Chapter 159

"How did you let yourself get like this?" My voice trembled, tears falling onto his shoulder. "You promised me you'd take care of yourself while I was gone."

"I couldn't sleep." He kissed my hair, his voice weak yet laced with a sickly stubbornness. "Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was you being taken away. I couldn't rest until I saw with my own eyes that you were safe."

"I'm fine, I'm okay." I cupped his face, looking at his cracked lips, my heart breaking. Mother's death, Brent's scheming—in this moment, I pushed it all to the back of my mind. All I knew was that I couldn't lose him.

We held each other tightly, pouring out the worries we'd carried these past few days. He didn't ask why I'd been confined. I didn't mention Marlowe or Brent. We both tacitly avoided the landmines that would only make the other worry, wanting only to hold on to each other in this moment.

After a long while, I calmed down enough to pull back slightly from his embrace.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the bedroom doorway. Only then did I realize someone had been sitting on the sofa in the outer room this entire time.

It was a blonde, blue-eyed female doctor. She wore a white coat, holding a thick medical file in her hands, quietly watching us. Her expression was extremely serious, even heavy with something unspoken.

I froze for a moment, then immediately stood up.

Benjamin's condition was definitely not a simple stomach issue. A common stomach bug wouldn't require a traveling doctor, much less reduce him to this skeletal state in just a few days.

I turned and walked toward the outer room. Behind me, Benjamin reached out to pull me back but missed.

I stopped in front of the doctor. "Doctor, I'm his wife. Please tell me honestly—what's wrong with my husband? What exactly is going on with his health?"

The doctor glanced at me, then turned to look at Benjamin, who lay tense on the bed.

She frowned deeply, her face troubled.

She closed the medical file in her hands. Her lips moved as if to speak, but she seemed to hesitate, and in the end only let out a heavy sigh.

"Doctor, please tell me." I locked eyes with her, my tone sharpening.

Just as she was about to speak, Benjamin's hoarse voice came from behind me.

"Ophelia, come here."

I turned around. He was leaning against the headboard, chest rising and falling slightly, his eyes stubbornly fixed on me.

"I know my own body." He cut off the doctor's response, his pale fingers gripping the edge of the blanket tightly. "Tell her to leave."

The doctor glanced at him, shook her head helplessly, gathered her file, and walked out of the suite, closing the door behind her.

I walked back to the bed, and the moment I got close, he yanked me hard into his arms. His strength was surprising—he held me tight, his chin pressed against my shoulder, breathing rapidly.

"Don't ask anymore." His voice was muffled, carrying an almost pleading note. "I'm just tired. Stay with me for a while."

I looked at his bloodless face, my heart clenched as if squeezed by an invisible hand. I knew he was hiding something, but seeing him this weak, I couldn't bring myself to press him further.

I obediently slipped off my jacket and lay down beside him. He immediately wrapped around me like a vine, burying his face in the crook of my neck, greedily soaking up my warmth.

The room fell quiet, filled only with the sound of his slightly labored breathing.

"Did Mr. White give you trouble?" After a while, he asked softly, his fingers gently stroking my hair.

I closed my eyes. Sawyer's furious face flashed through my mind, along with Marlowe's vicious insinuations. Mother's death, Brent's schemes—they weighed on me like boulders. But I couldn't tell him. His body couldn't handle any more stress right now.

"Grandfather wants me to take over the White Group's European operations." I downplayed it, deliberately omitting Mother and Brent. "He confined me, confiscated my documents, tried to force me to stay in Solstice."

Benjamin's movements stopped. A dangerous glint flared in his dark eyes.

"He dared to confine you?" His voice turned ice-cold as he tried to sit up. "I'll take you away. If you don't want the White family's assets, I can support you."

"Don't be rash." I quickly pressed him back down, pulling him into my arms again. "He's just trying to force me to give in. I'm the White family's only heir—he won't actually hurt me. But you..."

I looked at the alarming needle marks on the back of his hand, my eyes stinging. "In this condition, how can you take me anywhere? You can barely take care of yourself."

He looked at me, a flash of guilt and pain in his eyes. He reached up to touch my cheek, his rough fingertips brushing the corner of my eye.

"Ophelia, you don't need to worry about anyone, including the White family." His tone was serious, tinged with uncompromising obsession. "If you want to go home, I'll arrange a private jet immediately. The White family's assets—take them if you want, leave them if you don't. All I care about is your happiness."

He was always like this—standing unreservedly on my side, even if it meant standing against the whole world.

My heart softened, tears threatening to fall.

"I know." I took his hand and pressed it against my cheek. "But I can't leave. Grandfather has deep roots in Solstice. If you force me out, there will definitely be conflict. And..."

I paused, Marlowe's smug face flashing through my mind. If she dared show up in Solstice, it meant Brent's reach had extended here too. Benjamin was alone abroad now, his health failing—if Marlowe and Brent targeted him, the consequences would be disastrous.

"You need to go home as soon as possible." I looked into his eyes, my tone resolute. "Suncrest City isn't safe. If you stay here and my grandfather finds out, he definitely won't let you go. Besides, Marlowe's in Solstice too. I'm afraid she'll come after you."

Benjamin's brow furrowed, his eyes resistant. "I can't leave you here alone."

"I can handle it." I softened my voice, cupping his face in both hands. "Trust me this once, okay? Go home and take care of yourself. Once I get my documents back and finish dealing with things here, I'll come straight to you."

He stared at me hard, intense reluctance and struggle churning in his eyes. His insecurity ran so deep—he wanted nothing more than to keep me tied to his side. But he also knew that in his current condition, staying would only make him my weakness.

After a long moment, he let out a defeated sigh and pulled me tightly into his embrace, his grip so fierce it felt like he wanted to meld me into his bones.

"Fine, I'll listen to you." His voice was terribly hoarse, heavy with compromise. "But you have to contact me every day. If there's any danger, tell me immediately."

"I promise." I leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, half my anxiety finally settling.

Just then, the phone on the nightstand vibrated.

I picked it up and saw a message from Francis: [Ms. White, being out too long will raise Mr. White's suspicions. If you've finished your affairs, I'll come pick you up.]