Chapter 158

In the dim stairwell, an invisible pressure closed in on her from all sides.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and left with a quiet "I know."

It was the evening rush hour, so the wait for the elevator was longer than usual. By

the time she returned, the elevator had just arrived.

The doors opened, and she followed Cedric inside.

Cedric stood behind her, looking down at her.

Her eyes were slightly downcast, and the red, swollen mark on her forehead was partially hidden by her hair, but it still looked awful.

He spoke in a low voice, "Hale..."

"Thank you for your concern. He'll be fine," Liliana said, her voice soft and weak. But

it carried an undeniable resilience, filled with resistance.

Two thoughts battled in her mind.

One urged her not to be difficult with Cedric. No matter what he did, no matter how hurt she was, she had to endure it.

For the ten thousand a month.

The other told her to have some dignity. She was Cedric's wife. She had the right to be angry, to demand to know what his intentions were with Sylvia.

Caught between these two thoughts, her tone became unintentionally polite yet stubborn.

Cedric frowned. She certainly knew how to put on airs in front of him!

Why couldn't she fight back when Chuck was about to hit her?

He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, his gaze growing sharper.

Sensing the temperature in the elevator drop, Liliana finally lifted her eyelids and glanced at the man's reflection on the polished wall.

She didn't quite understand why Cedric had suddenly appeared in Hale's hospital

room.

It wasn't until they left the hospital and Cedric got into her car that she realized.

He was just hitching a ride.

At this hour, during the evening rush, the roads were congested.

The complex, glittering city lights reflected into the car, illuminating half of the man's cold, handsome face while leaving the other half in shadow.

The atmosphere in the car was suffocatingly quiet.

The superficially harmonious relationship they had maintained over the past few days had now reached a freezing point.

Liliana had to constantly adjust her mindset to return to their normal life together.

Perhaps Cedric had told her not to come, because Erma hadn't come over to make dinner.

The house felt cold and empty. After entering, Liliana took off her coat and went straight to the kitchen.

"It looks like we're low on groceries. How about we just have some noodles?"

She took some greens from the refrigerator and asked for Cedric's opinion.

Cedric stood at the entrance to the dining room, his posture ramrod straight, one hand resting on the back of a chair.

He stared at the woman, who seemed to have already shed her earlier mood.

Her self-regulation was impressive, he thought.

She knew not to vent her negative emotions on him and affect their relationship.

This made his effort to bring Leroy back worthwhile.

She seemed to have lost a lot of weight recently, probably from work-related stress.

The form-fitting skirt that once fit

her waist looking as if it could het her perfectly now hung loosely an et

off at any

moment.

Her long, straight legs swayed back and forth beneath the hem.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice came out raspy, as if laced with fine sand. "That's fine."

With his approval, Liliana began to prepare the noodles in the kitchen.

Cedric went upstairs to shower first. During that time, he received a call from Timothy.

"Mr. Forrest, a private jet has been

arranged to pick up Mr. Sterling. If all goes well, he should arrive by

tomorrow morning. However..... Mr.

Sterling is complaining about

needing to adjust to the jet lag änd says he'll go to the hospital a week later."

Leroy was three years younger than Cedric, around the same age as Liliana.

He was also someone Cedric had sponsored through his philanthropic work, a genius in the medical field.

However, few people knew of him, either at home or abroad, because after graduation, he had dedicated

himself to researching psychological and psychiatri

illnesses and had

never worked in a hospital.

But he was a leader in the medical world, his position unrivaled.

"Get him set up at Riverbend Hospital tomorrow," Cedric scoffed. "If he dares to

refuse, smash his lab in the States!"