Chapter 14 Some Things Men Can Do, But Women Cannot
After ending the call with Dominic, Cordelia stepped out onto the balcony for some fresh air.
Her eyes caught sight of Alaric walking out of the yard. She watched quietly as he got into his car and drove away with a faint and mocking smile.
Couldn't bear to leave Janet alone in the hospital on Valentine's Day, could he?
She took a deep breath, feeling a sting in her nose and a tightness in her chest. She forced down the wave of bitterness and turned back inside to call Evelyn.
"Hey, Evelyn. Did you find that divorce lawyer you mentioned?"
Her voice was soft, devoid of much emotion, though her eyes were red and tears slipped down her cheeks.
Evelyn paused for a few seconds. "Yeah, I'll have him contact you tomorrow."
Cordelia hummed in acknowledgment.
Evelyn didn't ask further, just reminded her to rest up for work the next day.
After hanging up, Cordelia's emotions finally broke free, and she couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
If only she could be as carefree as Evelyn.
But she couldn't let go. The thought of Alaric spending Valentine's Day with Janet made her insanely jealous. She even wanted to run after him and stop him.
But she knew that even if she tried to hold on to him, his indifference would remain. His passion would never belong to her, and that thought made her feel cold inside.
Now that the Stone Group was out of trouble, their marriage could indeed come to an end.
After tidying up the kitchen, Saskia brought some fruit upstairs for Cordelia.
As she approached the door, she heard muffled sobs from the master bedroom.
She paused, peeking through the door crack to see Cordelia hugging her knees, crying softly.
Her shoulders trembled, clearly having suppressed her emotions for a long time, finally breaking down tonight.
Saskia had seen Robert bring flowers for Alaric earlier and thought their relationship might be improving.
But it seemed like nothing had changed.
Saskia sighed and quietly left.
After a good cry, Cordelia lay down and surprisingly had a restful sleep.
She woke up early, washed up, and noticed her slightly puffy eyes. She used cold water to reduce the swelling and applied some makeup to cover it.
Smiling at her reflection, she put on a stylish burgundy blouse and black pants, then headed downstairs.
Saskia greeted her cheerfully, "Mrs. Hughes, breakfast is ready."
Cordelia nodded and sat down at the table.
Her smooth, delicate skin looked even more radiant in the red blouse, making her look stunning.
"Mrs. Hughes, you look great today."
Cordelia smiled softly, "Thank you."
Her eyes curved with her smile, and she seemed to be in a good mood.
If Saskia hadn't seen Cordelia crying last night, she might have thought everything was blissful between her and Alaric.
The driver had returned Cordelia's car to the Hughes Manor the night before.
After breakfast, Cordelia drove herself to the hospital.
At the hospital, she stepped out of the elevator with a gentle smile, greeting colleagues as she passed.
Everyone couldn't help but take a second look at Cordelia.
She was already beautiful, but today, with her makeup and confident aura, she looked absolutely stunning.
"Dr. Stone, you look amazing today!" one of her colleagues exclaimed.
"Are you in love?" another teased.
Cordelia smiled but didn't answer directly.
Just then, Alaric emerged from Janet's room and saw Cordelia's radiant smile. His expression darkened, and his deep eyes scrutinized her openly.
A colleague noticed Alaric's gaze and signaled Cordelia. She turned and saw him standing near Janet's room, still in the same clothes from the night before, clearly having spent the night at the hospital with Janet.
Hiding her sadness, she forced a smile. "How's Ms. Martin?"
Alaric nodded slightly. "She's fine."
Cordelia nodded back. "Make sure she gets plenty of rest," she said calmly.
Alaric's eyes darkened.
Cordelia looked away from him and continued chatting with her colleague as they walked toward the lockers.
Some colleagues had heard rumors about Alaric and wanted to ask Cordelia for details.
But Cordelia had been busy in surgery all day yesterday, nowhere to be seen.
"Dr. Stone, you kept it well-hidden that you're friends with Ruth. Why didn't you ever mention it?" one colleague asked.
It wasn't a secret in the hospital that Ruth was the behind-the-scenes owner of Sunrise Valley Hospital.
Cordelia smiled gently. "Did I never mention it? I must have forgotten."
Cordelia had always focused on her work and kept a low profile, never making enemies, so she had good relationships in the hospital.
"I heard Mr. Hughes is married. Did you know that?" another colleague inquired.
Cordelia smiled softly and nodded. "Yes."
Her colleague, full of curiosity, quickly asked, "With everything going on, why hasn't his wife come to confront the woman in the hospital? She must be really tolerant!"
Cordelia's eyes flickered with embarrassment. "Maybe there's no love left."
She said softly, seeing her colleague's eager expression. She quickly added, "I have a surgery plan to submit and rounds to make, so I can't chat right now."
She hurriedly put on her white coat and left the locker room.
As she reached her office door, she saw Alaric sitting in her chair, looking at her with a cold expression.
"Are you in love?" he asked, his voice sharp.
Cordelia stayed silent.
She walked to her desk and sat down, looking at Alaric. "Do you want me to be in love?"
Alaric's face hardened. "Don't you dare!"
Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Hughes, you have double standards. You're in love with Ms. Martin, aren't you?"
Alaric frowned, his gaze icy. "Cordelia, some things men can do, but women can't."
Cordelia paused as she opened a drawer for a file. "Your mindset is stuck in the past. Why can men do things that women can't?"
Alaric looked at her coldly, his voice harsh. "Gender equality? Cordelia, I didn't think you'd be so naive."
Cordelia was stunned into silence by his words.
Even in today's society, which advocated for gender equality, true equality hadn't been achieved.
When men cheated, people often advised women to turn a blind eye.
But when women cheat, they are never forgiven, and their families feel ashamed, forever marked by disgrace.
So Alaric was right. Some things men could do, but women couldn't.