Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 143: Shane Donovan, Are You Jealous?

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: Shane Donovan, Are You Jealous?

"He just woke up and is in good spirits."

Stella turned sideways, "Go in and see him, he asked about you just now."

Asked about him?

Rhys Lennox felt a wave of suffocation in his heart.

That mountain had indeed returned.

But he clearly had a chance...

When Stella was most vulnerable and needed support, he was the one by her side.

Watching her break down, watching her hold on, watching her run around for a faint hope.

He scolded her, provoked her, and guarded her in his own way.

He even had that despicable thought sprouting in his heart— if Shane Donovan really never came back...

That thought, like poison ivy, entangled him, causing both self-loathing and a twisted pleasure.

But now, Shane Donovan wasn’t dead.

So what was all his struggle during this time?

A joke.

Rhys Lennox sneered coldly inside.

A tumult of resentment surged within him, but he showed no sign of it on his face, only giving a lazy "hmm" with his hands stuffed into his pockets, following Stella toward the hospital ward.

Pushing open the ward door, the smell of disinfectant mixed with a faint trace of blood hit his face.

Shane Donovan was half-reclined on the elevated hospital bed, still pale, lips a faint color, but his deep-set eyes had regained their usual sharpness and clarity, now calmly looking towards the door.

His gaze paused for a moment on Stella’s face, softening imperceptibly, then landed on Rhys Lennox.

"Tough life." Rhys Lennox was the first to speak, his tone as usual, as if this could cover up the things in his heart that couldn’t see the light.

Shane Donovan’s brow didn’t twitch, "Seems you’re disappointed."

"Disappointment is not it," Rhys Lennox walked to the end of the bed, leaning against it, crossing his long legs, his eyes sweeping over his arm wrapped in thick bandages, pulling at the corner of his mouth, "just thinking you’ve got quite a tenacious life, not even blown up."

Shane Donovan didn’t respond to this, only asked blandly, "During this time, no trouble?"

Rhys Lennox pulled at the corners of his mouth, a bit of his usual careless attitude, "What trouble could I cause? I’ve been at the little law office every day making tea, printing, running errands, serving your fiancée."

The last few words he spoke a bit slowly, his tongue seemed to be wrapped in something, astringent.

Stella was tucking in Shane Donovan’s blanket and paused slightly at the words, then looked up at him, "Rhys Lennox."

Rhys Lennox met her gaze, pulling out a smile, with a bit of self-mockery, "What, did I say something wrong? Counselor Sterling didn’t have a knack for directing me around?"

Shane Donovan’s eyes glanced back and forth between them, his gaze calm, not speaking.

Stella couldn’t help but glare at him before turning to Shane Donovan, "Don’t listen to his nonsense, during this time... I owed him much." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Rhys Lennox’s hand in his pocket unconsciously clenched.

Shane Donovan raised his eyebrows, his gaze turning to Rhys Lennox, filled with scrutiny, "Oh?"

Stella continued, "Over at the law office, some tough clients, he stepped in to fend them off. And when The Donovan Family came causing trouble, it was him..."

She paused, skipping over the incident with Beatrice Donovan bringing things to humiliate her, only vaguely implying, "He helped me a lot."

Shane Donovan, being exceptionally perceptive, glimpsed a small piece of the iceberg from her brief words about the time when he was absent.

He looked toward Rhys Lennox, his gaze deeper.

Rhys Lennox seemed scorched by that gaze, suddenly turning his face away, his jaw tensing, his voice hard, "Stop trying to butter yourself up, who did I help? I just can’t stand seeing those people bully others."

Shane Donovan ignored his tough words, only saying blandly, "Thanks."

These two words from him, light as they were, seemed to hit something in Rhys Lennox’s heart hard, both sour and numb.

He ruffled his golden hair irritably, almost a bit embarrassingly changing the topic, his chin pointing towards Shane Donovan’s injured arm, "Your injury... is it okay?"

"Won’t die." Shane Donovan’s tone remained flat.

"Tch," Rhys Lennox tugged at the corner of his mouth, "troublemakers last a thousand years."

Listening to the back-and-forth between these two, the atmosphere seemed more relaxed than before, and Stella felt slightly relieved.

She picked up the washed apple on the bedside table, lowering her head to carefully peel it, her slender white fingers gripping the fruit knife cautiously.

Shane Donovan’s gaze fell on her downturned face, watching her focused look, a faint trace of softness flickered in his eyes.

Rhys Lennox leaned against the wall, his gaze involuntarily falling on Stella as well.

She peeled meticulously, the skin trailing unbroken, a thin layer falling.

The light from outside kissed her profile, her eyelashes long and dense, nose tip gently arching, lips...

He suddenly averted his gaze, his Adam’s apple rolled uncontrollably.

The inexplicable irritation within him rose once again, like overgrown weeds that refuse to be entirely burnt away.

"Rhys Lennox, have some apple..."

Right then, Stella cut the peeled apple into small chunks, skewering one with a toothpick, handing it first to Rhys Lennox.

Rhys Lennox lowered his eyes to take it.

Immediately after, he saw Stella turning towards Shane Donovan, "You try it too..."

Shane Donovan didn’t take it but lowered his head slightly and bit into the piece of apple directly from Stella’s hand.

Stella’s fingers were slender and pale, Shane Donovan’s lips a light color, and at that moment of contact, Rhys Lennox felt as though his retinas were scorched.

Then, he saw Shane Donovan raise one hand to hold Stella’s apple-offering wrist, his fingers gently stroking the inside of her wrist bone.

The movement was light, quick, almost like an illusion.

But Rhys Lennox saw it.

Stella seemed to freeze for a moment, her face slightly flushed, lightly struggling, unable to break free, she let him be, only casting him a playful glare.

Shane Donovan’s lips seemed to curl up very slightly, disappearing in an instant.

That scene was like a heated blade thrusting into Rhys Lennox’s heart and twisting cruelly.

All the noise around him faded away, leaving only the roaring sound of blood rushing to his head.

The despicable jealousy he had forcefully suppressed erupted like magma at that moment, almost incinerating him to ashes.

He abruptly stood up straight, the movement so sudden he knocked over the chair at the foot of the bed, its scraping sound harsh.

Stella and Shane Donovan both turned to look at him.

"I suddenly remembered..." Rhys Lennox’s voice was hoarse, he turned his face away, avoiding their gazes, "something urgent, gotta go."

He didn’t even wait for a response, nearly fleeing as he turned, yanking the hospital door open and striding out.

"Bang!"

The door slammed shut behind him, the sound echoing down the silent corridor.

Stella was startled by the sudden commotion, somewhat astonished, "What’s wrong with him?"

Shane Donovan gazed at the still slightly shaking door, his eyes deep and unreadable.

He didn’t answer, instead raising an eyebrow and asking, "In the days I wasn’t around, was he with you the whole time?"

Stella was taken aback by his question, nodding, "Yes, over at the law office, thankfully..."

"Thankful for him?" Shane Donovan interrupted, his voice devoid of emotion, "How so?"

Stella noticed the unusual tone in his voice, looked up at him, meeting his deep eyes, there turbulent with emotions she couldn’t comprehend.

Suddenly, she was enlightened, realizing something.

Her heart softened immensely, and she couldn’t help but find it amusing.

"Shane Donovan," she called his name softly, "are you jealous?"