"You left the hospital on your own?"
Liam Williams stared at the woman teetering on the edge of madness, his voice cold and low.
"Of course. Heaven itself sent me to punish you. I barely touched that door and it swung open. No one even noticed when I walked out. Too bad I didn't succeed in the end."
The woman's voice dripped with venom. Though her words sounded insane, Liam seized on a crucial detail hidden within them.
The door lock was broken. And she had made it all the way out of the hospital without being stopped. There was no way she could have done that without help from someone behind the scenes.
What's more, how would she have known he was at Sunset Peak unless someone told her? Who was pulling the strings? Was it the same person who had orchestrated the hit-and-run that nearly killed Emma?
Liam's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. He needed to investigate this thoroughly.
"Take her away."
He waved his hand. The two police officers grabbed the hysterical woman and dragged her out of the room, struggling all the way.
"Liam, this doesn't look good. You need to be careful these days."
David stood up and patted Liam on the shoulder. Liam nodded, and David left.
Liam didn't stay in the empty room. He returned to Emma's room instead. When he pushed open the door, he saw that she had kicked off her blanket again. He hadn't expected her to be this restless even with a fever. What kind of patient throws off their covers when they're sick?
Helpless, Liam walked over and pulled the blanket back over her. To make sure she wouldn't kick it off again, he decided to stay in the room and watch over her.
Emma was burning with fever, drifting in and out of consciousness. Her mind was hazy. All she felt was the ache in her body, the discomfort that wouldn't go away.
So she acted like a child, whimpering for her mother. She hoped her mother would hear her, so she wouldn't have to swallow those bitter pills.
She had hated taking medicine since she was little, especially the bitter cold remedies. But every time she had a fever, she would put up a fierce fight, only to be force-fed the medicine by her persistent mother. This time, she hadn't taken the medicine, but she could still taste the bitterness lingering in her mouth. It was unbearable.
She wanted to speak, to ask her mother to put a piece of candy in her mouth to wash away the bitterness. In the past, her mother would have done it without her even asking. She would slip a candy into Emma's mouth, and Emma would fall back asleep in the sweetness.
But this time, she had been whining for a long time, and her mother still hadn't fed her any candy.
What was going on?
After a long while, Emma felt a broad palm, calloused and warm, stroking her forehead. That hand didn't belong to her mother. It didn't belong to her father either.
Emma was too dazed to think clearly. She couldn't imagine whose hand was touching her forehead so gently.
She turned over to escape the touch. In the darkness, she heard a deep sigh, filled with emotions she couldn't quite identify.
Watching Emma toss and turn in her sleep, Liam would have doubted she really had a fever if her forehead hadn't been so hot.
She was just like a child. Liam felt completely helpless.
Just then, the door opened. Elijah Clark walked in to give Emma an IV drip. Liam had no choice but to step aside.
At first, when Elijah wiped the back of Emma's hand with an alcohol swab, she visibly flinched, looking very resistant.
Then Liam watched as Elijah leaned close to Emma's ear, as if he had done this a thousand times before.
"If you let me give you this shot, I'll give you a piece of candy."
It was as if those words held some kind of magic. Liam watched in surprise as Emma calmed down. The entire injection process went smoothly.
Finally, Liam saw Elijah pull a piece of fruit candy from his pocket and place it into Emma's mouth.
Only then did Liam realize the bitterness he had left in her mouth when he had forced the medicine down her throat. Emma's mouth must have been incredibly bitter. Without any experience in such matters, Liam had never thought to give her candy after the medicine.
Even if he hated to admit it, Elijah and Emma had grown up together. That was an undeniable fact. They knew each other's habits inside and out. It was only natural.
At that moment, Liam felt a pang of envy. He envied the fact that Elijah had grown up with Emma, while he had not.
If he could, he would have wanted to possess every single moment of Emma's past twenty-seven years. He wanted her to remember only him.
But that was a foolish, impossible dream.
Fortunately, his identity was Emma's husband. No matter how many ideas Elijah had, in Emma's heart, he was just the boy next door.
And even though that boy next door was dangerous, Liam would never give Elijah a chance to get closer to Emma.
So after Elijah finished setting up the IV drip, Liam ordered him to return to Brookhaven General Hospital.
Elijah wanted to stay, but in the end, he knew it wasn't appropriate. He refused the driver Liam offered and drove down the mountain himself.
Liam stood outside the villa. It was late at night now. He watched Elijah's car disappear into the darkness. He thought about how much time had passed. Alexander should have had enough time to install the organization's newly developed eavesdropping device into Elijah's car. This time, Elijah shouldn't be able to find it.
In a ward at Brookhaven General Hospital, a girl in white clutched her phone tightly.
"I'm sorry, boss. The plan failed this time. The woman we released didn't kill Emma."
"It doesn't matter. Letting her die so easily would have been boring. Remember the task in your hands. Don't make any mistakes."
The hoarse voice carried a cold warning.
"Yes, boss. I won't let you down."
"Good. It wasn't for nothing that I used so many resources to find your bone marrow."
"You are my saviors. My life belongs to you. I will do whatever you ask."
The girl's pale face was filled with gratitude.
"Just remember that."
A faint hint of satisfaction crept into the cold voice. After carefully explaining a few more things, he finally hung up.