Chapter 221
Chapter 221
Chapter 221 I Must Go Home
Dr. Halliday was scared out of his wits. With a quiver, he dropped the pills. Alarmed, he turned and saw Lewis standing behind him with a frosty expression, eyes boring into him.
“Why did you stop talking?”
Dr. Halliday gulped. He stole a glance at Josephine and stuttered, “It’s her physical debility.”
“Is that considered an illness?”
“It is. Besides debility, Miss Vance is suffering from severe hormonal imbalance as well. If she doesn’t look after herself, she’ll have difficulty conceiving in the future.” Dr. Halliday wasn’t making this up; it was true. Josephine had quite a few health issues, and those two were the least severe among them.
“Is that so?” Lewis’ voice was monotonous, but that was the most frightening part.
“Yes, Mr. Alvarez. I’m my grandfather’s prized student-do you not believe me?” After contemplation, Dr. Halliday decided not to reveal too much and observe how things turned out. After all, these two were divorced. What if Lewis despised Josephine more after learning about her condition?
At any rate, Josephine had forgotten about almost everything that happened and wouldn’t start a fight with him again. She would be safer under Lewis’ watch.
Lewis scrutinized his expression and left once more to answer his phone. Before that, he told Dr. Halliday, “Prepare her meal.”
“Alright…” Dr. Halliday sighed. He was a part-time chef again.
He picked up the pills and used his sleeve to pat off the dust on it. He put it onto Josephine’s palm again and said softly, “Take it, quick.”
Josephine nodded. She picked up the glass on the table and sneakily swallowed the pills.
Her gaze fell onto the wound on her wrist again, and a thought formed.
Subconsciously, pictures of the possible stories behind that wound ran across her mind. Could it be that Lewis found out about her illness, so she hurt herself as a threat because she didn’t agree to get a divorce?
That would explain his hatred for her, which led to him leaving her with a pack of dogs, trying to kill her. Josephine’s blood turned cold at the thought of this.
No wonder he called her shameless just now. Josephine didn’t even know when she had become so barefaced. How could anyone refrain from hating her if that was the case?
With that thought in her mind, Josephine looked at the doorway, which was empty. Lewis was nowhere to be seen. He probably left.
However, based on the conversation between Dr. Halliday and Lewis, Lewis was unaware of her illness. And why was that?
Dr. Halliday scanned the kitchen and left to get groceries. The mansion had been empty for several days and had no ingredients left.
After he went out, the mansion was in utter silence.
White cloths enshrouded most of the furniture. Everywhere was white, looking desolate, reminding Josephine she didn’t belong there anymore.
Josephine habitually lay on the sofa and curled into a ball, moving her fingers over the edges
of the sofa.
Lewis returned shortly with a bag of fruits.
Josephine stared right at him. She watched him bring the fruits to the kitchen and came out with a plateful of them. He put the plate on the coffee table, infusing a hint of warmth into the
deserted mansion.
Lewis sat beside her, looking at her as he asked, “Is it painful?”
Josephine shook her head.
“Don’t sleep here, then. Go upstairs.”
Josephine sat up and signed, “I’ll leave in a while.”
Lewis fell silent, his soulful eyes fixed on her. Anger faintly flashed across his frosty face.
Josephine grew anxious under his stare and immediately signed, “Very soon.”
Lewis let out an angry laugh. “Then why are you still sitting here?”
Josephine froze before she explained quickly, “You said I should eat something, didn’t you?” She continued hesitantly, “1… will leave once I finish eating. If that’s unfavorable to you, I’ll skip my meal.”
Lewis kept smiling at her, but his smile was unpleasant. She could even sense anger on his smiling face.
Josephine was silent momentarily. Then, she got up to leave.
However, Lewis pulled her back before she could take another step. Josephine fell back on the sofa and bumped her calves against it; sharp pain shot through her body.
She opened her mouth, her face a picture of agony as the pain triggered the urge to cry.
Lewis closed in on her and pinched her chin. He held her head steady and studied her expression. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
Josephine looked at him with difficulty. It took a few moments for the pain to subside.
Lewis stared at her with his dark eyes for a long while before asking, “Josephine, what are you playing at?”
Josephine wryly smiled, suddenly at a loss for words.
“You lament about me leaving you one moment, and the next moment you say you want to leave. That’s not the right way to play hard to get.” He patted her cheeks and continued, ” Don’t occupy your mind with this sort of nonsense, get that?”
Josephine was stunned. She wasn’t playing hard to get. She wanted to explain, but Lewis left as she raised her hands.
She stared after him. She wasn’t sure if her tears were because of the pain or some other
reason.
This time, Lewis never returned after he left.
Dr. Halliday whipped up a meal, but Josephine took only a meager amount. She had no appetite whatsoever and felt like she was chewing on rubber.
Dr. Halliday noticed her lack of appetite and didn’t urge her to take more. He passed her a serving of broth and said, “Don’t force yourself if you’ve reached your limit. Drink this broth and go to sleep.”
Josephine nodded, took the bowl, and gulped it down like water.
Dr. Halliday couldn’t help but sigh-she was losing more weight as days passed. He reminded Josephine to take her medications and left the mansion-Lewis didn’t instruct him to stay.
Josephine started feeling drowsy briefly after taking the pills, especially as she sat on the familiar sofa.
The wind was blowing outside, and she could vaguely hear the howls from inside. The clock ticked as its hands moved. The mansion was as silent as a graveyard.
She curled up on the sofa and fell asleep unknowingly.
Lewis left the office and was at the parking lot when an arm reached out behind him and wrapped itself around his waist.
He halted and pulled it away. Then, he turned and looked at Sierra. “What brought you here?”
“You, of course. I’m bored to death at home. I postponed half a month’s work to accompany you, but here you are, working overtime,” lamented Sierra as she leaned her head against him. Lewis had been going to her house these few days, so Sierra altered her schedule. She looked up as she coquettishly asked, “Shall we go back together?”
Lewis wrapped an arm around her affectionately, but his words were cold, “I’m not going
there tonight.”
Sierra’s smile froze-not only because he wasn’t going to her house but also because of how he phrased it. He said he wasn’t “going there” instead of not “going back.”
This cold-hearted man had never treated her house as their home.
“Why?”
“I must go home,” said Lewis bluntly. He sounded cruel and matter-of-factly, so much so that Sierra felt her heart shatter.
“Did… she ask you to go back?”
Lewis didn’t answer. His gaze fell on the parking lot’s entrance. The wind was strong. He could hear its howl as it blew through the entrance.
He released Sierra. “Did you drive here? I don’t have to drop you off then.” With that, he turned to leave.
Sierra grabbed him and said pitifully, “Wait. I’m scared to drive alone at this hour. Send me back, okay?”
She looked at Lewis, full of anticipation, her eyes as gentle as a lamb.