Chapter 147
"I'm not." Leo immediately denied it.
I didn't believe him. "You men are all two-faced liars! I'll never trust any of you again! Get out! Stop making me sick just by being here. Leave!"
Leo abandoned his earlier caution, shamelessly planting himself on the edge of my bed. "I'm not going anywhere. There's finally an opening by your side. I'm taking it before someone else does."
His words grated on my last nerve. My voice sharpened. "Are you deaf? I said get the hell out!"
Leo studied me intently. "You don't need to say cruel things to push me away."
He reached up, his fingers brushing gently across my forehead, his voice soft and steady. "I let go once. He didn't cherish you. This time, I'm not letting go no matter what."
I hadn't expected him to see through me. The tears I'd been holding back spilled over again. "I don't want to see you."
Leo gently took my hand. "Lucinda, no matter what you say, I won't change my mind. I don't want any more regrets."
My freshly torn heart encountered this wave of tenderness, and I had no idea how to handle it. I could only cover my face and sob.
"Why? Why..."
I cried my heart out. The next second, I was pulled against a broad chest. Leo's voice trembled slightly. "Go ahead and cry. You'll feel better after."
I'd managed to hold back in front of Ethan. But facing Leo, my emotions completely unraveled.
After crying myself out, I finally felt a measure of relief.
"You cried for so long. Drink some water."
Leo held out a thermal cup. I froze. That was mine from Bayview Villas. How did he have it?
Seeing my confusion, Leo smiled in explanation. "When you told me to move out, I figured I shouldn't leave empty-handed, so I took it with me."
I accepted the cup and took a sip. The temperature was exactly how I liked it. Even after I'd unceremoniously kicked him out, he still remembered my little habits.
Shame washed over me, especially when I noticed his damp shoulder. I felt mortified. "Your shirt—I'll buy you a new one."
Leo glanced casually at his clothes with a light laugh. "You'll have to pay me back, but you're coming with me to pick it out."
I gripped the thermal cup with both hands, staying silent. I'd originally planned to wait a couple more days before leaving, but Leopold's bombshell forced me to accelerate my departure plans.
Thinking of Leopold, I suddenly remembered what Leo had said when he came in. "What did you mean earlier about an 'opening' by my side?"
Leo raised an eyebrow casually. "Didn't Mr. Percy just get engaged to Sophia?"
My breath caught. "How—how do you know?"
There'd been no media at the restaurant. The news shouldn't have spread this fast.
Leo pulled out his phone and opened social media. "Percy Group's official account and the Guise family both released statements. They're announcing the engagement in a week."
My vision went black. "What's wrong?" Leo quickly steadied me.
After I recovered, I snatched his phone. The trending news about the Percy and Guise families' impending union blazed across the screen.
The pain that had just subsided came roaring back. Leopold and I had been together for ten years. Our engagement had been known only to a small circle. Now he was getting engaged to Sophia and announcing it to the entire world.
The priorities couldn't be clearer.
"Don't look at this." Leo retrieved his phone, cupping my face with one hand and pressing his forehead to mine. "Don't torture yourself. This will pass soon."
I closed my eyes, letting tears flood my face. Before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep.
When I woke, a different person sat by my bedside.
"Ethan, what are you doing here?"
Ethan had traded his coat for a cardigan. He sat in the chair with a smile. "You've been asleep all night. I was worried, so I came to check on you. How are you feeling?"
Apart from my head still aching, I felt no other discomfort. "I'm fine."
Then I noticed his complexion was even paler than yesterday. I couldn't help asking, "You look worse than yesterday. Are you okay?"
Ethan's smile softened further. "I'm fine. Just some fractured ribs, that's all."
My expression shifted. I urged him immediately, "Then you need to get back to bed right now."
Fractured ribs weren't serious, but the recovery process was grueling. Patients needed to lie completely still. Yet yesterday he'd ignored his condition to meet me at the accident scene. Today, he'd made a special trip to keep watch in my room. This wouldn't do!
"It's fine. The doctor examined me and said my recovery's going well."
I didn't buy Ethan's reassurance. If he were truly fine, his face wouldn't be so pale. I was about to call someone to escort him back when I noticed something else was off.
Hadn't Leo been here yesterday? Where was he now? Had he left?
Ethan noticed my eyes scanning the room. He said gently, "Are you looking for Leo? I figured you didn't really want to see him, so I sent him away."
I froze. Had he sent Leo away?
"I never left."
Suddenly, Leo's voice came from the doorway. I immediately looked over to find him being blocked by a security guard. I was about to speak when he casually shook off the guard's hand as if it took no effort at all, walking in with an easy smile.
"Cindy, the doctor said you need to eat light, so I went home and made you some chicken noodle soup. Try it while it's hot."
The moment Leo set the thermal container on my bedside table, Ethan interjected mildly, "Cindy has a head injury. Just soup won't provide enough nutrition. Taking care of a patient takes more than good intentions—you need to ensure adequate nutritional intake."
Leo shot him a cool glance, responding in an equally measured tone. "Cindy just woke up. Her appetite's weak, and with her head injury, something light is exactly what she needs right now. That's the doctor's recommendation, by the way. Mr. Guise, you don't think you know better than medical professionals, do you?"
Ethan choked on that response, preparing to fire back. Leo added, "Besides, I'm Cindy's boyfriend. I know her preferences better than outsiders."
Ethan's expression darkened dramatically. Sensing they were about to start bickering, my head throbbed. "You're both giving me a headache. Just stop."
Leo immediately went quiet. But Ethan seized the opportunity. "Cindy, just bear with it a bit longer. I've already called for the doctor. Wait until after your examination to eat?"
The soup felt like a hot potato anyway. I quickly handed the bowl back to Leo. "I'll have it later."
Soon, the doctor arrived to take me for tests. After the head scan finished, I thought we were done, but the doctor asked me to wait outside.
I hadn't brought my phone. Sitting idle grew boring. I was staring absently at the floor when the sharp click of high heels approached, finally stopping right in front of me.
I looked up to find Sophia, her makeup flawless, smiling down at me. Her smile dripped with triumph and arrogance.
"I thought I was seeing things, but it really is you."
As she spoke, she deliberately waved her fingers. Under the lights, the diamond ring on her fourth finger refracted a blinding glare.