Chapter 41
Elizabeth's POV
Pain washed over me like a tidal wave, more fierce than I'd imagined.
Lisa followed beside me with worry written all over her face, trying everything to get me to eat something.
But looking at all that food so easily within reach, the pain in my heart only grew deeper.
Staying in the Windsor family's villa, it seemed like everything was done for me. And here I was, talking big about getting revenge on Aiden, yet I couldn't even protect what mattered most to me.
This sense of defeat made me doubt myself from deep within, going over and over what had gone wrong.
Unable to eat, combined with overwhelming sadness, left me in a daze.
After examining me, the family doctor shook his head with concern. "Ms. Spencer, you look terrible. This can't go on."
He looked directly at Lisa, who was taking care of me, and asked bluntly, "What has she been eating these past few days?"
The worry on Lisa's face didn't fade as she answered, "Ms. Spencer has no appetite. She only drinks a few sips of oatmeal when she's absolutely starving. She can't keep anything else down."
The doctor frowned. "How can you survive on so little? Your health is already poor—you need proper nutrition."
I looked at myself in the mirror. My face was so pale I barely recognized myself.
My body was definitely sending warning signals. At night, I could never sleep well, my mind full of thoughts about my parents.
In this world, I had no family left. And I myself, because of a failed relationship, had ended up like this.
I couldn't help thinking that if I hadn't gotten together with Aiden back then, and had chosen to spend more time with my parents instead, maybe none of this would have happened.
"Ms. Spencer, are you listening? The doctor is telling you to eat properly!" Lisa's tone was urgent as she grabbed my arm and shook it.
Only then did I snap back to attention, looking at her blankly.
Lisa froze for a moment, then immediately turned to the doctor for help. "Doctor, what should we do? Ms. Spencer is completely out of it."
The doctor had me do some tests, his gaze falling on my lower abdomen. "Ms. Spencer, if you keep neglecting your body like this, the baby will be affected too."
I froze, looking up at him in confusion. "Baby?"
The doctor's expression was serious, not like he was joking. "Yes. Your body is already weak to begin with, and the fetus isn't very stable either. If you keep destroying your health like this, you could miscarry."
Hearing this, I finally seemed to wake up.
Yes, I wasn't alone anymore. In my belly was family connected to me by blood, my family.
I couldn't hurt another family member just because of a temporary defeat.
But I really couldn't swallow that food.
"I understand," I said quietly, showing my attitude.
Seeing me finally say this, Lisa breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ms. Spencer, I'll go prepare something for you to eat right now." Lisa eagerly helped me up, wanting to take me back to my room.
The doctor was organizing his reports, looking like he was about to report to Alexander. I glanced at him one last time, then turned to leave.
"Take care of your health"—that was the only thought left in my mind, but looking at the food in front of me, I still couldn't eat it.
"I'll just drink some oatmeal," I said, reaching for the bowl.
Seeing me like this, Lisa let out a heavy sigh, looking troubled. "Ms. Spencer, didn't you promise the doctor you'd eat properly?"
I looked at her but couldn't say a word.
I really couldn't eat.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open forcefully, and a tall figure strode in.
Alexander's face was terribly dark, his eyes full of disapproval as he looked at me.
"This is your idea of getting revenge on Aiden?"
He stared at the oatmeal in my bowl and laughed coldly. "You can't even handle this setback, and you want to get revenge on someone?"
"Elizabeth, the way you are now—don't tell me you still have some unrealistic fantasy about him."
"Or is it that you're upset because he's loved someone else all these years?"
Alexander's words pierced my ears like needles, each one dripping with mockery.
But it wasn't like that.
I didn't care about Aiden's feelings at all. What I cared about was that I had no real power of my own. If I went after Aiden head-on by myself, I'd probably be the one who got hurt in the end. Without relying on Alexander, without relying on the baby in my belly, I'd only end up worse and worse.
"Elizabeth!" Alexander suddenly moved closer, grabbing my wrist.
I lost my grip on the bowl, and it fell to the floor, oatmeal spilling everywhere in a mess.
I cried out in shock, but he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him.
"Speak. What are you thinking?" His voice was full of barely contained anger.
I remembered what the doctor said—if this continued, it would be bad for the baby. I also understood that Alexander was only here because of this child.
I gritted my teeth and spoke. "I'm going to make him pay. He's the one who came after me first."
As I finished speaking, tears disobeyed me again, streaming down as my eyes reddened.
This was what I'd always wanted to do, but these past few days of self-doubt had left me in agony. I admitted it—I'd fallen into self-attack. The food in front of me was the best way to replenish my energy.
I couldn't skip meals anymore, couldn't let my body get any weaker.
If I wanted revenge on him, if I wanted to watch him fall into the abyss, first, I had to take care of myself.
"I'll eat." Tears still falling, with him still not letting go, I forced these words through my teeth.
"I'll eat properly and take care of myself." I turned my head away, breaking free from his grip, then picked up my utensils and started putting food in my mouth, bite by bite.
The food tasted like paper, I couldn't taste any flavor at all.
Right now, I was eating purely to keep my body functioning.
Alexander stood beside me watching, as if observing something.
I mechanically stuffed food in my mouth, and he could see that I was doing this out of some kind of instinct, or rather, some kind of determination.
He suddenly laughed softly. "Elizabeth, you'd better actually have what it takes. Continuing like this isn't good for anyone. You should understand what you really need to do."
His words were heavily suggestive, but they were exactly what I needed to think about.
I needed to figure out what I wanted to do, and the foundation for all of it was taking care of my body. Only with good health, safely giving birth to this child who could serve as leverage—that was my most advantageous choice.
"I know," I said, wiping away my tears and forcing myself to finish the meal.
Alexander didn't leave. He just stood there beside me, watching.