Unlike usual, Alger was in a panic when Lily suddenly fainted. Judging from what had happened earlier, Lily had only suffered a slight bump, which would likely just leave a bruise. However, since Lily had a history of memory loss that had not yet healed, Alger was a bit afraid.
"I'm sorry, sir. You have to wait outside," the nurse stopped him.
Alger looked into the room and shook his head. "But she's my wife, Nurse. Why can't I go in to accompany her?"
"It's hospital policy, sir. Your wife needs to be treated by the doctor first. Besides, she's not giving birth, so there's no need for you to be inside with her."
James, who was standing behind Alger, struggled to hold back his laughter.
"What? You want to laugh?"
James shook his head and cleared his throat. "No, sir. I just saw a funny video this morning, and it keeps replaying in my mind, making me want to laugh."
"Anyway, why did you follow me to the hospital? There's still a lot of work at the office. It's still early. Lily, the person you usually rely on, is here. Do you want my company to go bankrupt and end up as a jobless bum?"
"Oh, come on, sir. It's only been a few hours. How could it go bankrupt that quickly?"
"You want—"
"No," James quickly interrupted. "I'm heading to the office now. I know your threats by heart."
"Good. Oh, right. At ten, come to the project site. Jennie wants you to check on the construction progress."
"Wouldn't it be better for Lily to handle this, sir? Since she's also a woman, she could relate better to all the details. Your wife is very smart when it comes to—"
"Don't you see? Lily hasn't even regained consciousness yet, and you're suggesting she do it? Remember, besides being my secretary, she's also my wife."
"Ah, you finally admitted it," James chuckled as he stood up. "Alright, I'll get going then, sir. You can take your car—I'll grab a taxi."
Alger nodded and took the car keys from James. After James left, Alger suddenly remembered that he needed to ask Jennie the truth—why was it that someone else had taken him home instead of her?
It didn't take long. After a few attempts to connect, Jennie finally picked up.
"Hello? What's up, Al? Want to talk about our project?"
"Why did your friend take me home last night?"
"Why? You look really angry. Angel didn't go that far, did she? And I heard your secretary was waiting for you at your apartment? Do you really have to work late at night?"
"How many times do I have to tell you? That's none of your business, Jen. I've already helped you get closer to James. So don't ever interfere in my personal matters."
"How long are you going to be like this, Al? You said your ex hurt you, and now you're avoiding all women? Not all women are the same."
Just as Alger was about to respond to Jennie's question, he saw the doctor coming out of Lily's hospital room.
"The point is, I hate it when people meddle. I still consider you a friend, Jen. So don't push your limits."
Beep.
Alger ended the call unilaterally and slipped his phone into his jacket pocket.
"Excuse me, are you the patient's husband?"
Alger nodded, his eyes filled with worry.
"How is my wife, Doctor?"
"It's just a minor bump, so there's nothing to worry about. She probably fainted due to shock. You can go in now."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Since he had the doctor's permission, Alger immediately entered Lily's room. She still had her eyes closed. Moving slowly but steadily, he approached her bed, gazing at her peaceful face before sitting beside her.
His hand instinctively reached out to caress her forehead, where a bruise had formed.
"Good thing you're okay," he murmured softly.
Alger quickly withdrew his hand when Lily stirred. The girl blinked a few times and massaged her temples.
Her eyes landed on Alger, who was pretending to be busy with his phone.
"Mr. Alger," Lily whispered, glancing around the room.
"Why am I here?"
"There's no way you've already forgotten what happened a few hours ago. Don't use your memory loss as an excuse."
Lily fell silent, trying to recall the incident from earlier. Her fingers instinctively reached for the sore spot where her head had hit the table.
"Oww."
"You know it hurts, yet you're pressing on it?" Alger said, lowering her hand.
"Why are you here?" she asked, looking at Alger, who was still holding her hand.
Alger hurriedly let go, cleared his throat, and adjusted his suit before picking up his phone again.
"I'm your boss, so I can do whatever I want, right?"
"Since you're my boss, I think you should go back to the office, sir. I can handle myself here."
"And who do you think you are to tell me to leave?"
Lily remained silent, shrugging her shoulders. She turned her gaze toward the window while absentmindedly touching her forehead.
