Chapter 110

"We wait," Liliana said, her voice flat and hoarse. "He'll begin treatment."

With that, she turned and walked toward the stairwell.

"Liliana....." Vida started to cry again as she watched her leave.

"Stop crying!" Chuck snapped. "Calling after her won't do any good. Cedric is divorcing her!"

Vida gasped. "How could she be so foolish as to provoke Cedric at a time like this? What about Hale's medical bills? What about the family?"

Chuck paced back and forth like a caged animal. "How should I know? Why did I marry a woman like you? You raised a useless daughter, and now Hale is paying the

price..."

He berated her, and Vida simply shrank under the verbal assault, not daring to talk back.

"I told you before to take Liliana to a doctor, to find out why she hasn't gotten pregnant after all this time. Did you do it?" Two years of marriage without a child—of course the Forrests wouldn't want her.

Vida was both flustered and indignant. "I told her to go, but she wouldn't listen! Then... then Hale's accident happened, and I forgot all about it."

"Useless! Absolutely useless! There are nurses here for Hale. You go and take care of this right now!" Chuck urged.

Fortunately, Liliana hadn't signed the divorce papers yet. The Preston family could hold on a little longer. He prayed that in that time, Liliana could pull herself together and finally give Cedric a child.

***

On the hospital rooftop, the wind whipped around Liliana, causing her trench coat to billow. She stood before a four-foot wall, gazing out at the sprawling expanse of Riverbend City. She appeared calm, but her mind was racing, desperately searching for a way out of this impossible situation.

Her internship paid fifteen thousand a month. In three months, that would increase to twenty thousand. To become a full designer at Cyan would take at least two years, at which point her salary would be fifty thousand. The timeline was too long, and the amount was still a far cry from the hundred thousand a month needed for Hale's treatment.

She licked her dry lips, her eyes vacant as she stared into the distance.

The rooftop door opened and

Douglas stepped out. He saw her standing perilously close to the edge and slowed his pace. His footsteps were so light that Liliana didn notice him until he was standing beside her.

"Douglas," she murmured, thinking she must be imagining things.

"I had to come to the hospital for something and heard about Hale. I came to see

how you were doing."

Douglas wore an army-green trench

coat over a black shirt. He

al.ne

positioned himself against the wind,

shielding her from the cold blast that ruffled his short har

"Oh," was all Liliana could manage. She turned her gaze back to the city skyline.

She hadn't told Juniper about this yet. Juniper's fiery personality wasn't what she needed for comfort right now. She just wanted to be alone, But for some reason, Douglas's presence stirred an unexpected urge to confide in someone, to pour out all her troubles. Perhaps it was because he had been so kind to her lately.

But she held back. He wasn't her real brother. He wasn't someone she could lean

on.

Still, a single sentence escaped her lips. "Douglas, I can't go through with the divorce."

"I can help with Hale's situation."

Douglas had expected her to cry, to unload her burdens. He waited for her to ask for help, but she said nothing.

"Thank you, but I can't accept."

Liliana was terrified of debts she could never repay.

A shadow of sorrow and sympathy crossed Douglas's features. He looked down at

her. "You wouldn't have to repay me anything, as long as you promise me one thing."