"Finn must have something important to discuss with Ms. Sullivan. After all, they''re still legally tied. Go ahead. I''ll catch a cab hometer. Let Finn know he doesn''t need to worry about me."


    "Of course, I''ll pass on the message, Ms. Porter."


    With that, Will turned to Amara with a genuine smile. "Mrs. Everly, shall we?"


    Amara hesitated. "What does Finnian want with me?"


    "Mr. Everly didn''t specify."


    "Just hang on a moment."


    Amara nodded at Will and stepped aside to call Finnian. After a few attempts, her calls went unanswered. She figured a quick visit to the hospital wouldn''t hurt, so she returned to Will and uttered, "Alright, let''s go."


    In the hospital room, Finnian sat on the bed, engrossed in his tablet with his head down, his phone charging on the bedside table. As Amara walked in, she nced at his phone and asked, "Mr. Everly, what do you need from me?"


    Finnian, his right arm wrapped in a bandage, was holding the tablet with his left hand. He looked up and said, "I need you toe by and help me out for the next few days. You don''t have to stay all day, just drop by twice per day."


    Amara blinked. Helping him out? She had assumed Finnian needed to discuss something significant, not to ask her to y caregiver. Feeling a bit indignant, she said, "Mr. Everly, it doesn''t seem appropriate for me to do such personal work. Why not let Ms. Porter help?"


    "Having her here would be even more inappropriate," Finnian replied coolly. "We haven''t officially divorced, so technically, we''re still married. It wouldn''t be right to have others involved."


    Amara was taken aback. On the surface, Finnian''s reasoning seemed logical, but there were holes everywhere upon closer


    Why was he doing this? Did he really think that since they were still legally married, her presence wouldn''t raise eyebrows, whereas Liliana''s would cause a scandal?


    Yes, that must be it. Finnian must be trying to protect Liliana from gossip by not having her care for him. Realizing this only made Amara more annoyed.


    "What''s wrong?" Finnian asked. "You don''t want to?"


    "This is for your troubles," Finnian said, sliding a card towards her.


    Amara nced down. It was a card with a six-digit password taped to the back, easy to remember, yet she didn''t reach for it immediately.


    "What is this supposed to mean?" she asked, looking him in the eye. She couldn''t quite shake the feeling of being insulted.


    Sensing she might misinterpret it, Finnian rified, "It''s yourpensation for the work. No hidden agenda, so don''t overthink it."


    Compensation? The term felt odd to Amara. Were they in some kind of employer- employee rtionship now?


    After a moment, she said, "I don''t want to be your caregiver. Please find someone else."


    Her tone was icy, but Finnian didn''t seem bothered as he stated, "I need someone to look after me, and you''re the best fit. Stay."


    Amara couldn''t fathom why he thought she was the best fit. She''d never done.caregiving before, and she didn''t knew Finnian that well either _Besides, the most important thing was that with his wealth and influence, he could hire any professional help he needed. Why insist on her just because she carried the title of his wife?