The hallway was silent.

I stopped by the window, my gaze drifting to the distant skyline.

Everything felt... clear.

It’s just as I thought.

As long as Lilian existed—

Alexander and I would never have peace.

Not even something as simple as normalcy.

But I didn’t want to live in constant tension anymore.

‎I was so tired.

Truly tired.

A faint breath left my lips.

Footsteps approached from behind.

I didn’t turn.

Kendra’s voice came, laced with something unmistakable.

"Alicia, did you see that?"

I remained silent.

"The bond between CEO Blackwood and Lilian... isn’t something that can just be severed."

Alexander’s POV

I stood there in silence as the doctor stitched Lilian’s wound.

Her cries had quieted, reduced to soft, uneven breaths.

After a moment, I turned.

Alicia was no longer in the room.

My gaze lingered on the empty space for a second longer than necessary.

Then I withdrew my arm from Lilian’s grip, careful but firm, and stood up.

Without a word, I walked out.

The psychologist stationed nearby immediately understood and followed after me.

Inside his office, I took a seat across from his desk.

He sat opposite me, visibly uneasy.

"Dr. Henry," I began calmly, "Lilian has been under your care for quite some time now."

I paused, letting the silence stretch.

"And yet, there’s no real improvement."

His expression tightened slightly.

"If this is the extent of your capability..." I continued, my tone still even, "perhaps I should consider transferring her elsewhere."

The implication was clear.

For someone in his position, losing a patient like Lilian—under my name—wouldn’t just be a professional inconvenience.

It would ruin him.

"Mr. Blackwood," he said quickly, adjusting his posture, "Miss Lilian has shown improvement. It’s just that her condition is... unstable. She gets triggered easily, and when that happens, her symptoms escalate—"

"So," I cut in, my gaze lifting to meet his, "you’re telling me that after all these years of experience, you’re incapable of controlling those triggers?"

He froze.

The room fell silent.

"Or," I added, raising a brow slightly, "there’s something you haven’t been telling me."

His lips parted, but no words came out.

"I spoke with her psychologist abroad," I said lightly. "What I heard... doesn’t quite match what you’ve been reporting."

That was enough.

His composure cracked instantly.

He stood up abruptly.

"I—I’m sorry, Mr. Blackwood," he said, his voice unsteady. "I was forced into it."

I didn’t respond.

Just watched.

"Miss Lilian and her agent instructed me to conceal the truth. When she returned, her condition was already stable... she had recovered long before that."

Silence.

So that was it.

As expected.

In truth, I had never contacted any psychologist abroad.

I didn’t need to.

From the moment of the fire incident on my anniversary with Alicia... something had already shifted.

Since then, every detail, every reaction—

I had been watching.

I couldn’t get myself to trust Lilian completely again.

And today only confirmed it.

The moment I entered the hospital room, I knew something was off.

She looked fragile.

Convincing.

But not real.

There had been too much blood... for a wound that shallow.

And when Alicia appeared—

I saw it.

That flash in Lilian’s eyes.

Sharp.

Resentful.

Gone the next second, hidden beneath tears.

A performance.

A flawless one.

If I hadn’t been paying attention...

I might have believed it.

I leaned back slightly in my chair, my expression unreadable.

"Treat her wound," I said calmly.

"Once that’s done, discharge her."

Dr. Henry hesitated. "Mr. Blackwood, about her—"

"If she comes back again," I interrupted, my tone dropping slightly, "you will treat her based on medical necessity. Nothing more."

My gaze hardened.

"And if you choose to cooperate with her... instead of doing your job—"

I let the rest hang in the air.

He swallowed.

"I understand, Mr. Blackwood."

I stood up.

Paused at the door.

Then added, almost casually—

"And if anything comes up about her."

" Then don’t mind contacting me. Or my assistant."

Without waiting for a response, I walked out.

I walked down the corridor, scanning for Alicia, but she was nowhere in sight.

