Chapter 6
White was all Ian saw when he regained consciousness. Leila noticed that he was awake and hurriedly clasped his hand, looking anxious. “You scared the hell out of me earlier, lan.”
He subtly pulled away, his heart calm. They’d dated for two years–it wasn’t possible for her not to know what he was like. Yet, she’d stood by silently when Connor had picked on him.
Ian knew the petite figure who’d once stood protectively before him had ceased to exist. Along with it went the remnants of whatever love he’d still harbored for her.
“Why did you suddenly pass out?” Leila asked.
A doctor entered the ward as soon as the words were out of her mouth. He looked grim. “Ian Zahn, right? Your report shows that-”
“I know my body, doctor. You don’t have to go into it,” Ian hurriedly interrupted.
The doctor’s gaze traveled between him and Leila. Then, he sighed and left.
For some reason, Leila couldn’t help feeling a little panicked. “What’s the problem with your body? Are you down with something, Ian?”
She didn’t notice, but her tone was shaky.
Ian grimaced. “It’s nothing–just low blood sugar. It’s an old problem.”
Leila knew he’d been plagued by that for a long time and sighed in relief. Then, she looked at him and said awkwardly, “I’m sorry, Ian. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to speak up for you earlier. You know Connor is my boss’s son, right? I would’ve lost my job if I’d offended him.”
Her eyes darted around as she spoke. She didn’t dare meet Ian’s guileless gaze.
Whether or not she was aware of Connor’s accusation, she’d still chosen to side with him. That was a fact.
Ian ignored the painful throbbing of his heart and pulled the covers over himself. “I understand. You should get back to work. You don’t want to delay anything.” Leila’s guilt surged when she saw how considerate he was of her despite being so weak. She stared at him for a long while before placing a hand on his head over the blanket. “I promise I won’t let you suffer like this in the future, Ian.”
What a touching promise. It was too bad it was a lie.
After Connor retracted his false accusation, Ian got his degree as expected. Things also proceeded smoothly for his studies abroad.
The doctor tried to convince him to spend a few more days in the hospital, but he insisted on being discharged. When he returned to his rented apartment, he saw that everything was as they had been when he’d left. It looked like Leila hadn’t returned while he was in the hospital.
Just then, he received a push notification for a news article, He instinctively tapped on it to see what it was.
“Breaking news! Jensen Group and Sutherland Group are joining forces through marriage! The engagement ceremony is in seven days!”
Ian’s breathing hitched. So, that was what Leila had been busy with for the past few days–her engagement.
He checked his email for his flight details. He only had six days to go before he could leave everything behind. He sighed and started packing all the matching items in the apartment. Matching cups, towels, keychains… He and Leila didn’t need them anymore.
He put everything into a box and got up to head downstairs to throw it away. Unexpectedly, he ran into Leila right after leaving the apartment.
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She saw the things in the box. Her voice was shaky as she asked, “Why are you throwing those things?”
