Chapter 275 You Stay and Be My Assistant
When Daniel arrived, Lina was leaning against the corridor wall, lost in thought.
The moment Lina looked up, she saw Daniel limping toward her. She froze for a second.
"What are you doing here?"
Daniel walked straight to the hospital room door and peered through the glass window, then turned back to look at Lina.
"How is he?"
Lina raised an eyebrow. "You seem pretty concerned about him. What, are you hoping he's okay?"
Daniel let out a short, cold laugh.
"Of course I don't hope he's okay. He got Caroline killed. I'll never forgive him for that."
Lina didn't respond, she just waited for him to continue.
Daniel held Lina's gaze. After a few seconds, he spoke again.
"But..." He paused. "Rather than letting guilt crush him to the point he can't go on, I'd rather see him alive."
Lina's brow twitched slightly.
"People only feel pain when they're alive. When you're dead, it's over—you don't have to face anything. That's too easy. I don't want him to get that kind of ending."
The corridor fell quiet for a moment before Lina asked in a low voice.
"Aren't you afraid he'll come after you once he finds out?"
Daniel didn't answer. He just gave Lina a long, deep look, then turned and left.
When Alexander woke up, he found Lina sitting by his bed.
His throat was dry and his voice was hoarse. "What... happened to me?"
Lina looked up and closed the book in her hands.
"The doctor said you experienced too much stress and developed broken-heart syndrome. It's not life-threatening, but you need rest and recovery."
Alexander fell silent for a while, then slowly closed his eyes.
Broken heart syndrome.
The name sounded like a cruel joke.
He'd been through pain many times before. Each time felt like tearing open an old wound, making him think he had nothing left to lose.
But now, the doctor was telling him his body would keep enduring, his nerves would keep sounding alarms, and he'd have to keep living.
"Alexander." Lina suddenly leaned forward, looking directly into his eyes.
"Do you really miss Caroline that much?"
Alexander froze, his eyes quickly reddening.
He missed her so much he was losing control.
Alexander missed her voice, the way she looked when she smiled, that faint scent she carried. He missed her back when she was cooking steak in the kitchen, the loose strands of hair falling when she bent down to water the flowers. He missed the tone in her voice when she said his name, the way she looked at him, the quiet warmth of her body when she leaned against him.
If he said any of this out loud, he was afraid he'd break down right there.
Alexander pressed the words deep in his chest, covering them layer by layer with silence, pretending they weren't there.
But this time, he didn't even have the strength to dodge the question.
Tears kept falling down Alexander's face. He nodded harder.
Lina watched him for a long time, then spoke.
"No matter how much you miss her, you can't go to her. You understand that, right?"
Alexander's tears became even harder to control. He closed his eyes, as if using every ounce of strength to squeeze out one sentence.
"I understand. I know better than anyone. I have no right to escape through death."
Lina straightened up and sat back in her chair.
"Good. Since you know you have to keep living, starting tomorrow, you're going to work as my assistant at the clinic."
Alexander's tears stopped abruptly. He looked up at Lina, his eyes full of surprise.
Lina leaned back in her chair, arms crossed.
"Don't overthink it. For some serious psychological issues, regular treatment alone might not work. Changing positions, helping others—sometimes that actually helps people see their own hearts more clearly."
Lina paused, looking away toward the window.
"I'm making you do this because I don't want you to lose it one day, take your own life, and drag Caroline's name into it."
Alexander's chest tightened.
He even felt that if he really died, it would be like continuing to taint Caroline's name in some way.
"Okay." Alexander nodded.
Alexander didn't know what else he could do. Right now, as long as someone gave him a clear instruction, he would follow it, because that might be the only thing he could hold onto.
Letting Lina arrange things might be safer.
Lina said nothing more. She picked up the book again, opened it, and lowered her head.
The next morning, before dawn had fully broken, Alexander was already standing at the clinic entrance.
The door wasn't open yet. Like yesterday, Alexander sat outside, reaching out to gently touch the withered petals in the plant area.
After a long while, Lina finally arrived.
Lina parked her car at the entrance. As soon as she got out, she saw Alexander like that. She closed the car door and walked closer.
"What are you doing sitting here?" Lina's voice was cold.
"Are you trying to make yourself sick, keep punishing yourself until you break down completely?"
Alexander's body stiffened. He lowered his eyes, as if explaining, or maybe talking to himself.
"That's not what I meant."
Lina snorted.
"Then what are you doing showing up here so early in the morning, dressed so lightly? Trying to prove how miserable you are? Or do you want people to see you suffering?"
Alexander lowered his head even more. He crouched on the ground, curling himself up like someone being scolded to their face, at a loss, unable to find even the words to argue back.
"If you're not trying to torture yourself, then learn to take care of yourself. Caroline is gone. No one's going to feel sorry for you on her behalf. If you don't even care about yourself, then there's nothing to talk about." Lina said.
Before her words had even finished, an angry shout came from the distance.
"How dare you talk to Mr. Hamilton like that?!"
Alexander and Lina both turned their heads at once.
Mark was rapidly approaching in his wheelchair from down the corridor, moving urgently and forcefully. Several bodyguards jogged behind him, trying to keep up while they were reminding him.
"Mark, slow down! Your ribs haven't healed yet!"
Mark rushed to the clinic entrance and looked up at Lina with fury.
"Who do you think you are, talking to Mr. Hamilton like that? Mr. Hamilton coming here is already giving you an opportunity. Don't think too highly of yourself."
Lina crossed her arms, looking at Mark expressionlessly, saying nothing.
Mark turned to Alexander, his expression immediately softening, filled with concern.
Alexander's face was pale. As Mark looked at him, his eyes reddened.
"Mr. Hamilton, why did you come out dressed so lightly? It's cold outside."
These past few days, Mark hadn't been able to reach Alexander. He was so anxious he couldn't sleep. Mark didn't even care about his own injuries, having people search for him everywhere, and when they couldn't find anything, he went looking himself.
Mark never imagined Alexander would be here, being forced by Lina to stand up straight like she was scolding him.
"Mark." Alexander shook his head at him.
"I came here on my own. Lina is concerned about me. Don't misunderstand."
"This is how she shows concern?" Mark couldn't suppress his anger.