LOGINAfter all, she had borne him a child.Philip’s attitude toward Maria gradually began to change.Anyone could notice this shift, no matter how slow they were.Maria certainly noticed it as well.She had already spent time studying Philip’s temperament before.Now she had more or less figured out his personality.It was obvious that Philip’s tolerance toward her had grown greater and greater.The turning point came when Lucas and Aurora visited the hospital to see him.That day, when they arrived, they heard bursts of laughter coming from inside the ward.The moment they heard the voices, the two exchanged a glance instinctively.“What’s going on?”Aurora asked, puzzled.In fact, they had not visited Philip for several days.During that time, whenever Lucas texted him, Philip had refused their visits.“You young people should focus on your own lives. I’m just an old man lying in a hospital bed. There’s no need to worry about me.”When Lucas heard that, his first reaction had been shock.
She reached out to pat Philip’s back while pouring him a glass of warm water and setting it beside him.Philip had not eaten much that evening, and after several days in the hospital his appetite had been poor.Now that he was eating Maria’s cooking again, his appetite had returned in full force.After finishing the meal, Philip rubbed his stomach in satisfaction.In the end, he even offered Maria a brief comment.“Your cooking hasn’t declined at all.”“That’s wonderful, Philip!”Maria was thrilled. “Hearing you say that means a lot. I’ll cook for you again next time.”Philip did not know what to say, but he had the faint feeling that he had somehow fallen into her trap.Originally, he had not planned to eat a single bite.But now that he had started, bringing the matter to a clean end no longer seemed so simple.“We’ll see,” Philip replied vaguely.He had no intention of making any promises to Maria.The future was far too uncertain.“Alright, then I’ll bring you another meal tomorrow
Maria lowered her gaze slightly.“Even if you’re unhappy with me, you should at least have a little. That way my cooking won’t have gone to waste.”Maria lifted her head and looked at Philip with hopeful eyes.Philip pressed his lips together, unsure of what to say.His gaze carried a hint of scrutiny as it settled directly on Maria.Yet she let him examine her openly and without hesitation.It was as if she understood what he was thinking, and believed there was nothing wrong with what she was doing.But even after studying her carefully, Philip could not find anything suspicious.A strange thought rose in his mind. Could it be that she was truly just concerned about his health?Yet back when she had lived in the Carter household, he had never noticed her caring this much about him.Was such a thing really possible?“Go on and eat, Philip. If it gets cold, it won’t taste good, and it’s not good for your health either.”Even after hearing this, Philip still did not pick up his fork.He
Maria’s face lit up with a bright smile.She was pleased that Philip could still recognize the dishes she had cooked.Back when she had worked in the Carter household, she had often cooked for him.At that time, Philip had been the one who praised her cooking the most.Those words of praise had helped her, a woman from the countryside, regain some confidence.In the beginning, she had never been so bold.She had not even dared to approach Philip.But after he encouraged her again and again, Maria began to realize she was not as worthless as she had once believed, at the very least, she could cook well.Because of that encouragement, she slowly discovered that she did have something to offer.If Philip knew she had interpreted things that way, he would probably be furious.Back then, he had simply thought Maria was attractive, and her cooking really was excellent, she just lacked confidence.That was why he had often commented on her dishes.After all, he genuinely enjoyed the food she
Of course, it was because the son he had raised was so good-looking.“Philip, don’t be so quick to lose your temper.”Maria’s tone lifted slightly as she spoke, carrying a hint of coy sweetness.“I was thinking about your health, so I made a full table of dishes for you to try.”“Don’t come here trying to curry favor with me.”Philip’s heart was as immovable as stone.“I have no interest in you whatsoever. Hovering around me won’t change that.”Maria clenched her fists, forcing down the impatience rising inside her.“Philip, saying something like that really hurts me.“I came here because I’m concerned about your health. How could you think of me so maliciously?”Philip let out a cold snort.How could he possibly fail to see what Maria was really thinking?He understood the situation perfectly well but chose to pretend otherwise.Since she had no intention of speaking plainly, why should he take the initiative to spell things out?Wouldn’t that just be creating trouble for himself?“Wh
Philip assumed it was just a doctor or nurse coming in for their routine night check.That was exactly why he disliked staying in the hospital.He felt like he had no privacy at all.Every time he was hospitalized, it felt as though he had become completely transparent.Philip frowned instinctively.He felt he should speak to the doctors and nurses here and ask them not to come in for checks in the middle of the night.Besides, his condition had already stabilized. Why did they need to check on him again and again?It was too disruptive to his sleep.Just as Philip turned over, planning to ignore the doctors and nurses, he suddenly sensed that something was off.Because the person who had entered was moving quietly.Although the sounds were faint, it was clear that someone was moving around in the room.Before Philip could speak, his nose caught a familiar smell.“Why does that smell so familiar?”Philip murmured instinctively.Maria felt a surge of excitement.“Philip, are you awake?”
Besides, the man had been able to identify Aurora’s room so precisely.He clearly wasn’t just guessing.Ian kept trying to comfort and convince himself.He stood outside the room, muttering under his breath, pacing back and forth.Inside, Arnold saw Lucas leaning over Aurora’s bedside, the two of th
Tessa had expected someone to stop her as she walked into the room, but to her surprise, no one moved.Everyone remained calm, as though she were the only one in the room who didn’t belong.It felt as though everyone was silently watching her make a fool of herself.Realizing this, Tessa’s pride too
"Take that somewhere else. I don’t need it!"Judy snapped, pushing the cash away as if it were something filthy.Kenneth stood there, stunned, holding the wallet awkwardly in his hands.He looked at her, genuinely baffled.What kind of woman turned down money so directly?Was she serious?This was t
"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to tell Mother that it was all your idea," Tessa said, but Lucas remained confident, ignoring her. "Trust me, I care about Aurora more than you do."With that, he cast a meaningful glance at Tessa.The look made Tessa feel strangely guilty.She shouldn’t feel this way—h







