Chapter 173 I Wish It Were Me

Chapter 173 I Wish It Were Me
Lena was frozen in place.

Mrs. Adler turned to stare at him, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

The crowd immediately fell silent.

Theon’s grip tightened around her wrist. His sharp gaze swept across the onlookers.

“Nothing to see here,” he said coldly. “Move along.”

No one moved.

His expression darkened. “I said move.”

The authority in his voice finally snapped the crowd out of their shock. They began dispersing, muttering among themselves.

“Isn’t he a doctor?”

“He looks too young.”

“He’s wearing a white coat. He must be.”

Mrs. Adler finally recovered from her stunned state. She tried to yank her arm free.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she snapped. “Is this how you treat your aunt?”

Theon’s gaze remained icy. “If you continue causing a disturbance, I’ll have security escort you out of this hospital.”

Mrs. Adler scoffed. “It’s bad enough that you’re a spoiled, arrogant brat. Now you’re meddling in my family affairs?”

“You attacked a patient inside this hospital.”
His voice turned colder. “My patient.”

Mrs. Adler’s eyes widened. “Your patient? She is my daughter-in-law.”

“Really?”

The single word made her expression stiffen.

Mrs. Adler lifted her chin. “Just because your mother married into the Kensington family doesn’t give you the right to act superior. This isn’t your country. The Adler family is one of the biggest sponsors of this facility.”

Theon’s face remained expressionless. “And the Kensington family runs this hospital.”

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Then he stepped forward. “Now I’ll ask you one last time.” His voice remained calm. “Are you leaving on your own…”

His eyes hardened. “…or would you like me to personally have you removed?”

Mrs. Adler’s face flushed red. “You can’t—”

“I can.” His voice cut through hers. “And I will.”

For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Mrs. Adler jerked her arm free.

“This isn’t over.” Her glare shifted toward Lena.

“Come, Stacy.” She grabbed Stacy’s arm and stormed away.

The corridor gradually emptied.

Theon finally turned toward Lena.

The sight of her made something twist painfully inside his chest.

Her face was pale, and her eyes were red. The side of her cheek was visibly swollen.

Theon slowly reached out. His fingertips barely brushed the red mark.

Lena immediately flinched. 

“Don’t.” The word came out as a whisper.

“Lena—”

She stepped back. Her chest rose and fell unevenly. “I need to leave. I need…”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away fast. Almost as if she were running.

“Lena...” Theon immediately followed. “Lena.”

Lena didn’t stop.

“Lena!”

Still she kept walking past the main corridor and several departments, without reading the signs.

Her feet just carried her towards the nearly empty pathway as tears blurred her vision. She had no idea where she was going. She just needed to get away. Away from the hospital, from the humiliation, and away from the suffocating pain in her chest.

She pushed through a private exit door and stepped outside.

A blast of cold air immediately hit her face as she walked out. Soft white flakes drifted from the gray sky, landing on her hair and coat.

When she noticed the unfamiliar section of the hospital grounds, she finally slowed down. Snow continued falling around her.
The world seemed strangely quiet beneath the white blanket spreading across the ground.

“Lena.” 

Theon’s voice came from behind her. She didn’t turn.

A few seconds later, he caught up. His breathing was uneven from chasing after her. Snowflakes clung to his hair and shoulders.

“Lena, what is happening?”

Lena still remained silent.

Theon stared at her trembling shoulders as she refused to look at him. He knew how completely broken she looked right now.
His jaw tightened. “What is happening?” 

He got no response. “Lena.”

Still nothing.

Theon took a slow breath. “Listen.”

His voice softened. “I know it’s none of my business. I know I shouldn’t interfere in your personal life.”

He stepped closer. “But I need you to tell me what’s going on.”

His hands settled carefully on her shoulders, turning her towards him. “You can’t keep facing things like this alone.”

Lena lowered her gaze. Her lips pressed tightly together.

Theon waited, but got nothing.

The frustration that had been building inside him suddenly surged.

A bitter laugh escaped him. The sound startled even himself.

“I don’t understand. I really don’t.”

Lena slowly looked up. Theon’s eyes were red.

“Every time I see you… you’re hurting.”

His laugh turned hollow. “The first time, the second time, today…”

Theon’s gaze drifted to the swelling on her cheek. “And somehow it’s always because of him. Not your father. Because I know he’s perfectly fine after that surgery.”

Lena’s heart clenched.

Theon looked away briefly before forcing himself to continue.

“What exactly are you holding onto? He didn’t even realize when you were…”

Pregnant. 

He couldn’t bring himself to complete the words.

“What is it about Rhys that’s worth all of this?”

Lena’s eyes immediately reddened.

Theon shook his head. “I don’t understand. I don’t understand how you can endure this.”

His chest rose sharply. “How you can keep staying. How you can keep choosing him even though his family clearly detest you.”

His eyes glistened. “And I hate myself for feeling this way.”

Lena remained still.

Theon’s voice dropped lower. “Because every time I see you suffering…”

His hands trembled against her shoulders. “…I wish it were me standing beside you instead.”

The words hung heavily between them.

Neither of them noticed how heavily the snow had begun to fall. White flakes settled on Lena’s eyelashes. It melted against Theon’s hair.

The cold should have been unbearable. Yet neither of them seemed to feel it.

Theon’s hands trembled against her shoulders.

“Do you know how hard this has been for me? I tried. I really tried to stay away.”

His voice dropped to a whisper. “But I can’t…”

The wind stirred around them. Snowflakes scattered across Lena’s coat as she stared at him.

The raw emotion in his eyes stole her breath away. “Why must you choose him.”

His throat bobbled. “Why can’t you look at me the way you look at him?”

Then came the words he could no longer keep inside. “Why can’t you let me love you?”

Lena felt something warm land on her arm. A tear.

Theon had lowered his head against her shoulder.

This was the first time she was seeing him look completely vulnerable and really open about his feelings.

Lena felt as if her heart was being torn apart. The walls she had been desperately holding together finally crumbled.

A sob escaped her. “I’m just so tired.” Her voice broke. “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Tears streamed down her face. “I have no one to rely on.”

She shook violently. “I just…” her words dissolved into sobs.

Theon immediately raised his head. His hands gently cupped her cheeks. “Lena.”

His own eyes were still red. “You do have people.”

He brushed her tears away with his thumb. “You just… don’t let anyone help you.”

Lena’s lips trembled. She instinctively turned her face away.