does it still hurt?"

‎She pouted weakly.

‎"It hurts... very badly."

‎Her gaze softened.

‎"That’s why I need you here. If you stay with me, the pain goes away."

‎If I hadn’t known the truth...

‎I might have stayed and comforted her.

‎But now, seeing it from the outside—

‎it all felt hollow.

‎Even her performance lacked conviction.

‎I remained composed.

‎"Where does it hurt?"

‎Lilian answered without thinking.

‎"My back, waist, thighs, and calves."

‎I raised an eyebrow.

‎"Your back?"

‎My tone stayed mild.

‎"Did you burn your back too? I thought Kendra said it was your abdomen."

‎Lilian’s smile stiffened.

‎For a second, panic flashed across her face.

‎Then she hurriedly corrected herself.

‎"I... my abdomen too. It hurts there as well."

‎"Really?"

‎I looked at her steadily.

‎My gaze was sharp enough to pierce through pretense.

‎"Yes," she said quickly.

‎But she no longer dared meet my eyes.

‎I spoke again, lightly.

‎"Strange."

‎A pause.

‎"Maybe I remembered wrong."

‎I tilted my head slightly.

‎"Kendra said it was your arm. Does your arm hurt too?"

‎Lilian froze.

‎This time, she understood.

‎I knew.

‎Her eyes reddened instantly.

‎"Alexander..."

‎Tears welled up and spilled over.

‎"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you."

‎She bit her lip, shoulders trembling.

‎"I was scared. I was afraid you were falling in love with Alicia... afraid you’d leave me."

‎Her voice cracked.

‎"Last night, you only sent a message. I thought you wouldn’t come."

‎She sobbed harder.

‎"I missed you so much. I love you, Alexander. I can’t live without you."

‎I stood there expressionless, watching her cry.

‎By now, I no longer knew whether her tears were real—

‎or just another scene.

‎The last time we spoke about the status update, she had used nearly the same words.

‎Fear.

‎Love.

‎Mistakes made because she cared too much.

‎When the same excuse is repeated enough times—

‎it loses all power.

‎Seeing no reaction from me, panic flooded her eyes.

‎She threw off the blanket and rushed into my arms, crying helplessly.

‎"I’m sorry, Alexander. Please forgive me."

‎She clutched my shirt tightly.

‎"I’ll listen to you from now on. I’ll do whatever you say."

‎I supported her with one hand.

‎With the other, I took a small box from my pocket and placed it on the table.

‎"Actually," I said quietly, "I already prepared a gift for you."

‎Her crying faltered.

‎"Even if none of this had happened..."

‎I looked at her calmly.

‎"I still would have come to see you last night."

‎Lilian’s face turned pale.

‎Regret deepened in her eyes.

‎"I was wrong," she said hoarsely. "I was too insecure. I shouldn’t have lied to you."

‎She reached for me desperately.

‎"Alexander, please forgive me."

‎I glanced down at her.

‎"Lilian."

‎My voice was calm, almost gentle.

‎"You shouldn’t think like this."

‎"You don’t need to listen to me."

‎"You are your own person." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

‎I paused.

‎"You lived perfectly well these past few years abroad."

‎My gaze settled on her frightened face.

‎"No one is indispensable."

‎The blood drained from Lilian’s face.

‎Her voice trembled.

‎"Alexander..."

‎She grabbed my sleeve tightly.

‎"What do you mean by that?"

‎Her breathing turned uneven.

‎"Do you not want to divorce Alicia anymore?"

‎Her eyes widened in panic.

‎"...Do you not want me?"

Third-Person POV

‎"I don’t think this country is the right place for you," Alexander said evenly. "You’ve only just returned, yet you keep having episodes. Perhaps the environment abroad suits you better."

‎Lilian’s face turned pale.

‎"I don’t..." Her voice trembled as tears gathered in her eyes. "I came back for you, Alexander. Please... don’t say that."

‎Alexander’s expression remained unreadable.

‎"Let’s not discuss this right now."

‎His tone was calm, leaving no room for argument.

‎"Since your injuries aren’t serious, I’ll be leaving now."

‎Lilian still clung to his sleeve, unwilling to let go.

‎But when she lifted her eyes and met his gaze, her fingers trembled.

‎Something in his eyes made her chest tighten.

‎Slowly, unconsciously, she loosened her grip.

‎Alexander said nothing more.

‎He turned and walked out of the hospital room without looking back.