My steps slowed.

For the first time, the weight of it all settled in—just how long Lilian had been deceiving me... using my guilt to keep me tethered to her for the past three years.

It still felt like yesterday.

That hospital room. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Her disheveled state. The hollow look in her eyes. The way she trembled as if the world had broken her.

Back then, I blamed myself for everything.

If I hadn’t suspected her of leaking the data to Echelon Industries...

If I had gone after her when she ran...

If I hadn’t involved the police when the kidnappers called...

Maybe things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did.

Maybe they would have taken the money and let her go.

Maybe she wouldn’t have suffered.

That guilt had followed me for years.

It was why I stayed. Why I tolerated everything. Why I made that promise—to always be there for her.

And yet... she was the one who chose to leave.

So when had things started to change?

When had she become this... calculating?

Or had she always been this way?

My thoughts were interrupted by voices echoing from the corner ahead.

I slowed my steps instinctively, stopping just out of sight.

Kendra.

And... Alicia.

"...the bond between CEO Blackwood and Lilian isn’t something that can just be severed!"

My jaw tightened.

A brief silence followed.

Then Alicia’s calm voice came—

"You’re right."

Alicia’s POV

Kendra froze slightly at my response, clearly not expecting it.

"If Mrs. Alicia understands that," she continued, her tone sharpening, "then you should also know that persistence won’t help. When it’s time to let go, you should. At least preserve some dignity for yourself."

I smiled faintly.

"I think that advice should be directed at Lilian, not me."

Her expression stiffened.

"No matter how deep the feelings are, they don’t justify interfering in someone else’s marriage," I continued evenly. "Just this morning, a friend of mine thought I was the mistress after seeing the news."

I paused, my tone light—but edged.

"She even said she couldn’t remain friends with me if that were true."

My gaze met hers.

"Seems she was right after all. Birds of a feather flock together."

Kendra’s face hardened, her composure slipping for a split second.

She was about to respond—

Footsteps approached from behind.

Before she could speak, a familiar voice cut through the tension.

"Let’s go."

I turned.

Alexander stood behind me, his expression unreadable.

" Has Lilian’s wound been treated?" I asked calmly.

"Mhm."

Before anything else could be said—

A sharp scream echoed from inside Lilian’s room.

It sounded startled. Panicked.

Kendra immediately turned.

"CEO Blackwood, aren’t you going to stay with Lilian? She—"

Her words died instantly.

Alexander’s gaze had turned cold.

I glanced at him.

But he didn’t look back.

Instead, his hand rested lightly at the small of my back as he guided me forward.

Without hesitation.

And for once, he didn’t stop.

<<<<>>>>

As soon as we reached the garage, Jim hurried forward and opened the car door.

"Sir, are we heading back to the office?"

"Mm."

The car pulled out of the hospital, and just as we were about to merge onto the main road—

Jim suddenly slammed on the brakes.

My body lurched forward slightly.

But Alexander instinctively held me.

A crowd had appeared out of nowhere.

Reporters.

They swarmed the car, cameras pressing harshly against the windshield, flashes going off as voices rose all at once—

"Mr. Blackwood!"

"Miss Sinclair!"

"Can you respond to the rumors this morning?"

I stared at the chaos outside, my expression blank.

It felt... familiar.

Only this time, I wasn’t the only one being cornered.

Beside me, Alexander’s presence was steady—but the air around him had gone cold.

"Drive forward," he said.

Jim didn’t move immediately.

I could see his hands tighten around the steering wheel, hesitation written all over him.

Slowly, the car began to inch forward.

The reporters didn’t back away.

If anything, they pressed closer—voices sharper, more insistent—

"Mr. Blackwood, what is your relationship with Miss Sinclair?"

"Are the rumors true?"

"Will you respond to the scandal?"

The noise grew louder, suffocating.

I said nothing.

Just sat there... and watched.