My brows instantly furrowed.

"What do you mean she escaped?" I snapped in a low voice.

After the accident, I had no choice but to keep Lilian under watch at the hospital temporarily.

Her condition at the time made it impossible to send her abroad immediately.

And because Alicia seemed completely unwilling to concern herself with anything related to Lilian anymore, I chose not to mention it to her.

I didn’t want her worrying unnecessarily.

Especially now.

But if Alicia found out Lilian had escaped after I already assured her everything was over...

She would definitely misunderstand.

"Explain properly," I said coldly.

The guard quickly narrated everything that had happened.

The room fell silent afterward.

Lilian had nowhere to go.

Even if she returned to her mother, I could still find her easily.

Which meant—

If she took the risk of escaping in her current state...

Then she definitely had another motive.

And right now, I couldn’t allow anything to threaten Alicia.

"Alert more men," I ordered coldly. "Search everywhere and find her immediately."

"Yes, sir."

I ended the call and remained standing there for several seconds.

For some reason—

A strange sense of unease settled in my chest.

—

When I returned to the room, Alicia had already finished eating.

The tray was completely empty.

"Do you want more?" I asked while picking up the dishes.

"No," she replied softly. "I’m full."

Then suddenly, she pouted slightly.

"I’m tired of staying inside this room all day. I at least want to go downstairs."

I looked at her quietly for a moment before answering,

"Fine. But I’m carrying you."

"I can walk, you know."

"That’s not okay, Alicia."

She frowned immediately.

"You can just hold me while I walk if you think I’ll fall."

I hesitated slightly.

I already knew how stubborn Alicia could be once she made up her mind.

And honestly—

Seeing her finally willing to leave the room felt like progress.

After thinking it over briefly, I sighed softly.

"Alright," I relented. "But wait until I take these downstairs first. Then I’ll help you."

A faint smile appeared on her face instantly.

I carried the dishes downstairs before returning to the bedroom.

This time, I carefully supported her waist as we slowly walked downstairs together.

Her movements were still cautious, but far steadier than before.

Once we reached the living room, we sat on the same couch together while she picked a movie for us to watch.

At first, Alicia intentionally sat a little distant away from me.

But gradually, as the movie continued, her body slowly relaxed.

Eventually, her head began nodding slightly from sleepiness again.

I smiled faintly before gently pulling her into my arms.

She didn’t resist.

Before the movie even ended, Alicia had already fallen asleep against my chest.

Carefully, I scooped her into my arms and carried her back upstairs.

After laying her gently onto the bed, I went into the bathroom to freshen up before returning.

Ever since Alicia was discharged from the hospital, I had moved back into the master bedroom with her.

Surprisingly...

She never asked me to leave.

I laid beside her quietly.

Then I leaned down and placed a soft kiss against her forehead before pulling her gently into my arms.

Gradually, sleep claimed me too.

Alicia’s POV

Deep into the night, the sound of a ringing phone pulled me awake.

It was Alexander’s phone.

Beside me, he immediately loosened his arms around me and reached for it.

A moment later, he quietly slipped out of bed and left the room, carefully closing the door behind him.

Still half-awake, I reached for my phone and checked the time.

4:00 a.m.

What could possibly be so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?

I knew it couldn’t be work.

Just a few days ago, when I asked about his plans, he had told me that for now, he only wanted to stay with me. He said he wouldn’t focus on work again until he was sure I was stable.

Then suddenly, the bedroom door opened again.

In the darkness, I could barely make out his figure.

Even though he was trying not to make noise, his movements felt hurried.

He walked straight into the closet, quickly changed clothes, then returned to the room.

For a brief moment, he glanced toward the bed—as if checking whether I was awake.

I quickly shut my eyes.

A few seconds later, the door closed again.

Then came the distant sound of a car engine driving away.

A bitter smile slowly appeared on my face.

There was only one person who could make him rush out in the middle of the night like this.

And after everything...

He still went back to her.

Just a few days ago, he had held me in his arms, telling me he loved me and would prove it to me.

Thankfully, I hadn’t allowed myself to believe him completely.

And since I had already decided on the divorce, whatever he did now shouldn’t affect me anymore.

I lay there quietly, one hand resting against my stomach as thoughts about my future with my baby filled my mind.

Eventually, exhaustion pulled me back to sleep.

When I woke again, it was already eight in the morning.

A message from Alexander sat unread on my phone.

"Awake already? There’s something I need to handle. Maria will bring your breakfast shortly. Make sure you take your medication, alright?"

Something important?

Right.

After reading the message, I carefully got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

By the time I returned, Maria had already brought breakfast.

I quietly finished eating, took my medication, and picked up one of my books.

But after only a few pages, I realized I hadn’t absorbed a single word.

An uneasy feeling slowly crept into my chest.

Frowning slightly, I set the book aside and reached for my buzzing phone.

I had ignored the nonstop notifications earlier, but now I unlocked the screen and started checking them.

Most were from Twitter.

A bad feeling suddenly settled over me.

I tapped on the trending article at the top.

The moment I saw Nana’s picture attached to the headline, my heart nearly stopped.

"The matriarch of the Blackwood family is allegedly undergoing emergency surgery at St. Victoria Medical Center following a sudden deterioration in her condition late last night."

My breathing froze.

For a second, it felt as though my heart had completely stopped beating—

before it suddenly began pounding wildly against my chest.

No.

No, this had to be fake.

Right?