"I hit my head earlier, right? Why isn't it like in the movies, where a hit on the head brings back lost memories? Am I really going to be stuck like this forever, unable to remember? Do I really have to forget all the sweet memories Papa gave me? Do I have to forget about Mama too?" she thought.
Without realizing it, tears began streaming down her face, making Alger, who had been watching her, furrow his brows.
"Does something hurt?"
Lily quickly wiped her tears away roughly and shook her head.
"When someone asks you something, look at them. Do you think I can see your expression clearly like this?"
Lily immediately turned to face Alger, and before she knew it, he instinctively wiped her tears away with both hands.
"Why are you being so kind to me, sir?"
"Am I not allowed to be?"
"It's not that you're not allowed… I just don't want your girlfriend to misunderstand. You should leave now, sir. I'll be fine on my own. I already understand your intentions."
"Understand what? Can you read my mind?"
Lily shook her head and pointed toward the door.
"If you're busy, you should go back to the office now. Or if you want to see your girlfriend, that's fine too."
"Are you jealous?"
Lily immediately put on a wide smile and shook her head. "In the dictionary of a Lily, there will never be such a thing as jealousy over a man who has made my life miserable."
"You think you're the only one suffering?"
"I'm not saying I'm the only one suffering, Sir. But please, just this once, understand that I just want to be alone."
Instead of leaving, Alger shook his head and crossed his arms. "Why should I leave? I'm the one paying for your hospital room, so I can stay here as long as I want, right?"
"Suit yourself," Lily concluded, turning her face away again.
It seemed Lily had to keep her distance and protect her heart. She couldn't fall in love. Her mission had only been to make Alger fall in love again.
But maybe her parents had been wrong. After all, Alger was dating someone else while he had a wife. Wasn't that a sign of a successfully executed deception?
Silence filled the room for a moment, with only the ticking of the clock breaking the stillness.
Alger clicked his tongue and turned his gaze back to Lily.
"She's not my girlfriend."
Lily, who had been scrolling through her phone, immediately froze and looked at Alger. "Are you talking to me, Sir?"
"There are only two people in this room: you and me. Who else would I be talking to?"
"Then why are you explaining your relationship with her to me? I don't even care," she replied indifferently.
"But—"
"I think your parents were wrong, Sir. They thought you disliked women because of your past, but they were wrong. You already have a girlfriend, yet you still accepted this arranged marriage just so you could take revenge on me."
"That was true before, but now... it's different."
Lily smirked and went back to scrolling through her phone. "I won't believe a word you say."
"But, Ly, I really—"
Bzzzt... Bzzzt... Bzzzt...
Alger clicked his tongue in annoyance. Just when he was about to have a serious conversation, something always interrupted.
He glanced at Lily briefly before standing up to answer his phone.
"Did you really have to leave the room to answer it? So obvious it's his girlfriend calling," she muttered, turning back to her phone.
Time moved painfully slow. Lily checked the clock on the wall multiple times—only five minutes had passed since Alger left the room.
"What's taking so long? What are they even talking about?" she mumbled, getting up from her hospital bed.
"Where are you going?" Alger asked as he re-entered Lily's room.
Lily pretended to be busy picking up her bag as if she had been planning to leave.
"Work. There's no point in me staying here, right?"
"Rest, Ly. That was a client on the phone. They're at the office, so I need to go now."
"Fine, I'll come with you."
"You're staying here."
"But—"
"No rejection. Do you want people to call me a cruel boss?"
"Isn't that the truth, though?"
"What did you just say?"
Lily shook her head and sat back down. "Nothing."
"Stay here. I'll be back this afternoon."
Without waiting for Lily's response, Alger immediately left in a hurry.
But Lily wasn't the type of girl who could be easily fooled. She simply smiled as she removed the IV from her hand.
"Do you think I don't know you're lying, Sir? I still remember that we don't have a meeting at the office today. Is it really a client who's coming, or your girlfriend?"
"I need to go to the office. I probably have a lot of work to do. Besides, I'm already fine, right?"
Just as she was about to grab her bag, a nurse entered Lily's room.
"Oh, ma'am, where are you going?"
"I'm already fine, Nurse. So I need to go back to work."
"But earlier, your husband told me to take care of you."
"Husband?"
The nurse nodded and pointed toward the door. "Yes, that was your husband just now, right?"
Instead of feeling touched by the nurse's words, Lily just smiled meaningfully.
"What kind of drama are you playing this time, Sir?" she muttered to herself