"Miss Elsher, you can't sleep?"
"...yes."
Lariette blankly stared at the nurse who appeared that midnight. The young lady in the white uniform came to check on her.
The entire private ward was only illuminated by the faint light strips installed on the edges of the ceiling.
Madeline stayed with Lariette despite being told to go home, eager to accompany her. The former disappeared outside, saying she needed to return a call.
Lariette assumed the call was from Madeline's mother who resided abroad. After all, it was already midnight here.
"You need plenty of rest, Miss Elsher," said the nurse, her voice mirroring her smile, "You've gone through so much today, even losing so much blood."
Lariette quietly listened to the nurse. Her eyes followed the latter's movements.
"We lacked blood packs today. Have you heard of the accident at the tunnel? Luckily, that gentleman was around when you're brought in. He offered to donate his blood."
"...a gentleman?"
Lariette's voice was too low even in the quiet ward. The nurse gathered her items before holding the metal tray in one hand, her eyes looking at the former.
"Please rest well. I'll come to check on you again. Good night, Miss Elsher."
Lariette carved a weak smile on her lips, "Thank you, nurse..."
"You're welcome."
Lariette's eyes fell on the nurse's back. She vaguely recalled hearing about a collision between a bus and a truck inside a tunnel nearby.
Most likely, the victims were brought to this hospital hours before her arrival.
Closing her eyes, Lariette thought nothing about the gentleman mentioned by the nurse. The man might be a visitor who crossed paths with the team assigned to perform the emergency surgery on her.
'I'm tired... I'm tired of everything...'
Lariette recalled her conversation with Madeline this evening. Even though it sounded absurd, she would present a fake husband to her family.
Of course, she intended to take what Stephanie desired most for her wedding.
'Any of Maddie's staff is fine... I don't care.'
Madeline owned Suit & Tie, a popular butler-themed cafe in the city. The waiters were all good-looking and had clean records. Lariette wouldn't lose anything choosing one of them.
'I shouldn't... I shouldn't have returned...'
Biting her lower lip, Lariette sensed heat emanating from her eyes. Silent tears rolled down the sides of her head, dripping on the pillow underneath.
A mishap happened in the hospital on the day of Lariette's birth more than two decades ago. The Elsher family brought another woman's baby home instead of Samantha's.
The switch was only discovered around ten years back, leading the Elsher family to look for the biological child. After several attempts, they finally found Lariette.
But...
Her return only earned an unpleasant welcome by the Elsher family. They were more preoccupied with appeasing the fake daughter's feelings over hers instead of trying to be fair.
Lariette would only feel welcomed if she visited her maternal grandfather, the head of the Delaney family. She had no paternal grandparents left.
"Lari, you're not sleeping yet?"
Madeline's quiet voice pulled Lariette out of her daze. The blond young lady had just reentered the ward.
"It's hard to sleep," Lariette smiled weakly at Madeline as the latter sat on the bedside chair, "The couch is big but... you should go home tomorrow, Maddie. Don't let me keep you here."
"Worry about yourself, Lari. You're a patient now," Madeline nagged in helplessness, "I'm fine even sleeping on the floor. You know me, don't you?"
"Hehe... Indeed, you can," Lariette let out a chuckle, her eyes tracing Madeline's concerned countenance, "Well... Please don't forget my request. I really count... on you."
"You really want a fake husband now, Lari?" asked Madeline, still remembering Lariette's abrupt and weird proposal from today, "You don't mind anyone?"
"I trust your choice," replied Lariette quietly, her lips smiling, "Either your staff or anyone else. I'll compensate the man well."
Lariette might not be loved by her own parents and siblings but, she found a great friend.
"Okay. I'll bring the best man for you. Time for you to sleep, Lari. Good night."
"Good night, Maddie..."
As Lariette closed her eyes, she didn't notice the slight relief in Madeline's troubled look. She quietly welcomed her sleep, trying to suppress the remaining disappointment and sadness from everything she had just gone through.
Lariette had to stay in the hospital for three days. As expected, no one in the Elsher family came to visit.
Not even her second brother who worked as a doctor here!
While recovering from the accident, Lariette also scheduled a series of STD tests after a certain window period. Even though there were no signs of Damien infecting her, she still wanted to be careful.
Madeline often came in the afternoon and accompanied Lariette throughout the night. Despite the hospital providing good food, she didn't forget to bring soup and other dishes for her friend.
"Did you ask your cook to make all this?" asked Lariette once, "Everything's delicious."
"Hehe~ Someone else made it. Finish everything, okay? You need to heal quickly before your battle."
Lariette didn't inquire further from Madeline. Among all the dishes, she especially loved the varieties of soups brought for her. They were always her comfort food.
As the days went by, Lariette didn't bother to contact Samantha or anyone else. When her mother asked about her reconciliation with Damien, she simply replied that she would bring a husband home during their family dinner.
Lariette's response seemed to shut Samantha up.
Lariette didn't say anything about her hospitalization to her maternal grandfather, Nicholas Delaney. The chairman of Delaney Industries had frail health. She didn't want to worry him.
The days spent in the hospital brought Lariette peace. Fortunately, summer break had just started. She didn't have to worry about her students.
Unfortunately, the peace was short-lived because of someone.
"...what are you doing here?"
Hissing in anger, the surprised Lariette stared at the unwelcomed guest appearing at the door. She unconsciously moved rearward until her back touched the bed headboard.
A familiar tall man in a trench coat strode inside the ward, his piercing blue eyes cold. His sandy blond strands were perfectly styled slick-back, revealing his frowning brows.
He was Damien Schuman—the cheater—who broke Lariette's heart. The image of him and another woman being intimate on a couch a few days ago was still vivid in her mind.
"Why did you block me, Lari? You didn't even tell me you're hospitalized. If your mom didn't tell me, I couldn't ever find you!"
Agitated by Damien's audacity, Lariette retorted, "We're over, Damien! Get out before I call the security!"
"Huh, try me."
Biting her lower lip, Lariette reached for the alert button by her bed, intending to call the nurse station. Damien quickly dominated her slow movement, grabbing her injured wrist forcefully.
"Let go!"
"Don't you dare, Lariette," Damien pulled Lariette closer to him, unbothered by her scream of pain, "We're not over! Everything's a mistake! Why must you make a fuss over one mistake?"
Enraged, Lariette's blue eyes blazing with fury. She spouted, "A mistake? I forget your tiny dick can slide into everything!"
"LARIETTE! A-ARGH!"
What happened next shocked Lariette. Her widened eyes caught the disgraceful image of Damien falling on his knees before her gaze was locked on someone behind him.
Everything happened so abruptly. Neither Lariette nor Damien noticed the stranger—a man—coming inside the ward.
"Who..."
"Are you okay?"
Lariette's words were cut short by the man's urgent inquiry. His emerald eyes and deep red wine hair were reflected in her orbs.
"Shit! Who the hell are you? Ouch! H-how dare you kick me!"
Damien yelled in pain once he quickly stood up, almost tumbling back to the floor. The first fall hurt his kneecaps like crazy. He also felt the throbbing pain on the back of his left knee.
The unfamiliar man snickered at the sight of Damien's furious glare. Scoffing, he said something that shocked both Lariette and Damien.
"Me? I'm Lariette's husband."