Chapter 163 Unbearable Pain Sweeps Through the Body
She turned to the assistant nurse standing across from her at the operating table and said in a low voice, "Please update Mr. Hughes on Mrs. Hughes' condition."
The assistant nurse nodded and looked at Alaric, whose face was heavy with worry, quietly reporting on Ruth's situation.
Soon after, the operating room doors opened. Ruth lay on the hospital bed with a breathing tube, being wheeled out by medical staff.
She opened her eyes slightly, looking especially weak and exhausted.
Cordelia saw her fingers move slightly, so she walked over, gently took Ruth's hand, and comforted her.
"Mrs. Hughes, don't be afraid."
"I'm here."
Her voice was gentle. She kept talking while walking alongside the bed, all the way to the intensive care unit.
At the entrance, Cordelia paused, standing outside the window, looking into the ICU at Ruth lying on the bed.
Ruth also turned her head to look out the window. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
Alaric stood by Ruth's side. Seeing Ruth unable to make a sound, his expression froze.
The doctor had already told him that Ruth would very likely be paralyzed, and might also lose her voice.
He looked into the ICU with heavy eyes, inexplicably feeling anxious and helpless.
Ruth was his only blood relative left in this world.
Cordelia and Alaric stood by the window, quietly watching the ICU, until the nurse finished all the preparations and came out, saying softly to them both.
"Ruth has fallen asleep. I'll be on duty in the ICU next."
"If you're worried tonight and want to leave someone here, that's fine, just one person though."
Robert had been standing behind Alaric. Hearing the nurse's words, he immediately squeezed out from behind Cordelia and Alaric.
"I'll stay here."
Clifford heard this and stepped forward.
"Let me stay instead. You and Mr. Hughes are too busy with work, and you just rushed back from Silverlake Springs—you need rest. I've taken care of Mrs. Hughes for half my life. When Mrs. Hughes wakes up and sees me here, she might feel more at ease."
Alaric's eyes were dark, his tone serious and steady as he said.
"I'll stay here tonight. Clifford, you go back and pack your things to move to the hospital."
Hearing Alaric's words, Clifford hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.
After the nurse gave some instructions, she returned to the ICU.
Robert took Clifford back to pack.
Alaric turned and sat on a bench not far from the ICU, his face heavy, as if thinking about something.
Cordelia withdrew her gaze from the ICU, turned to look at Alaric, her lips moved, but in the end she didn't say a word. She turned and sat on a chair on the other side of the ICU, more than ten feet away from Alaric.
Alaric looked up at Cordelia, who was sitting far from him. She seemed lost in thought, staring straight at the white wall in front of her chair.
"You should go back. I'm here, that's enough." He spoke, his voice low.
Hearing this, Cordelia just glanced at him lightly and said slowly.
"I'll sit for a while then leave."
Alaric fell silent.
Cordelia didn't speak again either.
She sat there for most of the night.
In the early morning hours, her phone kept buzzing with apologetic messages from Thomas.
Cordelia had only helped him out as a favor, yet ended up being insulted like that.
Although Cordelia appeared calm and composed on the surface, she actually cared deeply about her failed marriage.
Thomas felt very guilty about this.
In the empty hallway by the ICU, there were only Cordelia and Alaric. They had maintained silence between them, so the sound of Cordelia's phone vibrating with incoming messages was quite loud in the empty, quiet corridor.
Cordelia briefly replied to Thomas a few times, then noticed Evelyn had also sent her messages.
She opened the messages, her eyes gradually deepening.
Alaric saw Cordelia looking down at her messages. He didn't know what the message said, but it had captured all her attention—she didn't even notice that he had been staring at her for a long time.
She kept her head down, her gentle eyes fixed on the phone screen. Not knowing what the other person said, her lips curved slightly upward, her eyes full of longing. Seeing this, Alaric felt a complex emotion flash through his heart.
Was she replying to Dominic?
Or chatting with Thomas?
He and Cordelia had never chatted late at night like this.
His eyes darkened slightly as he looked away and chose to rest with his eyes closed.
But the constant sound of phone vibrations in his ears made Alaric very irritated. He frowned and said coldly.
"Dr. Stone, you're disturbing me."
Hearing Alaric's words, Cordelia paused, then put away her phone.
"Sorry."
Before she could finish speaking, Alaric interrupted her directly.
"You should go back. Don't bother me here." When Alaric said this, he didn't even open his eyes to look at her.
Cordelia's expression stiffened slightly. She quietly glanced at the red lipstick mark on Alaric's chest, her hand holding the phone tightening slightly.
On her phone lay Evelyn's message quietly.
"Mrs. Hughes is seriously ill. If something happens to her, besides Amber, Alaric won't have any blood relatives left in this world."
"Cordelia, have you thought about telling Alaric about Amber's identity?"
"He might not be a good husband, but he would definitely be a good father."
Cordelia had been staring at that last message, lost in thought.
She had seen how Amber and Alaric got along—their chemistry was excellent, and Alaric was very accommodating toward Amber.
So she couldn't help but imagine the scene if Alaric knew Amber was his daughter.
If Alaric knew the truth, then Amber would probably become the happiest little girl in the world.
Just as she was immersed in her fantasy, Alaric's cold voice pulled her back to reality.
Janet had gone to Silverlake Springs with Alaric, so Cordelia didn't need to guess who left the lipstick mark on his shirt.
"Then I won't disturb you any longer."
Cordelia slowly rose from her chair and walked toward the elevator.
She stood quietly in the elevator, glancing at Alaric sitting on the bench. He still maintained his previous posture—arms crossed, head tilted back, leaning against the chair with his eyes closed.
As the elevator doors closed, Cordelia lowered her eyes slightly and replied to Evelyn's message.
"He went to Silverlake Springs with Janet. It looks like they've gotten back together. Janet will give him blood-related children. As for Amber, she's only my child and has nothing to do with him."
Alaric opened his eyes. Through the gap as the elevator doors closed, he saw Cordelia with her head down, replying to messages, her fingers typing quickly on the phone screen.
Alaric took a deep breath, feeling as if something was stuck in his throat—unable to swallow it down or cough it up—an uncomfortable feeling spreading through his entire body.