The room fell quiet.
Nothing but the steady beeping of the monitor filled the space. Boredom slowly crept over her. Without realizing it, she rested her arm near James and let her head tilt forward. Her eyes closed.
She drifted off.
James woke to the sight of her.
Her head was bent toward him, lashes resting against her cheeks, breathing soft and steady. Something tender flickered in his eyes. Carefully, gently, he lifted his hand and brushed his fingers through her hair.
Mia stirred.
She gasped softly and sat up at once, startled. James also pushed himself upright, ignoring the pain.
Their eyes met.
“You were really sick,” Mia said quietly. “How are you feeling now?”
“I’m better,” James murmured. “Now that I’ve seen you.”
Her fingers twisted together in her lap. She took a slow breath. “Good. You’ll recover soon.”
“Thank you for coming,” James said, his gaze fixed on her face. “I was so happy to see you.”
Mia offered a faint smile. “Neil insisted. He wanted me to check on you—just once.”
She stood abruptly. “I should go now. I hope you recover quickly.”
She turned and started to leave.
Panic flashed across his face.
James swung his legs off the bed and rushed after her, grabbing her hand. Mia spun around, shocked to find him standing there, chest heaving, breathing hard.
“I won’t stop you anymore,” he said stiffly, his voice shaking despite his effort to control it. “I won’t stop you from doing anything. From coming to my office. I swear.”
His grip tightened as his voice broke. “Please… come back to me.”
Mia tried to pull free, but he tightened his grip and stepped closer, panic flooding his face.
“I’ll change everything,” he begged. “I’ll do whatever you want. In my life, everything will be the way you want it to be. Just… come back. Please.”
James didn’t let go. He continued to plead, voice breaking.
“I’ll transfer everything—my properties, my businesses, even our house, our cars. Just think about it. Please.” His eyes were wide, pleading, his voice shaking with a mixture of desperation and heartbreak. “Alexander… he’s not good enough for you! Look at the rumors—he’s been attending parties with some random woman for years! How could he marry you and claim he loves you more than me?”
“Stop it!” Mia snapped, her voice hard and sharp. “You know nothing about him. What right do you have to badmouth him?”
Without waiting for a reply, she spun on her heel and stormed out of the hospital room.
Mia crossed the hospital entrance and stepped onto the street. Her gaze landed on Alexander on the other side of the road, leaning casually against his car, cigarette in hand. The moment he saw her, he straightened and began to move toward her, but she raised her hand, signaling him to stay. He clenched his fists, displeased, but obeyed.
Before she could step further, James appeared, blocking her path. His hand shot out and grabbed her arm, halting her in her tracks.
“James! You need to stop this,” Mia snapped, struggling against him.
“Mia… please,” James said, voice trembling. “Just… come back home. For a month, okay? I promise this time, everything will bedifferent. You’ll see how much I’ve changed for you. I’ll show you how much I love you, how worthy I am of being your husband.”
Mia exhaled slowly, turning to face him with icy eyes. “And what about your family?” she asked, her voice steady and cutting. “The ones who’ve looked down on me? Will you abandon them if I come back? Will you live with me and never speak to your mother or your brother again?”
