Chapter 2
The surgery was a success. When the status light outside the operating room turned off, Sylvie stood up to leave, but the bodyguard held her back.
“Mr. Parker said you can’t leave for even a second before he wakes up.”
Sylvie had no choice but to sit back down and keep waiting. Time passed minute by minute, and then a sharp, stabbing pain shot through her abdomen.
Her face contorted in pain, and beads of sweat dripped down her forehead. She knew it was her gastroenteritis acting up again.
With dry, pale lips, she spoke weakly to the bodyguard. “I don’t feel well. Can you please g-get me some medicine for gastroenteritis o-or at least a glass of water?”
The bodyguard stared at her coldly, unmoved by her pain. His reply was firm. “No, Ms. Clarke. We can’t leave no matter what happens to you. Those were Mr. Parker’s direct orders.”
Was Zoe’s life more important than hers?
The words weighed heavily on Sylvie’s chest until she could hardly breathe. The pain became unbearable, and she collapsed to the floor, biting her lip as her vision faded to black.
When she woke up, her fingers brushed against the icy floor.
The bodyguard noticed she was awake and informed her matter-of-factly, “Mr. Parker is awake now, Ms. Clarke. You can go ask for his permission to leave.”
Sylvie felt utterly drained. Her sweat-drenched clothes clung to her skin, and a chill crept through her body.
Mustering all her energy, she pushed herself up and trudged wearily to the hallway outside the hospital room. There, she overheard Zoe’s soft voice.
“Soren, why do you look so pale and weak? Also, did you find out who that kind person was, the one who donated a kidney to me? I want to thank them in person. I might not have woken up at all if it hadn’t been for them.”
Soren’s hand, which had been holding the spoon, hesitated briefly before he quickly returned to normal. He blew lightly on the soup before carefully feeding it to her, his voice gentle and comforting.
“Don’t worry about me. I only look like this because I was so worried while you were in surgery. The kidney donor has already passed away, but I’ll thank his family for you. You don’t need to think about it anymore. I’ve taken care of everything.”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Zoe threw herself into Soren’s arms. She must have accidentally bumped his surgery wound because his face became noticeably paler from the pain.
Despite that, he kept his composure and continued feeding her the soup. Unaware of his discomfort, she snuggled into his arms, her eyes shining with tears.
“By the way, didn’t the bodyguard say Ms. Clarke’s gastroenteritis acted up and she passed out from the pain? Aren’t you going to see how she’s doing?”
The second Sylvie’s name came up, Soren’s face turned grim. “She’s probably faking it for attention. Don’t bother with her.”
Sylvie stood quietly by the window, listening, her chest tight with a dull, suffocating ache.
When it came to her relationship with Soren, she had done everything to close the distance between them, only for him to do everything to push her away instead of staying by her side.
But with Zoe, he would give his all without her even having to ask, and he would stay with her. He loved her enough to donate his kidney to her, yet he would never mention it, worried she might feel sorry for him or be burdened by that guilt.
Finally, Sylvie realized just how huge the gap was between being loved and being unwanted. No one in the room knew she was standing right outside.
Zoe took a few sips of the soup but didn’t want any more. “This soup isn’t good. It’s too rich. I remember there was a soup place near my college. I used to go every morning to get some. It’s been so long since I’ve had it, and now I kind of miss it!”
When Soren saw the wistful look on her face, he immediately put down the bowl, stood up, and grabbed his car keys. “I’ll go get it for you.”
“No, don’t worry about it. We can just have someone else pick it up!”
Soren shook his head. He helped her lie down and tucked her in. “Anything that has to do with you—the places you’ve been, the food you’ve had, or the things you’ve seen—I want to experience them myself. Wait for me. I’ll be back soon.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he pushed open the door and ran straight into Sylvie. The smile on his face disappeared instantly, and his usual cold, detached expression returned.
“Why are you here? Are you planning to give Zoe a hard time again?”
Seeing the sudden shift in his mood, Sylvie’s fingers shook. She took a quiet breath before speaking softly. “I came to tell you I won’t bother Zoe anymore. You don’t have to worry about it.”
Soren had never trusted her, and this time was no different. “If you really want to ease my mind, then end our agreement and let me go!”
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, unaware of the quiet words she muttered under her breath.
“I’ve already let you go, Soren. For good.”
