Chapter 15
I rushed to the hospital, only to find Alexander lying in bed with an IV drip, his face pale.
Mrs. Thompson approached me, her face apologetic. “Olivia, I’m so sorry. Mom tricked you.”
“But this foolish boy made himself bleed from his stomach. I had no choice but to get you here first.”
I remained silent.
I should have known.
But I never expected Alexander to set aside his pride and ask his hated stepmother to mediate.
“As soon as I heard about this from abroad, I flew back immediately.” Mrs. Thompson continued, her voice soft. “I’m not asking you to forgive him, but I just hope you’ll give him a chance to talk.”
“Can you two have a civil conversation?”
With that, Mrs. Thompson left.
Only Alexander remained in the bed, his red-rimmed eyes silently following me.
“Olivia, you know…” His voice was hoarse. “Lying here, I hate myself so much…”
“How could I not have cherished you, waiting for me at home every day? How could I have ignored every meal you made for me…”
His words were disjointed, broken.
But I understood immediately.
Alexander had suffered from stomach issues since his student days. Even when there were cracks between us, when we were in the middle of a cold war, I still carefully prepared lunchboxes every day and delivered them to his office, never missing a single day.
But he never even looked at them.
I shook off the wave of melancholy that threatened to rise.
With a cold, detached voice, I replied, “Don’t say any more. It’s useless now.”
“Don’t go! Olivia!” Alexander urgently wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me as if he wanted to fuse me into his body.
I felt hot tears falling on my neck.
His voice cracked, tight with emotion, as he pleaded in my ear, “I know I was wrong.”
“I was confused before. I thought you were just a pawn that woman planted to manipulate me…”
“I was a bastard, thinking you’d always be there, waiting for me…”
“Now I reflect on it every day, and I regret it. I’ll accept all your punishments, all your hatred…”
“I can put aside all my pride, all my arrogance…”
“But divorce… I just can’t bear it…”
“Olivia, please. Give me one more chance, please?”
Suddenly, he barked out orders to someone outside, “Bring her in!”
