All Chapters of Contract Over: You're Free to Go: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

The smell of disinfectant and medical-grade alcohol filled his lungs each time Silas breathed. He struggled to open his heavy eyelids.It took a few seconds for the blinding white that filled his vision to slowly focus into the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. The steady, rhythmic beeping of a cardiac monitor filled his ears, occasionally interrupted by the faint rolling of cart wheels across tiled floors outside.He tried to move his right hand. A sharp sting instantly shot through the back of his hand. A needle had been inserted into his vein, and a clear liquid dripped down the IV line."Don't move. We only just stopped your bleeding." The vaguely tired voice of a woman rang out from the foot of the bed.Silas saw a young nurse in a blue uniform come up to the side of his bed and check the drip rate of the IV before glancing at the monitor."You're up. You should count yourself lucky, you know. You came down with an acute gastric ulcer that led to massive bleeding. After you

"I'm not dying anytime soon. Look. I'm alive and kicking now, aren't I?" Silas said, his voice hoarse. "Did you bring me a change of clothes? The hospital gown has a funny smell.""I did. Not only did I bring you some clothes, but I also got you a nourishing bowl of soup from a decent breakfast spot. Your stomach's only good for digesting liquids now anyway."William pulled over a chair and sat down, still fuming as he opened the thermal flask. He poured some soup into a bowl and held a spoonful up to Silas' lips."I can do it myself." Silas avoided the spoon in aversion and used his left hand to grab the bowl instead, taking small sips straight from it.The warm liquid slid into his hollow stomach, finally bringing a trace of real warmth to his body.Seeing Silas in this condition, William gritted his teeth. "Where's Teresa? Didn't you call her yesterday? Why did she let her own freaking husband pass out in pain by the side of the road?"Between sips of the soup, Silas said ca

The cold wind outside the hospital seemed to cut right through one's clothes. William parked by the road and opened the front passenger door for Silas, dumping the bag of medication on the backseat.Silas had stayed in the hospital for five whole days. The heavy bleeding and the agonizing gastric ulcer left him even leaner than before. His dark gray cashmere coat hung so loosely that it flapped in the wind like it was full of holes."Are you sure you don't want to spend a couple more days in the hospital?" William asked as he sat down in the driver's seat and fastened his seatbelt.He frowned as he studied Silas' still-colorless face. "You look like the slightest gust of wind is enough to knock you to the ground.""There's always a shortage of beds at the hospital. The doctor said I could just rest at home anyway," Silas replied, closing his eyes for some rest. "Take me back to the apartment. I need to get some of the blueprints and… some of my winter clothes."William didn't try

Just last month, Silas had placed the gift box on the dining table together with a table full of cold, untouched food. It was the gift he never managed to give on their third wedding anniversary.Something compelled Teresa to reach for the three cards at the very top. The heavy cardstock had been sealed with wax and carefully folded.She opened the first one and was greeted by Silas' slender but firm handwriting, but the ink looked a little faded."Happy first anniversary. You smiled today. I feel like everything was worth it. I hope that next year, you'll still remember today."Teresa's breath suddenly stalled. Those words forcibly opened the floodgates holding in her memories.In their first year of marriage, TRS Group had suffered its most severe cash-flow crisis. She ran herself ragged every day and often came home too exhausted to even hold a conversation. On her birthday, she came back to their rented apartment drenched from the rain, looking like a pathetic mess.Silas did

At 4:00 pm, Teresa sat in her office, carefully folding up the three cards and sliding them into the pocket compartment of her Hermes handbag.Walking over to the mirror, she did the rare act of touching up her makeup. Her eyes were still faintly red, but the sharp, commanding presence she usually carried mellowed a little.She'd made up her mind. She would go to the chef's table restaurant in the West District that Silas liked best, get two of his favorite things for takeout, and head straight to his studio in the Meliere Art District to pick him up.In fact, she'd already rehearsed her opening lines multiple times. She was going to tell him that the cold war between them would end today. She would explain that she'd gotten rid of the necklace and would spend more time with him from now on.For a domineering CEO who was used to barking out orders, this was the extent of her compromise.She fully believed that as long as she extended this olive branch toward him and softened her a