Chapter 73
Lily quietly opened the door and tiptoed inside, carefully leaning over the edge of the bed to look at Adeline lying there.
"Daddy, will Mommy be okay?"
Edward spoke softly, "She'll be fine. Mommy's just tired."
He ruffled Lily's hair, letting her stay with Adeline while he stepped into the hallway.
The private doctor was waiting there.
"Mr. Thomas, this lady's abdominal wound wasn't treated promptly. The wound area is somewhat infected and needs medication. She'll need to watch her diet during recovery. Also, her overall health isn't good..."
He said much more, and Edward's expression grew increasingly cold as he listened.
"Thank you for your help."
After seeing the doctor out, he returned to the bedroom.
Lily, wise beyond her years, asked as soon as he entered, "What did the doctor say?"
Edward stroked her head.
"Would you even understand if I told you?"
"I would!"
Frequent hospital stays had made Lily somewhat of an expert—not quite a doctor, but she'd picked up plenty.
Edward paused, then said, "The doctor said your mom hasn't been eating properly. She needs good rest and someone to make sure she eats."
"I can do that!" Lily raised her hand, volunteering eagerly.
Edward nodded. "Good. Then I'll leave her to you."
Adeline slept for over three hours. When she finally woke, it was already dark.
She rubbed her slightly dizzy head and turned to see Lily slumped by the bedside. The little girl was awake now, blinking groggily, her pale face marked with imprints from where she'd been resting.
"Mommy?"
"What are you doing here? It's dark already. Shouldn't you be in bed?"
Adeline glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
It was already 9 PM.
Lily anxiously examined her. "Mommy, are you better now? You fainted at the door earlier. Daddy and I were so scared."
Adeline paused, then spoke gently, "Lily, go get some sleep. Mommy is fine, just a little under the weather."
"Really?"
"When have I ever lied to you?"
Lily believed her. She thoughtfully tucked her mother in before leaving, looking back several times as she went.
Adeline slowly shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, lifting her shirt to reveal fresh bandages on her abdomen.
The wound hurt a bit, as if it had reopened.
But the bandages were clean.
As she sat there confused, the door opened.
Edward walked in carrying a bowl of soup. "Drink this."
Adeline had no appetite and didn't move. "I'm sorry for scaring you both. Someone treated my wound?"
Actually, she wanted to know who had bandaged her.
"Your wound was infected. What do you think? Should it be treated?" Edward's voice was cold. "Or should we have watched you burn up with fever right outside my door?"
Infected wound, malnutrition, high fever.
The doctor had used numerous medications and physical cooling methods to bring her temperature down.
Adeline ran her fingers through her hair. She hadn't expected things to get this bad.
"It's late. I should head home."
She stood to leave, but Edward stopped her.
"How would you get home now? Besides, Lily knows you're sick. What do you think will happen if you leave?"
She would definitely make a fuss endlessly.
Edward couldn't bear that.
Adeline wasn't sure what he meant and was afraid of misunderstanding. "Are you saying you want me to stay?"
Edward didn't answer, just stared at the bowl of soup on the nightstand.
"Drink it."
Adeline couldn't taste anything and didn't want soup, but her stomach betrayed her with an embarrassing growl. After an awkward moment, she decided to just go with it.
Better to eat first and figure things out later.
She lowered her head to drink the soup. Edward watched her profile, momentarily lost in thought.
Six years ago, the first night they'd made love, she had insisted on having soup he'd made.
She'd even hung on his back while he was cooking.
Realizing what he was thinking about, he turned away. "For Lily's sake, stay tonight. Rest well. You can leave tomorrow if you've recovered."
"Okay."
Adeline watched his retreating figure, then looked down at the empty bowl.
Despite having no appetite, she'd finished every drop.
She'd recognized it from the first sip.
This was Edward's cooking.
A taste only he could create, utterly unique.
Morning came.
Adeline had slept unusually well, comforted by knowing Lily was just in the next room.
An indescribable sense of security.
Morning brought her daughter's wake-up service. She cuddled with Lily for a while before getting out of bed.
Downstairs, breakfast was already prepared.
Lily eagerly pulled out a chair for her. Turning around, she spotted Edward sitting at the table, checking his phone, and immediately put her hands on her hips.
"Daddy! No phones at the table!"
Hearing this, Edward put his phone down. "I was just replying to one message. Alright, I'll listen to you."
Adeline knew she would have to leave after breakfast.
So she especially cherished this meal.
Mother and daughter were inseparable, while Edward watched from the side, feeling like the odd one out.
After breakfast, Lily suddenly said, "Mommy, Daddy gave me a toy the other day. It's super fun. Can we play with it together?"
Adeline didn't agree right away.
After all, this wasn't her home. She would have to leave eventually.
"Please, Mommy?"
When her pleading failed with Adeline, Lily realized who the decision-maker was. She turned to Edward, sucking up to him by putting food on his plate.
Edward glanced at her and silently ate the food.
Lily just stared at him expectantly.
Who could resist those big eyes? Especially Edward, who already felt guilty about Lily.
He felt he'd failed her all these years.
"Fine, but you have to write fifty characters today."
Lily's eyes widened. She hated homework. Recently, being sick meant no preschool and no homework—those carefree days were now over.
But if it meant being with Mommy, even fifty characters wasn't so bad!
"Daddy, you're the best!"
And so Adeline stayed.
Edward never mentioned when she should leave. Lily kept her close, the two inseparable, and Adeline couldn't bring herself to say goodbye.
She couldn't bear it, and she didn't want to.
Every moment with Lily was precious, each passing minute one less they would have.
She sat with Lily, playing with building blocks.
Lily seemed distracted. After a while, she suddenly sat up. "Mommy, this part is really hard. I don't know how to put it together."
Adeline looked down and realized this wasn't an ordinary puzzle but an educational one. You couldn't solve it just by looking at the picture; you needed to find the common elements in the images.
She studied it for a while.
It was a bit embarrassing.
"Mommy doesn't know how to solve it either, but we can figure it out together."
Lily's eyes lit up. "Daddy is really good at these! I'll go get him to help us!"
"Lily..."
Adeline couldn't stop her in time. In the blink of an eye, Lily had run out the door.
Lily's intentions couldn't be more obvious.
But how could Lily understand that these efforts were futile?
As she was thinking, Edward and Lily returned.
Lily pulled his hand. "Daddy, look at this puzzle. It's too hard. Mommy and I can't figure it out. Can you help us?"