I didn't know what happened after I left, but from the second-floor window, I saw Luka and his mother being pushed out the door by the servants.As the bedroom door swung open, Lyra entered with a dark expression on her face."Is everything settled?" I asked, moving closer to help her take off her coat and hanging it up.Her gaze remained fixed on me as she asked in a vague tone, "Did you tell them to find me at the company?"I noticed her face clearly showed that she was unhappy.I calmly settled back into my chair on the balcony and explained, "I thought they came here because they couldn't find you, so I directed them to the company."Lyra let out a cold snort and slowly approached me. "And didn't you tell someone over the phone to advise me to be more restrained when I'm sick?"By the time she reached my side, she had grabbed my chin and lifted my face to meet hers.I looked at her, confused by her sudden anger.I wondered if she was

He looked at me with a troubled expression but finally answered honestly, "Lucy asked me to help."It wasn't surprising that Eric knew Lucy, but I never expected her to ask him to do this.After processing his words, I smiled and said, "First, I have to thank her for caring about me. Second, this is ultimately a matter between me and Lyra. You know her temper, so you shouldn't have gotten involved."I meant every word. I didn't want to argue with Lyra about this right now.Eric hesitated before speaking again. "Isaac, putting aside what happened in college, Lucy seems more suitable for you now."But suitability meant nothing to me.I couldn't even be sure how long I would live, and love felt more like a luxury than a necessity.Especially when it came to Lucy and Lyra—they were fundamentally no different.After careful consideration, I tactfully asked Eric to keep this conversation a secret.Not for any other reason, but mainly beca

Things turned out to be a little better than I had expected.Lyra didn't overreact; she simply picked up the note and glanced at it. "Isaac, why is there a lawyer's contact information?"Her tone was flat, curious but without any suspicion.I could feel a cold sweat breaking out on my skin."I don't remember when I put it in the drawer. It was probably around the time we got married when the company went public and things were unstable. I thought I might need it someday."Lyra looked at me, her expression revealing neither belief nor doubt.I braced myself for her to press further, my mind racing to figure out how to respond.Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around my neck again. "No need for it then, and hopefully never will be. The company has the best legal team. If you ever need anything, just tell me. They'll help you avoid unnecessary trouble."To me, it sounded like a test.But whether it was or not, I wouldn't use her company's lawy

When the caregiver and I returned, Lisa immediately started complaining, blaming us for leaving her alone in the hospital room for so long.Thankfully, the caregiver and I worked well together, making sure she didn't notice anything unusual.While I stayed to take care of Lisa, the caregiver took the chance to head back to the nursing home to help out.The hospital room was left with just Lisa and me. She looked at me, her tone cautious, and asked, "Isaac, when I said I wanted to meet Mrs. Smith before, you didn't tell her, did you?"I silently thanked Lisa for her impeccable timing. Coincidentally, I had just taken a call from Lyra, and it gave me a perfect excuse."Lisa, you're overthinking it. How could I not tell her?" I smiled, trying to reassure her. "Besides, we've always been deeply in love. She hasn't come because she's been busy. This time, it wasn't me urging her to visit. It was her own decision."Lisa believed me, but her gaze lingered on m

This time, I decided to be direct. "I think you have misunderstood. I'm not targeting you. But as a married man, I'm very careful about avoiding any situation where people might think I'm trying to cling to your wealthy family."Her aunt had told me a lot before, and I'd kept it all in mind.The issues between Lyra and me were always there, and as for Lucy, there was no chance at all.Besides, I simply didn't like Lucy.Lucy had always lacked boundaries. Even at an event like this, she shamelessly grabbed my arm and pulled me to her side. "You've been staring at those clay figures for a while. Do you like them? If you do, I can buy them for you," she offered.I refused.Though I'd love to collect works made by my parents in the past, I was even more unwilling to get involved with Lucy in any way.As I'd said before, if I could, I'd avoid having any connection with her for the rest of my life.My reaction clearly displeased her. She sneered alm