And true enough, when he paid more attention, he realized that the woman in the recordings was not Ella.

But somebody who looked just like her.

"She is called..."

"Lana," Ella did not pause to see the shock in Mo Jun’s eyes before she continued to say, "I need you to do something for me."

Her solemn voice made Mo Jun stiffen, "You know you have done a lot to support me and I wouldn’t be here today, talking to you so calmly if not for you. I would do anything for you except... cough... cough... except for offending..."

Mo Jun pointed a shaky finger towards the door.

Ella raised her hand and curled a finger towards herself.

Outside the hospital room.

The intensity with which Adrian had been staring at the door for the past half an hour, Ji Yan was surprised that the door was still standing intact.

"S-Second Master, Miss Yu probably wants to talk to a friend..."

Ji Yan cut himself off mid-sentence when Adrian tilted his head to the side.

There was no change of expressions on his face but it displayed the subtitles: Friends? I can also be her friend.

"Second Master, cough... Miss Yu..." Ji Yan had no more excuses left to utter.

And with every second, Adrian’s face was growing darker.

Inhaling a deep breath, Ji Yan made up his mind, walked to the door and stumbled in his steps.

’Click’

The door opened.

"Oops, I tripped—"

The rest of his words were stuck in his throat. The moment the door opened, the sight that greeted them froze over the hospital hallways.

Mo Jun was bent over at the hospital bed towards Ella. And half of Ella’s face seemed to be buried in his neck from the angle they were in.

Ji Yan’s face paled and he did not even dare to look at Adrian’s face. Miss Yu, how could you cuckold the Second Master in his presence?

Hearing the sound, Mo Jun tilted his head a little.

Only then did the situation in front of them clear up a little.

Ji Yan realized that it was just the fault of the angle. And it seemed like Ella was whispering something in Mo Jun’s ears.

Feeling a bit relieved, he quickly snuck a glance at his second master only to realize that the man’s complexion did not seem to have improved in the slightest.

Adrian’s gaze lingered on the two people that were so awfully close.

Mo Jun shrunk like a sheep tied for slaughter.

Adrian tucked a hand inside his pocket, his gaze trailing to his ’wife’ who looked him in the eyes, expressionlessly.

Adrian took a huge stride inside the hospital room.

"Uh... I should get going now..." Mo Jun immediately jumped out of the room and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Ji Yan gaped at the sight of the man’s disappearing back before he regained his composure.

Turning to the room, he politely bowed to Adrian and Ella before he ’respectfully’ closed the door.

Ella glanced at Adrian’s darkened face and blinked innocently, "Baby, you are not looking too well. Is the hospital atmosphere not suiting you?"

She grabbed the apple and munched on it nonchalantly.

Ella shifted slightly on the bed, immediately hissing under her breath.

As he approached closer, she shifted slightly on the bed, immediately hissing under her breath. The ache around her neck left by Jenny made her still on the bed.

Adrian noticed her movement instantly.

His stride slowed, then stopped completely beside her bed. He didn’t touch her as he sat down, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him.

His gaze lifted to meet hers.

The playful glint in Ella’s eyes faltered for just a fraction of a second.

"...Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked lightly, biting into her apple again as if nothing was wrong.

He didn’t answer.

Instead, his hand came down, firmly resting on her thigh over the blanket.

The apple slipped from her fingers and rolled onto the bedsheet.

Ella froze.

Slowly, she looked down at his hand. Then back up at his face.

His eyes had darkened completely.

"...Are you jealous?" she asked, amusement creeping back into her voice despite the sudden tightness in her chest.

"Yes."

The answer came instantly.

Ella blinked, then laughed. "That’s ridiculous. You cannot be jealous just because I was just talking to someone." She knew he could be.

Adrian King would be jealous just because she looked at someone, let alone talking.

Yet, their equation was no longer the same. She would not let him lock her up and he would not do it, just because something did not go his way.

So, Ella was curious what he would do if he was frustrated.

Suddenly, his thumb pressed in, just slightly, enough to remind her exactly where his hand was.

"Do you want me to prove that?" he asked quietly.

The way he said it made her breath hitch.

"I—what?" she stuttered.

’Click’

The lights in the hospital room dimmed.

Ella’s heart slammed into her ribs as the place softened into shadows, the VVIP room suddenly feeling far too small, far too private.

"Adrian—" she started, but the sound caught in her throat when she felt movement beneath the sheets.

Her breath shattered into a sharp gasp.

His presence became overwhelming as he leaned closer.

"So distracted earlier," he murmured near her ear, "Now look at you."

Her thoughts scrambled all over the place just to retain a bit of sanity.

There was a lot on her mind just a moment ago, but in this moment, she could not hold onto a single thought.

It was terrifying, how easily the world narrowed to him alone, in a split-second.

Her lashes fluttered shut as the subtly cold sensation of his fingers sliding under her hospital gown drowned out everything else. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The beeping machines, the sterile scent of antiseptic were all gone, replaced by him. Only him.

His fingers stilled beneath the thin fabric, just lingering there inside her, barely moving.