Chapter 190 Next Door
Louis was left speechless by her question.
"I—" He opened his mouth, the color draining completely from his face.
Under those bone-chillingly cold eyes, all his excuses and explanations seemed so pale and powerless.
"How he ended up like this is not my responsibility." Cecilia's gaze moved away from Louis, her tone flat, without the slightest ripple.
Louis panicked completely. In his desperation, he practically blurted out without thinking.
"Ms. Martinez! Mr. Chapman, he—ever since, ever since that incident, he's been drinking day and night."
"His stomach has already been ruined by himself! The doctor said if this continues, he'll be completely done for!"
"I just, I just thought, if you could go see him, maybe he'd listen to a word or two of advice."
These things shouldn't have been told to her, but in his anxiety, Louis let it slip.
Though he spoke incoherently, what "that incident" referred to was obvious.
—Ever since Cecilia died.
So that's how it is.
Not a single ripple stirred in Cecilia's heart. She couldn't even be bothered to give a mocking smile.
Rufus was destroying his own body to perform a belated show of devotion and remorse.
How ridiculous and pathetic.
"The hospital has nurses and professional caregivers. Go find them, don't bother me." Cecilia's voice remained completely flat.
After speaking, she stopped looking at Louis's anxious face, picked up her bag, and turned toward the nearby restaurant.
Her retreating figure was resolute, without a trace of attachment.
Cecilia walked into the restaurant famous for its health porridge.
The interior was decorated in a simple, elegant style, with a faint rice fragrance floating in the air. But after what just happened, she really wasn't in the mood to study the menu. She just picked the two blandest options and had them packed to go.
She carried the warm porridge back to the inpatient department and took the elevator up to the VIP area on the top floor.
The hallway was carpeted with thick rugs, so quiet she could hear her own heartbeat. But when she turned the corner and walked toward Stefan's room, her steps suddenly stopped.
Not far ahead, outside a hospital room, a frazzled Louis was speaking in low voices with two nurses, looking tense.
And the room number on that door was V808.
Stefan's room was V809.
Just one wall apart.
Cecilia had a splitting headache.
What a bizarre coincidence!
Expressionless, she looked straight ahead and walked right past them, opening the door to V809.
Inside the room, Stefan was already awake.
He was sitting up against the headboard, holding a tablet, looking at company documents. Hearing the door open, he looked up, and a smile appeared on his bloodless face.
"You're back?"
"Yes." Cecilia set down what she was carrying on the bedside table and skillfully pulled out the small tray table.
"I just asked the doctor. He said you can have some liquid food now."
As she spoke, she unscrewed the lid of the thermal container, and instantly a sweet rice porridge fragrance filled the entire room.
Stefan sniffed and deliberately raised an eyebrow. "Smells good. Did Ms. Martinez specially pick this out for me?"
"Bought it downstairs at the hospital. Just convenient." Though Cecilia said this, her movements were very careful.
She took out the matching ceramic spoon, scooped up a spoonful, brought it to her own lips, and blew on it gently. Only after confirming it wouldn't burn did she bring the spoon to his mouth.
"Open up."
Seeing her so proactive, the smile in Stefan's eyes deepened, and he obediently opened his mouth and ate the spoonful of porridge.
One spoonful, two spoonfuls...
Cecilia fed him attentively, and Stefan ate quietly.
The mild rice fragrance melted in his mouth, warmth sliding down his esophagus into his stomach, dispelling some of the post-surgery discomfort.
"Tastes good." After eating the third spoonful, Stefan commented with a smile.
He looked at her, his gaze carrying a hint of mischief.
"But Ms. Martinez personally feeding me—isn't this treatment a bit too good?"
"I'm afraid once I'm better, I'll want to get sick again."
Cecilia's movements paused. She looked up at him.
"Keep joking around and you can drink it yourself."
Even so, she still scooped up a new spoonful and carefully blew on it to cool it down.
Stefan watched her slightly lowered lashes and that contradictory, earnest manner, feeling incredibly pleased.
He stopped joking and quietly ate the porridge she fed him, enjoying this rare moment of peace.
"Last night—did it scare you?" In the quiet, Stefan suddenly spoke.
Cecilia's feeding motion didn't stop.
"No."
"Garth will handle everything." She answered quickly, as if avoiding something.
"I'm asking about you." Stefan's gaze fell on her face, not letting her dodge.
Cecilia's fingertips curled slightly.
She was silent for a few seconds, but in the end didn't answer the question. She just brought a new spoonful of porridge to his lips.
"Eat. Don't talk."
Stefan knew when to quit while he was ahead. He didn't press further, but the curve of his lips couldn't help rising even more.
The small bowl of porridge was soon finished.
Meanwhile, in the adjacent room V808.
Rufus was lying in the hospital bed. The stabbing pain in his abdomen made him break out in cold sweat all over, to the point where his whole body felt weak.
Louis had returned after completing the paperwork and was earnestly advising Rufus to rest properly, while also giving various instructions.
Just then, from V809 next door, separated by a wall, came the faint sound of a man and woman laughing and talking.
The sound wasn't loud, but it penetrated the thick wall and drilled into Rufus's ears.
It was her voice.
That Amelia who only ever showed him coldness and disgust was now laughing with another man.
That laughter, that gentle tone, made Rufus's breathing suddenly catch.
Intense jealousy and unwillingness mixed with rage that had nowhere to vent, burning wildly in his internal organs.
"Mr. Chapman, you..." Louis wanted to continue advising.
"Shut up!"
Rufus suddenly sat up, ignoring the severe pain in his abdomen, and yanked out the IV needle from the back of his hand.
Blood immediately gushed out.
"Mr. Chapman!" Louis's face turned pale with fright.
But Rufus didn't care. Barefoot, dragging his heavy body, he staggered toward the door.
He violently pushed open his own room door, then recklessly pushed open the door to V809 next door.
The hospital room door hadn't been closed tightly. With his forceful push, it hit the wall with a dull thud.
The two people in the room looked over at the sound.
Then Rufus saw a scene that made his eyes nearly split with rage.
Soft sunlight by the window streamed in, falling on her profile, outlining a gentle contour.
Stefan was leaning against the headboard, looking at her with a smile.
And she was holding the now-empty thermal container, with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth that she hadn't had time to put away—a smile that stung Rufus's eyes painfully.
Their world was quiet and warm, self-contained.
In contrast, Rufus wore an oversized hospital gown, his face ashen, his lips cracked, blood still flowing from the back of his hand, dragging the metal IV stand.
His disheveled intrusion made him look like a tactless invader.
The smile on Cecilia's face vanished instantly, replaced by bone-chilling coldness and disgust.
Stefan's gaze also turned cold. He looked at the uninvited Rufus at the door, his eyes sharp.
The warm atmosphere in the room vanished completely the moment Rufus appeared.
The air froze, even breathing became difficult.
Just then, a rush of footsteps came from the end of the hallway, breaking the deathly silence outside the door.
"Mr. Chapman!"
Elodie had finally arrived, but she'd run too fast and was breathing unsteadily, looking somewhat disheveled.
"How are you?" She quickly stepped forward, looking distressed as she tried to support Rufus's arm.
"I heard from Louis that you were hospitalized. You scared me ! Why did you run out on your own? Your hand—your hand is bleeding!"