Chapter 82
Gregory walked into the hospital room and looked at me with a complicated expression: "What Grandpa just said..."
I turned to him, my face cold: "If you're here to apologize for Sophia, don't bother. Oscar's hurt this badly - I won't accept any apology. As for anything else, I don't want to talk about it right now."
Gregory wasn't scared off by my words: "I just heard Grandpa say you're Emma?"
I laughed coldly: "Are you delusional or something?"
Robert explained, "You must have heard wrong. I was asking her how Emma's doing in Solstice. I wanted her to pass along a message - if Emma's really doing well there, she doesn't need to come back. I hope she can be herself, whether as Emma or Emily, just live her own life well."
The certainty in Gregory's eyes gradually turned to confusion. He looked at me, then at Robert, clearly unable to figure out what he'd actually heard.
Oscar let out a pained groan. I quickly went to him, watching as he slowly opened his eyes. "Oscar, how are you feeling?" I asked worriedly.
Oscar's face, which had been twisted in pain, broke into a bitter smile when he saw me clearly: "I'm okay, but you don't look so good. Your eyes are all red. Were you crying? That's rare."
I smiled at him through blurry eyes. Even at a time like this, he was still joking around.
I sniffled and grabbed a tissue to wipe the fine beads of sweat from his forehead: "Does it hurt? How are you feeling now? The anesthesia should have worn off by now. Do you need me to call the doctor?"
Oscar shook his head at me: "It's fine, just a little burn. I'm not dying. Don't act like you're about to become a widow. Even though you look pretty when you cry, I still don't want to see you cry."
"Who's crying?" I wiped away my tears. "Want some water? I'll get you some."
"Don't fuss. Just sit down." Oscar took my hand and smiled at me. "It really doesn't hurt that much. Don't blame yourself."
Robert stepped forward: "Good that you're okay, but you still need to take care of that injury properly."
Oscar nodded: "Why did you come too? I'm fine. Emily's here at the hospital - that's enough. You should head back."
I could feel him instinctively rejecting Robert's kindness.
Robert seemed not to notice: "Just wanted to see you're alright. I had the butler bring breakfast. You haven't eaten anything all morning - Emily can feed you a bit. Emily, you should eat too. You need to take care of yourself first before you can take care of Oscar."
Robert brought over the lunch box he'd set aside earlier. I took it from him: "Mr. Lopez, you haven't had breakfast either. You should head back. I'm here, and I'll call you if anything comes up."
Gregory clearly hadn't recovered emotionally yet. Even the way he looked at Oscar carried a hint of jealousy: "I should stay too. I'm a man - I can help with things more easily."
I glanced at him sideways, already getting impatient with his behavior. He was still so full of himself: "I'm Oscar's fiancée. There's nothing inconvenient about my taking care of him. You, on the other hand, didn't Sophia just have a miscarriage? You should be by her side, taking care of her."
Gregory eagerly tried to explain: "I already explained to Sophia - that night was just an accident. I didn't expect there'd be a child. Maybe the baby knew it shouldn't have come, so it left."
I'd never seen such a shameless man. He got someone pregnant and was still calling it an accident.
Aphrodisiacs didn't force the act itself. He was home, free to walk away. If he couldn't control himself, the drug wasn't to blame.
"Explaining to me is useless." I ignored him, took the thermos, poured out a bowl of oatmeal, and carefully brought it to Oscar's side. "Have some oatmeal."
Oscar turned to look at them, giving Robert a smile: "Having you all watch me eat is kind of awkward. Why don't you head back? Emily's enough for me here."
Robert nodded: "Alright, I'll head back then. Tonight I'll have the butler bring you more nutritious food. The toiletries are in the bathroom. If you need anything, just call. Let's go, Gregory. Let them rest."
Gregory still seemed reluctant: "Grandpa, I still have things I need to ask. I..."
Robert's grip on his wrist tightened. Though he still wore a smile, his tone had become much harder: "Your uncle needs to rest. Having Emily here to take care of him is enough. You have other things to deal with. Come out with me now."
By the end, Robert couldn't quite suppress the anger in his eyes.
Gregory's gaze moved past Robert to look at us. I only glanced at him from the corner of my eye before quickly looking away, carefully blowing on the oatmeal to cool it down for Oscar.
Clearly, he was naturally afraid of Robert.
Oscar watched the hospital room door close again, then turned his head to look at me: "As long as you don't admit it, let them guess all they want."
"You heard everything?" I kept my head down as I placed the cooled oatmeal in front of him.
Oscar nodded: "Even if they know, it doesn't matter. Whether you're Emily or Emma, with me here, they can't hurt you. Whatever you want to do, you can still do it."
I didn't say anything, standing up to go sit somewhere else.
Oscar reached out and grabbed me: "Weren't you going to feed me? Where are you going?"
My scattered thoughts were interrupted by his question, and I quickly calmed down: "You burned your back, not your hands. I'll prop up a pillow for you, and you can eat lying on your stomach."
Oscar turned his head to look at me pitifully: "My hands aren't burned, but it hurts when I move. Can't you feel sorry for me?"
I was starting to doubt whether he was telling the truth: "How would it pull at your injury?"
"Look." Oscar tried to raise his hand, but before he could lift it much, he pulled it back, looking at me with complete sincerity. "It really hurts."
I had no choice but to sit back down. I walked in front of him, picked up the bowl, and held the spoon to his lips: "Does it hurt when you eat like this?"
"This is great. It doesn't hurt at all like this. Just sorry to trouble you." Oscar's face lit up with a bright smile. He tried to lift his upper body a bit, but the movement was too much, and he grimaced before lying back down.
"If it's not too hot, just eat it like this. Take your time so you don't burn your tongue." I'd never spoon-fed a guy before. Being this close, I could make out every feature on his face - even the soft peach fuzz on his cheeks was visible. The sunlight seemed to give him an almost angelic glow, softening his entire appearance.
Especially watching him smile at me so brightly, I suddenly felt a strange flutter in my heart.