&quot;I’ll try,&quot; Alexander said.

 &quot;What’s wrong with Miss Blackwood?&quot; I mustered the courage to ask.

 I had a sinking feeling that Alexander wouldn’t be coming back after he left, just like yesterday. I wasn’t sure why Isabella had called him away, but it had happened two days in a row.

 Alexander turned to look at me, frowning. &quot;Vivienne, you never used to ask so many questions.&quot;

 My face paled. &quot;My foot hurts. Could you...&quot;

 &quot;Your injury isn’t serious. If you need anything, call Maggie,&quot; Alexander replied coldly, not bothering to look back as he walked away.

 I watched his retreating figure, a bitter feeling flooding my chest. I had rarely allowed myself to be vulnerable, but when I did, he called me troublesome.

 When someone has no interest in you, showing weakness is useless. We were already heading for divorce—what right did I hav

I returned to the bedroom to rest for a while.

 Around three in the afternoon, Alexander came back, looking worn out from his day. He headed straight for the kitchen, poured himself a glass of water, and briefly glanced at the pile of gifts in the corner.

 “Maggie, has anyone been here today?”

 Maggie answered truthfully, “Mrs. Hawthorne’s friend stopped by.”

 She hesitated, her words trailing off.

 Alexander narrowed his eyes. “And then?”

 “Mrs. Hawthorne asked me to refer to her as 'Miss' in front of her friend.”

 Alexander frowned. “Vivienne’s friend is a man?”

 “Yes.”

 A cold premonition stirred in Alexander’s chest. The friend who had come by today was the one I liked.

 I had pretended to be single around him. Clearly, I must have liked him very much, probably because I was afraid he'd be put off by my status as a second-time bride.

 Alexander took a sip of water before a

I don’t know how much time had passed when I woke up in complete darkness. The first thing I noticed was the smell of disinfectant.

 I opened my eyes and glanced around, realizing I was in a hospital room.

 “Vivienne, you’re awake? How do you feel?”

 Hearing that familiar voice, I saw Alexander standing at the foot of my bed, his handsome face coming into view.

 I instinctively placed my hand on my abdomen, feeling a bit nervous.

 “I’m fine.” I looked out the window—it was already dark outside.

 Just then, my stomach growled twice.

 “You’re hungry, aren’t you? Should I have something brought in?” he asked.

 “I’m afraid that’ll take too long. I’m really hungry right now. Could you go out and buy me something?” I looked up at him, trying to make my voice sound as weak as possible.

 For the first time, Alexander seemed caught off guard by my obedient expression. He nodded instincti

&quot;I’ll try,&quot; Alexander said.

 &quot;What’s wrong with Miss Blackwood?&quot; I mustered the courage to ask.

 I had a sinking feeling that Alexander wouldn’t be coming back after he left, just like yesterday. I wasn’t sure why Isabella had called him away, but it had happened two days in a row.

 Alexander turned to look at me, frowning. &quot;Vivienne, you never used to ask so many questions.&quot;

 My face paled. &quot;My foot hurts. Could you...&quot;

 &quot;Your injury isn’t serious. If you need anything, call Maggie,&quot; Alexander replied coldly, not bothering to look back as he walked away.

 I watched his retreating figure, a bitter feeling flooding my chest. I had rarely allowed myself to be vulnerable, but when I did, he called me troublesome.

 When someone has no interest in you, showing weakness is useless. We were already heading for divorce—what right did I have to ask for anything?

 I had been foolish. Alexander applied some medicine to my wound, and I had 

Chapter 16