Chapter 5

Silas slowly blinked his eyes open and was greeted by the smell of antiseptic. Everything that came into his sight was white.

Nadine and the doctor's voices rang out beside him.

"Ms. Larson, Mr. Fitzroy's allergic reaction was pretty serious this time. If we'd waited any longer, we might not have been able to save him."

The doctor paused.

"Fortunately, we treated him in time, and his recovery has been going well. His mental faculties have also..."

At those words, Silas raised his hand and knocked the glass beside him to the floor. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room, silencing the doctor.

"Silas, you're awake!" Nadine rushed to his side and clasped his hand. "How are you feeling? Do you want some water? I'll help you drink."

While a nurse came to clear away the broken pieces, Nadine carefully fed him water. Her tenderness was the complete opposite of the coldness she'd shown him just a few days earlier.

Once they were alone in the hospital room, Nadine held his hand and sighed.

"Silas, I wasn't trying to punish you. I just wanted you to learn to behave a little better," she said. "You've been so disobedient lately, almost as if you've entered a rebellious phase."

Silas stared at her and pulled his hand away.

"Was I really the one being unreasonable? Nadine, did you ever ask me why? Did you even ask why I had an allergic reaction?"

From beginning to end, she had never once cared enough to ask what had caused his allergy.

Nadine fell silent for a moment.

"Oliver didn't mean to do it," she said. "She just thought you'd bullied Jason. After all, he's still recovering from his injuries."

A mocking smile crossed Silas' face.

"My mind might not be what it used to be, but I'm not stupid, and I'm not deaf either. You and Jason are together now, aren't you?"

Nadine stiffened.

"Who told you that?"

Watching her reaction, Silas could only find it laughable. At a time like this, all she cared about was who had told him.

She had never felt the slightest bit of guilt over how she'd treated him.

"Didn't you promise that once I recovered, we'd be able to be together properly again?" he asked, his voice calm and detached. "Nadine, you've lied to me yet again."

The moment Nadine heard those words, she looked up and stared at him.

"Silas, you… Have you recovered completely?"

"I wrote everything you told me in a notebook," Silas replied evasively. "It's like you said, being together with someone is something that should be taken seriously. Only two people who love each other will be together."

Only then did Nadine's tension ease a little.

Silas really did have a habit of writing down everything she told him. He would even come to her for praise from time to time, just like a child.

She sat down in a chair and gently stroked his hand.

"Jason and I really are together, but he's been miserable ever since he lost his wife, Penelope. The doctor said he's suffering from severe depression. I just wanted to give him something to look forward to in life, and I'm that something he looks forward to.

"Silas, I'm trying to save him. Once he's better, I'll send him away."

There it was again.

It was always Jason. She'd always been lying to Silas.

Silas' heart, already shattered by her countless betrayals, ached all over again. Bitterness welled up inside him, bringing tears to his eyes.

"What if I asked you to send him away now? You could give him plenty of money. All he has to do is leave."

"How could I do that?"

"If he won't leave, then I'll leave you forever!" Silas shot back just as quickly.

Tension hung thick in the hospital room.

Just as Nadine was about to respond, her phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID, and her expression softened. When she answered, her voice was softer than Silas had ever heard it.

"Hello, Jason."

Whatever he said on the other end made her voice grow even softer.

"Alright. I'll come keep you company right now."

After hanging up, she stood and looked at Silas, her expression complicated.

"Silas, don't throw a childish tantrum. Once I've finished keeping him company, I'll definitely come back to spend time with you."

The moment the door closed behind her, a tear slipped down Silas' cheek.

He had given her chance after chance, but she had never truly cared. She had even flaunted her relationship with Jason right in front of him, treating him like a complete fool.

Silas reached beneath his pillow, his fingers trembling as he pulled out his phone. He opened a ticket-booking app, chose the farthest city he could find, and bought a ticket for a departure two weeks later.

"Nadine, I'm not throwing a tantrum," he thought. "This time, I'm leaving you for good."