Chapter 106

Vivian pressed her lips into a thin line, fingers trembling as they covered her face. The way Adrian always threw money at problems made her blood boil—as if every issue could be silenced with the swipe of a pen.

If Richard hadn't exploded earlier, she might have stood her ground against Ethan's offer. But now? That ship had sailed.

Ethan picked up an ice pack from the nurse's station, his voice softening. "Mrs. Blackwood, shall I drive you back to Seabreeze Villa?"

She accepted the cold compress gratefully, pressing it to her burning cheeks. The chill grounded her, tempering the firestorm inside.

"Is he there?" The question slipped out before she could stop it. Despite everything, she missed Adrian's presence. Even his cold glares and cutting remarks were preferable to this hollow absence—especially when he'd always known how to fix her messes.

Ethan's arrival had felt like a lifeline moments ago. Now the rope was fraying.

"Mr. Blackwood is still at the office," Ethan hesitated. "Working late."

Adrian had deliberately avoided the hospital, unwilling to risk another confrontation with Vivian in front of Eleanor. Sending Ethan had been his coward's compromise.

Mid-explanation, a team of doctors hurried toward them.

"Mr. Caldwell!" The lead physician brightened. "Here for Ms. Whitmore's follow-up?"

Vivian's stomach dropped. So Adrian's late nights were spent with Serena. Ethan wasn't here for her at all—just facilitating another woman's care. That fleeting hope? A lighthouse beam meant for someone else's shore.

Before Ethan could respond, Vivian thrust the ice pack back at him. "Thank your boss for me. I'll settle today's bill personally."

Ethan shook his head sharply at the doctors. "Wrong patient." Turning back to Vivian, he reached out. "Mrs. Blackwood, I'm not here for—"

She forced a brittle smile. "Just deliver the message." No explanation could undo this. After years as Adrian's shadow, Ethan would defend him to the grave.

Her heels clicked faster down the corridor, each step putting distance between her and their pitying stares. The renowned Crestwood Medical Center—Adrian's pet project with its elite specialists and marble halls—had always been his domain. Even the chief surgeon was his personal physician.

Now it was just another stage for her humiliation.

Ethan watched her retreat, frustration creasing his brow. This misunderstanding would only widen the chasm between them. His phone buzzed—Adrian calling. Again.