At first, it was just a shadow—tall, dressed in black.

‎Probably a family member of one of the other patients.

‎But... why was he just standing there?

‎Why wasn’t he coming in?

‎A faint unease crept over me.

‎Then the figure stepped inside.

‎He walked past the outer bed.

‎Not for them...

‎My breath caught slightly.

‎He stopped right beside my bed.

‎Before I could react, he pulled out a chair and sat down.

‎Startled, I squinted, trying to see him clearly—but no matter how hard I tried, everything remained a blur.

‎I leaned forward slightly, focusing with all my strength.

‎Then—

‎"It’s me, Vivienne. What happened to your eyes?"

‎Alexander’s voice.

‎Familiar. Deep. Concerned.

‎His hand reached out, gently cupping my face as he looked at the bandages wrapped around my forehead.

‎I had been staring at him in silence for a moment, and he must have found it strange.

‎Only after hearing his voice did I fully confirm it was really him.

‎"...The doctor said there’s blood clotting in my head, pressing on my optic nerves," I explained quietly. "That’s why everything is blurry. I can’t see clearly."

‎Alexander lifted his hand and waved it in front of my eyes.

‎"Can you see this?"

‎I nodded faintly. "I can see... just not clearly. I’m not blind."

‎His expression darkened slightly.

‎"How did the accident happen?"

"I went to visit my parents’ graves, and on my way back, I noticed two cars following me..." I summarized everything to him. "How did you know I was here?"

"I was at home when you called. When I returned, I didn’t find you, and Maria told me you had gone to the cemetery." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Oh."

"Maria was still packing your things when I left. I was in a hurry, so I couldn’t wait for her, but she’ll be here soon."

"Okay."

"Just stay here. I’ll arrange for you to be transferred to a private room."

I wasn’t comfortable staying in a shared ward, so I nodded. He left shortly after.

Not long after he was gone, the other woman’s daughter approached me. "Is that your ex, or have you found someone new?"

"My ex," I replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Ohh... he seems to care about you. Why did you two get divorced then?"

"Care? He went straight back to his first love the moment she returned to the country," I said with a scoff.

"Wow, I didn’t expect that. He seemed so decent."

I couldn’t help but laugh. Alexander really did have that kind of charm. I guess it was what drew me to him back then.

A moment later, Alexander returned and helped me out of bed. Supporting me carefully, he walked me to the private room and helped me settle onto the bed.

"Do you have any other injuries apart from your eyes?" he asked.

"No."

"Alright. You need to get plenty of rest so you can recover properly."

"Luck hasn’t been on my side lately. How many times have I ended up in the hospital this month?"

"That’s exactly why you need to take better care of yourself."

"Mm."

"You must be hungry. What would you like to eat?"

"Will you go and buy it?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, the earlier phone call came to mind, and I spoke without thinking. "I want something homemade, not restaurant food... but Maria might take a while to arrive."

He fell silent, just staring at me.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked again.

"Huh... will you cook it?" I asked, surprised. The private room had a small kitchen attached.

He didn’t look away.

I suddenly felt a little embarrassed. "Sorry, I forgot—you don’t cook."

"Just tell me what you want. I’ll go get the ingredients."

I looked up at him in surprise. "What can you make?"

"I can make anything," he replied casually.

I gave him a simple list of what I wanted.

"Alright. I’ll go get the ingredients. I’ll leave my phone with you so you can tell Maria the new room number when she calls."

"Okay."

I watched as he placed his phone on the table before turning to leave. As his figure disappeared, I found myself wondering why he had agreed to cook for me. Did he still care about me, even just a little?

I immediately pushed the thought away.

Alicia, don’t be stupid. He has always been good at pretending. No matter what, we’re still getting divorced.

Just then, the phone on the table rang. Since I couldn’t see properly, I didn’t know who was calling, but I answered anyway.

"Alexander, have you eaten?" a woman’s voice came through.

A wave of displeasure washed over me.

"It’s me," I said.

"Alicia?" she sounded surprised. "Where’s Alexander?"

"He’s not here."

"What do you mean he’s not there? Where is he?" she asked, clearly displeased.

"He went to buy groceries," I replied flatly.

"Huh? Don’t you have a housekeeper?"

Hearing her reaction, a sense of satisfaction rose within me. "The housekeeper isn’t here, so he went to buy groceries and cook for me. Now, will you stop interrogating me about my husband?"

"You—! Don’t think that just because he’s cooking for you, it means he won’t divorce you."

I smiled faintly. "What’s wrong, Miss Summer? Are you jealous?"

"Don’t get too smug, Alicia."

"You’d better watch your tone. I’m recording this call."

I wasn’t lying. Alexander’s phone automatically records calls for important matters.

There was a beep on the other end, and she hung up.

I stared at the phone, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. I had never thought I would ever get the chance to do that to her.

A few moments later, Maria called, and I gave her the new room number. She arrived shortly after and began arranging the things she had brought.

"Mrs. Blackwood, are you hungry? Should I get you something to eat?"

"No, it’s fine. Alexander already went to get something."

Alexander returned, and Maria quickly moved to take the bag from him. She froze when she saw what was inside—pre-cooked ingredients and even a few small kitchen appliances.

"Mr. Blackwood... what are these for?" she asked in surprise.

"Alicia wants homemade food. I’ll cook for her."

"Please, Mr. Blackwood, just give it to me. I can prepare it for her," Maria offered.

Alexander glanced at me before shaking his head. "No, it’s fine. I’ll do it."

With that, he took the bag and headed straight for the kitchen, leaving Maria standing there, still stunned.

Not long after, the sound of cooking filled the room. Alexander moved with ease, his actions practiced and precise. A while later, he returned with a bowl of food.

Maria took it from him and was about to feed me, but I stopped her. "It’s okay, I can manage. Just place it on the table for me."

"Alright," she said, setting it down before stepping back.

I picked up the spoon, blew gently on the food, and took a bite. It tasted really good—far too good for someone cooking for the first time.

I looked up to find Alexander watching me expectantly. "How is it?" he asked.

"It’s good. Thank you," I replied.

A faint smile appeared on his lips. "I’m glad you like it."

Suddenly, Maria spoke up, still amazed. "I didn’t know you could cook so well, Mr. Blackwood, especially for your first time. It’s incredible."

I gave a small smile, while Alexander remained silent.