LOGINBut after the anger faded, reality came crashing back.Zoe’s medical bills were still waiting for her.So was the cost of long-term care afterward.Xena suddenly thought of the photos the media had released not long ago. Miranda and Felix had been photographed leaving a banquet hall together, with Felix wrapping her tightly in his suit jacket as if she were something precious he had lost and finally found again.It only proved that the past ten years of Xena’s life had been a complete joke.She had spent the best decade of her youth trying to break up another woman’s marriage. In the end, she had lost everything. She didn’t get the man, she didn’t get the money, and she had been driven out of the country.How ironic.These days, the thing Xena regretted most was not marrying Hayden when she had the chance.Back then, she had been completely blinded. Her whole heart had been fixed on Felix. Even a single glance from him could make her happy for half a day.She had enjoyed hover
Her gaze carried the practiced hint of flirtation as she looked at the young doctor in the white coat.He was handsome.In the past, her charm would have been enough to make any man stop and stare the moment he saw her.Felix, of course, had been the exception.But this time, things didn’t go the way she expected.The young doctor was focused on his phone. When he sensed someone entering the elevator, he merely glanced sideways at Xena before looking back at his screen.When Xena stood beside him, he seemed to catch a complicated scent in the air. His brows drew together slightly.That tiny movement made Xena’s face burn.It was as if something had scalded her, leaving her frozen in place.She immediately realized that she had left in such a hurry today that she hadn’t put on any perfume.The faint, unpleasant odor coming from her body must have reached him.Even she could smell it sometimes, that slightly sweet, metallic scent that made her stomach turn. In a confined space
At the hospital, Zoe was temporarily out of danger after emergency treatment.But the entire left side of her body had lost mobility. One side of her mouth drooped, her speech was slurred, and she had lost control of her bladder and bowels.The doctor told Xena seriously that these were typical aftereffects of a stroke.Partial paralysis.The diagnosis hit Xena like a sledgehammer.Her vision went dark for a moment, and she nearly lost her balance.Her own life was already terrible enough. If she now had to care for a bedridden mother who needed round-the-clock help, it would be nothing short of hell.She couldn’t imagine how she was supposed to live like that.The two middle-aged women who had been playing cards with Zoe didn’t know how to comfort Xena either. After a few awkward words, they quickly found an excuse to leave.“Ms. Spencer, please go settle the payment,” a nurse said. “Your mother will need to stay in the hospital for further treatment and monitoring.”Money.
Each of those reports felt like another small knife, cutting into her again and again.As for her life now, she had almost no income left. She was surviving by selling off the things she still owned.Fortunately, the jewelry Hayden had given her over the years could still be resold, but secondhand jewelry lost a lot of value.Still, she had to think about the long years ahead. She couldn’t afford to spend everything at once.The curtains were drawn tightly shut. The apartment carried a faint smell of disinfectant and medicine.Xena was curled up on the couch, wrapped in a cashmere shawl. Her face was pale, her complexion dull. The bright, glamorous woman she used to be was gone.At that moment, she was scrolling through news from back home when a new article suddenly appeared.The media had snapped a photo of Felix at the airport.In the photo, he was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. His profile lo
The next second, Felix gently caught her chin between his fingers and tilted her face up.Then he lowered his head and kissed her.His lips pressed firmly against hers, carrying a force that left no room for escape and a longing he had held back for far too long.“Mmph…”Miranda’s protest was swallowed by the kiss.It was a forceful kiss, almost overwhelming.He kissed her deeply, drawing her in, refusing to let her retreat. There was a hunger in him that bordered on greed, as if he wanted to pour all the longing of the past few years into this one moment.For a few seconds, Miranda’s mind went blank.His familiar scent surrounded her completely. His arms were strong and hot around her, and his kiss was both dominant and achingly tender.As if it could melt everything.Miranda wasn’t made of stone.She was simply good at suppressing her desires and burying herself in work to distract from them.But now, deep in the night, reason seemed to slip out of reach, leaving only ins
The two of them talked for a while about work and everyday life.Sophie seemed to have something on her mind, but since Miranda barely mentioned Felix, she decided not to bring it up.Around nine that night, Mia came home.Mrs. Young quickly gave her a bath, and Miranda took her upstairs to bed. Since Mia had school the next day, Miranda couldn’t let her stay up too late.Having a child had made Miranda much stricter about bedtime.Before ten o’clock, Mia was already asleep.Miranda, however, was still wide awake.She couldn’t help thinking about Felix’s condition. She didn’t know if he had seen a doctor. It wouldn’t be good if he kept dragging out a low fever either.Miranda picked up her phone and texted him.“Do you still have a fever?”Felix replied quickly.“Still a low fever. Do you have medicine?”“I do. I’ll bring you a box. Take two pills,” Miranda replied.“Thank you,” Felix answered politely.Miranda had also asked Adrian to check on the equipment delivery. It
In the second photo, Mia was riding a little pony, beaming with a toothy grin and flashing a peace sign at Xena’s camera.The images hit Miranda like a punch to the chest. Her heart clenched so tightly she could barely breathe. She had been gone just one day, and Felix had already taken their daugh
Sienna tapped away on her phone, sending a message to Xena.“Xena, we’re having dinner later. Come join us!”“What kind of dinner?”“Just my brother and a few of his friends. Leo will be there too.”“Is Miranda going?”“Even if she is, you can still come. What are you afraid of?” Sienna narrowe
“I’m working. If it’s not urgent, don’t bother me,” Miranda said coldly before ending the call.She was genuinely overwhelmed at the moment. The live sample she had spent two hours cultivating required her full attention to monitor all the data precisely.Tossing her phone aside, Miranda returned
Out in the hallway, Xena turned to Fiona with curiosity. “Why is Miranda part of your research team?”“You know her?” Fiona asked coolly.“I do,” Xena replied, but she didn’t elaborate.Fiona answered mildly, “Her father, Professor Eugene Stone, was a respected figure in the medical field and a c







