Chapter 52

Fearing Liliana would argue, Juniper added her own plea. "Work isn't more important than your health. Stop trying to be tough. Just let my brother handle it."

Liliana didn't want anyone at the company to know she knew Douglas. It would feel like she had gotten the job through connections. She bit her lip, hesitating.

"Don't feel bad about it," Juniper said, patting her own chest. "My brother's been gone for two years; we haven't gotten to cash in on a single favor. Now that he's back, who else is he going to help? I'll owe him for this one, so it has nothing to do with you!"

With that, she waved Douglas off to handle the hospital admission. Liliana had no choice but to agree.

It was 3:30 AM by the time she was settled in her room. Juniper stayed to keep her company, and Douglas, perhaps not wanting to leave his sister alone, stayed as well. But their presence couldn't fill the void in her heart.

She lay on her side, staring at her phone. Not a single call, not a single message. Cedric was undoubtedly with Sylvia tonight. She calculated the time. When her car had crashed, they were probably tangled in each other's arms. If the accident had been worse, if a passerby hadn't stopped to help, she could have died out there, and he would never have known.

Her thoughts spiraled. She knew she shouldn't think about it, shouldn't let it hurt her, but she couldn't stop.

Sometime later, the sky began to lighten. The first rays of morning sun streamed into the room. Liliana shifted, turning her head, and her eyes met Douglas's. He was standing by the window. Juniper was asleep on the sofa, covered with his jacket. He wore only a white shirt and a black vest, and the morning light enveloped him in a warm, golden glow.

"Feeling any better?" he asked, walking toward her. He saw a stray lock of hair on her forehead and lifted his hand as if to brush it away, then let it fall back to his side.

Liliana nodded. "Much better. Thank you, Douglas."

He smiled, his voice soft and low. "I'll have Junie stay with you for breakfast. I'm going to the office to postpone your start date."

"Douglas," she said, pushing herself up. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she pressed a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes.

He sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped an arm around her unsteady shoulders. "Just talk. You can lie down." He helped her lie back, then quickly released her.

"I don't want anyone at work to know

we know each other," she said, her

voice still weak. "If I run into

problems, I'll solve them myse Please don't put yourself in

difficult position."

She didn't want to cause him trouble, and he understood.

"Don't worry, no one will know. I'll find a legitimate reason to delay your start date. But if you do run into something you can't handle, you can always call me privately, And one more thing. He glanced at Juniper "Don't tell her I'm at Cyan."

Juniper thought Douglas had just pulled some strings to get her the job. Liliana was

surprised; she'd assumed Juniper knew.

"Okay," she said, not asking why.

Douglas stayed a little longer, then left. At six, a nurse came to do her rounds, waking Juniper. The nurse suggested some sunlight would do Liliana good and recommended wheelchair since walking was inadvisable. Juniper was happy to push her outside for breakfast. Liliana hated hospitals and was eager to get out of the room.

She was in a VIP room on a floor with only two suites. Just as they were leaving,

she heard a woman's coquettish voice from the room next door.

"Cedric, please just let me go home! My hand really doesn't hurt anymore. And you're wasting time from work being here with me!"

Liliana looked over. Through the half-open door, she saw Cedric standing at the foot

of the bed. Across from him, dressed in her own clothes with a small bandage on her wrist, was Sylvia.