Chapter 97
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chapter 97
“L… I have nothing to repay you with,” Lily said, her eyes misting with tears. She knew Terence wanted to help her without expecting anything in return. Whatever he’d ask of her, it would surely be something simple–something she could easily do.
Terence looked at her, his deep eyes growing more complex. He didn’t press her; with everything she was going through, he didn’t want to scare her away. “If you don’t want my help, then at least lean on my shoulder. Cry if you need to,” he offered, stepping closer to her.
She turned her head, her gaze landing on his shoulder. It was broad and strong, offering a rare sense of security.
She blinked, and as the tears spilled over, she lowered her head, resting her forehead on his shoulder.
The large drops fell onto his sleeve, darkening the green fabric. As one tear after another fell, her body trembled lightly.
It was all of it–the resentment, sadness, worry, and pain that Hayden’s situation had caused.
Terence lifted his hand, about to pull her into an embrace. But her earlier words-“I can’t get divorced now“-stopped him. Slowly, he let his hand drop.
After a long while, Lily’s tears had finally dried.
Terence handed her a tissue, and she took it, wiping away the traces from her face. Her almond–shaped eyes were red and puffy, and her gaze was unfocused from crying.
“Stop by the ophthalmology department and get some cooling patches later. They’ll help a lot,” he suggested.
She nodded, took a deep breath, and cleared her throat. After gathering herself, she finally said, “I’m going back to check on Hayden, but I’ll head home early tonight. I have work tomorrow.” She’d only taken one day off. She’d thought this day would be the one where she’d finally get the divorce certificate with Xavier. After that, she could cut ties with him and begin a new life, split between her tiny apartment and work.
But now…
She could only be thankful that Xavier had always looked down on her, pressing her to return home,
Terence escorted her downstairs and insisted on stopping by the ophthalmology department to get two cooling patches for her.
Then, he went with her to see Hayden. The doctor told them that even if Hayden woke up, it would be best for him not to see any family members for a while. The reminder of certain memories could be too much of a trigger for him.
With a nurse assigned to care for him, Hazel and Bobby had already left.
Lily stayed only briefly before heading out. Terence followed her outside. “I’ll take you home,” he said, pulling out his car keys.
Before she could answer, she spotted Timothy standing by the curb. And behind him was Xavier’s car.
She shook her head at Terence. “I… I’m not going back to Bayview Gardens.”
Terence also noticed the car. He’d lost count of how many times he’d seen Xavier’s car by now.
Every time, Xavier would be inside, watching everything from a distance with a certain air of cold superiority. This time, however, was different. Lily walked over to his car on her own. Timothy opened the door for her, and she got in. The back seat of the Maybach was spacious, and she sat close to the door, leaving a wide gap between her and Xavier.
Xavier’s expression was hard to read. His cold gaze briefly lingered on Terence, who was standing across the street.
After a moment, he turned his attention back to the woman next to him.
Even though she’d gotten in the car without a fight, he didn’t feel the satisfaction he’d expected. Her eyes were red, and her small figure was curled up against the door, like a little rabbit with red–rimmed eyes.
He watched her intently for a while before taking the cooling patches from her hand.
“Come here. Lie down,” he said, patting his thigh.
He’d already looked into Hayden’s condition. With Hayden in such a state, it had a heavy impact on the whole family.
