The sobs from the ward carried on for a long time. Hades stood by the door the whole time, his posture never once changing.After some time, the crying finally stopped. It was only then that he lowered his gaze to look at the cigarette in his hand. He raised his hand to chuck the crushed cigarette into a trash can. Then, he pulled out a new one and walked over to the designated smoking area.When Chelsey came over after she was done with work, Alanna was alone in the ward, lying on the hospital bed. There were still tears in her eyes. Chelsea forced a smile."Actually, it's quite a good thing that you lost the child. Otherwise… Not only will you have to take care of your mother, but you'll also have to care for a child. That'd be too hard on you."It took Alanna all the strength she had in her to hold back the tears. She could only nod."Yeah, I know."How could she possibly not know her own situation? Perhaps it really was a good thing that she'd miscarried, or the child would
Hades helped Alanna sit up before he passed her the bowl of broth. But perhaps it was due to how weak she was, she lost her grip on the bowl.Hades reacted immediately and caught the bowl before it slipped out of her hands. He looked at her with slight exasperation."You can't even hold a bowl now?" Then, he raised a brow. "Shall I feed you?""No need. I can do it myself."Alanna reached out for the bowl but Hades did not let her have it. He sat by the bedside and stared at her. His gaze was so complex that Alanna couldn't read his thoughts, so she averted her gaze."It was my choice to keep the child. Now that I've lost it, I have no one to blame but myself. You do not have to feel like you owe me anything."Hades set the bowl aside and wiped his hands. With a grim expression, he tossed the tissue into a trash can before he looked up at her."Alanna, we have always had a fair agreement between us. I do not feel like I owe you anything. You, on the other hand, have kept your pre
Hades did not take her words seriously."Alanna, you should know that you do not have the right to terminate the agreement. I can close an eye to your action of hiding the pregnancy from me, but don't you dare use the miscarriage as an excuse to run away from me," he drawled unhurriedly, his words devoid of any emotions whatsoever.Alanna scoffed bitterly. It was true that she had no rights. The agreement that they signed had never been fair to her from the get-go. When it came to him, she never had any right to anything at all. She had no right to throw a tantrum, she had no right to act up, and now, she didn't even have the right to bring up the topic of going separate ways!"Are you feeling very wronged now?" Hades asked."No." Alanna scoffed lightly.There was no outburst of emotions from her end, but whoever heard her would surely detect a stifling sense of misery from her tone.That instantly fueled a rage within Hades, and he swiftly turned her over so that Alanna was fa
Late at night, a car pulled out of the hospital and then arrived outside an abandoned factory in the suburbs.When Hades kicked open the door of a workshop, he immediately heard a furious voice from inside."That wretch! She harmed my daughter, and now, wants to harm me too? You corrupted cops, I want her dead! I'll kill her when I get out!"Hades flexed his stiff wrists, picked up a wooden stick from the ground, and weighed it in his hand.Before anyone could react, he swung the stick at the man's leg. The sound of bones shattering echoed through the dilapidated workshop along with a scream.Throwing away the stick, Hades took out a cigarette and lit it."Who gave you the order?"The man was pale from the pain. He looked at Hades with fear in his eyes, yelling, "She was the one who hurt my daughter! I only pushed her a little. What's so wrong with that?"Jack, who was standing nearby, sweated profusely. If things got out of hand, it would be tricky for him to clean up the mess
Hades carried her out of the ward.In the hospital's corridor, onlookers threw them curious glances, making Alanna feel uneasy."I can walk," she said.Hades looked down at her. "Are you sure?""Yes."While Hades glanced at her once more, he showed no intention of putting her down.The elevator doors opened, and just as they were about to enter, Hades paused.Alanna turned to look, seeing Melanie and Terrence in the elevator. Surprisingly, Melanie also had a bandage on her arm.Instantly, Hades frowned. "What happened to you?"Melanie looked away, mumbling, "It's nothing."With a scoff, Terrence spoke up, "Hades, why didn't you answer Melanie's phone call last night? She got injured, and I'm the one who brought her to the hospital."Hades stared at the bandage on Melanie's arm. "How did you get injured?"Melanie's eyes turned red-rimmed. "Are you worried?"Hades let out a chuckle and said curtly, "If you don't want to answer, I won't ask.""Why are you acting like that?"
Standing at the side, Melanie started to tear up. "Terrence, stop it. I did this just to appease Ms. Jacinto's anger. I never thought about making anyone bear the consequences."Terrence furrowed his brow instantly. "You're being too kind."Melanie turned to look at Hades, saying, "As long as Ms. Jacinto stops being angry, anything is fine with me."Hades' gaze was dark, and his face remained extremely grim. His eyes fell on Alanna.Alanna, however, showed no signs of compromise. "Since Ms. Smith is so eager to apologize to me, then go ahead and be my guest."Her words stunned both Melanie and Terrence.The latter bit out, "What do you mean?"Leveling his gaze, Alanna answered matter-of-factly, "Mr. Abbott, you said I refused to forgive Ms. Smith. Now, I'm giving her a chance to apologize. I'll accept it if she does. Also…"She looked toward Melanie and continued, "Didn't you say that as long as I stopped being angry, anything was fine with you? In that case, apologize to me, a
A brief silence later, Alanna chuckled. "It was quite satisfying."Hades paused before warning, "It's over with Melanie now. Don't bring it up again for no reason."His reproachful tone was evident, making Alanna laugh bitterly. "Mr. Florentine, you've been watching the whole time. I wasn't the one who brought it up, and I didn't blame Melanie. Did she have to act so hypocritically?"At this, Hades' expression soured even more. "You didn't blame her openly, but do you not hold it against her deep down?""Am I not even allowed to have feelings now?" Alanna snipped.Hades glanced at her and didn't say anything more.Alanna felt uncomfortable; her whole body felt awkward. In reality, walking was difficult as her legs were weak. However, she didn't want to ask for Hade's help.Frowning, Hades studied her posture and eventually bent down to lift her."I can walk by myself. You can go check on Ms. Smith. After all, she got injured because of me. I can't afford to bear that responsibi
Nonetheless, she seriously couldn't stomach anything."I want to have something light.""Okay, I'll go make something for you."When Margaret took the chicken soup out, Hades' brows furrowed. "She's not eating?""Ms. Jacinto says she wants something light."Hades fell into silence for a moment, then instructed, "Make something lighter for her. Next time, ask her for her preferences before cooking.""Understood," Margaret hurriedly replied and went into the kitchen.Hades took a last look at the closed bedroom door before entering his study.As a lighter alternative to chicken soup, Margaret ended up making a clear vegetable soup for Alanna.Although Alanna still had no appetite, she relented and took a few sips.It was only then she had to admit that Hades was right. She had to take care of her health, and no one would feel sorry for her if she didn't cherish herself.As usual, Hades was rational and clear-headed.A bitter taste lingered in Alanna's mouth at the thought of