Aiden stepped forward and removed his mask.

"Nana, I heard you weren’t feeling well on our way here, so I wanted to check in. How are you feeling?"

"I’m fine, don’t worry about me," Nana replied with a cheerful smile.

"That’s a relief." He nodded gently. "Since Alicia’s here, I won’t stay any longer. I’ll head out now."

He glanced around the room. "Alicia, Aunty, Nana... Mr. Alexander, good night."

With that, he put his mask back on and turned to leave.

"Alicia," Nana said with a knowing smile, "your friend is quite handsome. He seems like a good young man."

As she spoke, she cast a subtle glance toward Alexander.

I couldn’t quite tell if there was something more behind her words, so I simply replied, "Nana, he’s a big star. A lot of girls like him."

"Is that so?" Nana’s interest was piqued. "Then how did the two of you meet?"

"He used to live near me when we were kids. We were neighbors, but his family moved away later. I didn’t expect we’d meet again."

"What a coincidence!" Aunt Rose exclaimed. "So... you could call yourselves childhood sweethearts?"

Alexander’s fingers tightened slightly against the armrest, though his expression didn’t change.

I hesitated for a brief moment. "I guess you could say that."

Across the room, Alexander remained seated, completely still.

But the atmosphere around him had changed.

His expression darkened, his eyes unreadable—like a storm quietly gathering beneath the surface.

"Alicia," Nana said gently, "you’ve had a long day at work. We know how much you care, but you should go and rest. Let Alexander take you home."

Work?

So that was the excuse he gave them.

It felt like they already sensed something was off—after all, he had been here earlier... with Lilian. And now I had arrived with Aiden.

"Nana, I just got here. It’s fine, I can stay and keep you company—"

Before I could finish—

Alexander stood up.

In just a few steps, he was already beside me.

"Let’s go."

His voice was calm. Too calm.

Nana waved her hand dismissively. "Go on."

I pressed my lips together, swallowing the rest of my words, and followed him out.

Once we stepped into the hallway, neither of us spoke.

He walked ahead.

I followed.

The distance between us wasn’t far—yet it felt impossible to close.

We reached the elevator.

Silence.

The faint hum of machinery filled the space as we waited.

Ding.

The doors slid open.

We stepped inside, one after the other.

Alexander pressed the button without looking at me.

The doors closed.

The elevator began to rise.

And in that confined space, the silence became suffocating—

thick with everything left unsaid.

Neither of us spoke.

The elevator ride passed in complete silence.

When we reached my floor, we stepped out one after the other.

I stopped in front of my room and looked at his back.

"You should go home and rest tonight."

My vision had almost fully recovered. There was no need for him to stay. Nana was doing better too—there were nurses for a reason.

Alexander didn’t reply.

He simply walked past me, pushed the door open, and turned on the lights.

Bright white flooded the room.

I followed him in.

"Why didn’t you answer your phone?" he asked suddenly.

"My phone died. It’s off," I replied, casually dropping my bag onto the table.

The lie sounded light. Too light.

Alexander took a few slow steps forward, then turned to face me.

His eyes were dark—unreadable, but intense.

"I’ve been looking for you all day."

I sat down on the sofa, my tone cool.

"I didn’t ask you to."

A flicker of frustration crossed his face. His voice lowered. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Alicia... why do you insist on talking to me like this?"

I looked up at him, meeting his gaze directly.

"What’s wrong with it?" I said evenly. "Why were you looking for me? I’m not going to disappear, am I?"

"Because I was worried you might do something foolish."

A quiet scoff escaped me.

"Funny. What makes you think I’m not in my right mind?"

Alexander held my gaze for a moment before exhaling slowly.

"I’m sorry about what happened online. Lilian—"

"What about it?" I cut in, my eyes fixed on him.

He fell silent for a brief moment.

Then—

"lilian is a public figure. She can’t afford negative press."

I let out a soft, incredulous laugh.

"So lilian can’t handle negative news... but I can?"

"Alicia," he said, his tone tightening slightly, "by the time I found out, things had already escalated. The best way to handle it was to reduce attention. Staying silent is the right choice right now."

Something in me went still.

Completely still.

In an instant, I lost the urge to argue.

This whole situation started because of him and Lilian.

And in the end—

I was the one labeled a mistress.

The one insulted.

The one left to endure it.

While he stood there, calmly explaining why nothing could be done.

Favoritism.

That was all it was.

If he truly cared about someone, he would never let her suffer.

Just like how he was protecting Lilian—shielding her from even the slightest stain.

But me?

Even knowing what I was going through, he still chose silence.

Still chose her.

His heart had never been here.

Not with me.

And maybe...

it never would be.

He had already made it clear—

the one he cared about was Lilian.

So what was the point of asking anything more?

Next time, when an apology was due, it would still be the same.

Just another "I’m sorry."

And if I pushed further, he would probably turn it around on me—

say I lacked empathy,

say I was ruining Lilian’s career.

Seeing me fall silent, Alexander spoke again.

"I didn’t expect some extreme fans to target you. I’m sorry for that..."

I almost laughed.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected it.

The threatening packages had already been a warning.

He just hadn’t cared enough to think about it.

All he cared about... was whether Lilian would be affected.

As for me—

I had never even been part of the equation.

"Alexander," I said calmly, looking up at him,

"do you know that saying sorry too many times just makes it annoying?"

All the emotions had already been dealt with—alone.

His apology now meant nothing.

Lately, he had said it so often...

but beyond that, he had done nothing.

My ears were numb to it.

Alexander’s expression hardened slightly as he lowered his gaze.

"What do you want me to do?"

I held his eyes.

"You know there’s nothing you can do for me right now... don’t you?"

A brief pause.

"You can at least try," he said.

I tilted my head slightly.

"You want to make it up to me?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

I leaned back into the sofa, my tone steady.

"Promise me one thing."

He didn’t hesitate. "What is it?"

"I haven’t figured it out yet," I said. "I’ll tell you when I decide."

A small pause.

"Don’t worry. It won’t be something like asking you to separate from Lilian."

In truth, I already knew what I wanted.

I just couldn’t say it now.

Nana’s condition was improving. A divorce wasn’t possible anytime soon.

But eventually...

the pregnancy would come to light.

And when that day came—

I only wanted one thing.

For him to give up custody of the child.

"Alright," Alexander said without hesitation. "I promise."

"I’m tired," I said, closing my eyes briefly. "I need to rest. You should go."

I waved him off lightly.

I should have been angry.

He probably expected me to argue—like before.

But now...

I was calm.

So calm that I was simply asking him to leave.

When I looked up again, I caught the unease in his expression.

But in the end, he had no reason to stay.

"Alright," he said quietly. "I’ll go. Rest well."

He turned toward the door—

then stopped.

I frowned slightly. "Why aren’t you leaving?"

He didn’t move.

"Where did you go today?" he asked, his voice low. "Were you with Aiden the whole time?"

I met his gaze without flinching.

"Yes. So what?"

I lifted my chin slightly.

"And you?" I shot back. "Where did you go last night?"

A beat.

"Were you with Lilian the whole night?"...