<b>Chapter </b><b>50 </b>
E
“You don’t have to fuss over me like this,” I protested as Lilith tucked another pillow behind my back. “I’m not dying.”
Not yet, anyway. Technically. Sort of. Maybe that wasn’t the best way to put it.
Lilith had arrived bright and early with a suitcase full of my things–clothes, books, my favorite nket from home, even my vani–scented hand lotion. She’d been buzzing around my hospital room all morning, adjusting the blinds, organizing the nightstand, and making sure I would befortable for my stay.
“Nonsense,” she said, smoothing down the nket. “You need someone looking after you properly.”
“The nurses are doing just fine.”
Lilith scoffed. “Those nurses have twenty other patients. You need someone whose <i>sole </i><i>focus </i>is you<i>.</i>”
Before I could argue further, she pulled out a container from the bag she’d brought. “I made <i>your </i>favorite,” she said, popping off the lid to reveal homemade chicken soup. The scent immediately made my mouth water. “It’s still warm.”
My stomach growled in response. The hospital breakfast had been nd and unappetizing, and Lilith always made the best chicken noodle soup when I wasn’t feeling well.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I muttered.
“Lwanted to.” Lilith poured some into a bowl and pulled up a chair beside my bed. Then, to my surprise, she dipped a spoon into the soup and held it out to me. “Open up.”
! blinked. “I can feed myself, you know.”
“Humor an old woman, won’t you?”
Feeling ridiculous but too touched to refuse, I opened my mouth and let Lilith feed me the soup. It was delicious, as always–rich and hearty, with just the right amount of herbs and spices.
“Good?” Lilith asked, already dipping the spoon for another bite.
I nodded, swallowing. “Yes. But why are <i>you </i>doing all this? You’re treating me like I’m… Your daughter.”
Lilith’s shoulders tensed, and for a moment, she was silent. She had never mentioned having children of her own, but whenever! asked, she would always change the subject. After a while, I had learned not to bring it up, thinking that she’d perhaps had a bad experience in her past.
I thought I had hurt her by bringing it up now, but just as I was opening my mouth to apologize, she said, “You are like a daughter to me, E. And I worry about you. I saw how your parents treated you at that party. I’ve seen how you were raised. You never had a mother who doted on you or made sure you had what you needed. Your parents haven’t evene to check on you since you got
here”
1 winced. When she put it like that…
“I just want to give you the love and attention you deserve,” she murmured
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Something warm and tender blossomed in my chest at her words. No one had ever said anything like that to me before. No one had ever put my needs first, had ever made me feel like I was worth the effort.
“Thank you,” I whispered, suddenly fighting back tears. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. It’s just… new?
Lilith smiled and picked up the spoon again. “Well, get used to it. How, more soup?”
I nodded, unable to speak around the lump in my throat. As she continued to feed me, small spoonful by small spoonful, I realized that this was what having a mother was supposed to feel like. Someone who took care of you. Someone who put your needs above their own. Someone who loved you unconditionally.
If I had to die, at least I had experienced this. At least I wouldn’t die without knowing what it felt like to be loved like this.
“I could die happy if you were by my side.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Lilith’s hand froze. “You’re not going to die, E,” she said firmly, “I won’t let that happen.”
“But the doctor said-”
“I know what the doctor said. But there are options, solutions-”
The door swung open, cutting her off. Liam walked in with a bouquet of daisies in hand.
“How’s the patient today?” he asked. His smile faded as he took in our serious expressions. “Did I interrupt something?”
“Just girl talk,” I said quickly, forcing a smile. “Are those for me?”
Liam nodded and set the daisies on the table next to Alexander’s cherry blossoms. “Thought your room could use some color. Who brought these?”
“Alexander,” Lilith said before I could answer. Liam looked just as surprised as I was, and I simply shrugged.
Lilith stood, taking the now–empty soup bowl. “I’ll go wash this out,” she said, then scurried out of the room,
Once she was gone, Liam took her vacated chair. “You look better today. How are you feeling?”
“Much better,” I lied. In truth, I felt like shit. My head was pounding, my limbs ached, and there was a hollow feeling in my body <b>that </b>had nothing to do with hunger. But I didn’t want Liam to worry.
“Are they letting you out soon?”
I shrugged. “Dr. Evelyn wants to run a few more tests. Maybe tomorrow.”
Liam nodded, and for a few moments, he was silent, just fidgeting with the sleeve of his jacket. Then, finally: “Listen, E, about what happened at the bar with Molly Thad no idea she felt that way about you. If I’d known…”
“It’s not your fault,” I assured him.
“Still, I feel responsible. If she hadn’t kissed you, maybe Alexander wouldn’t have-”
“It’s fine, Liam. Really.” I cut him off, not wanting to rehash the details of that night. “Water under the bridge.”
But even as I said it, my mind drifted back to the alley. To Alexander’s lips on mine, his hands on my body, the way he’d groaned when I touched him through his pants. It had been explosive and all–consuming everything I’d fantasized about for years.
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My face heated at the memory. It had been a mistake, fueled by alcohol and jealousy and the fated mate bond. But I couldn’t fully regret it. Couldn’t push away the memory of how it felt to be wanted, even if just for a moment.
“If you’re sure,” Liam said, pulling me back to the present. “I just hate that it led to all this.” He gestured around the hospital room.
“It didn’t. I was just tired and drunk. I’m fine now.”
Liam didn’t look convinced, but he nodded anyway. “Well, I brought <i>you </i>something else, too.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a deck of cards. “Thought you might be bored.”
We spent the next few hours ying card games, with Lilith joining in when she returned. For a while, I managed to forget about my condition, about Alexander, about everything except being with people who cared about me.
But as the day wore on and visiting hours came to an end, my thoughts kept circling back to the cherry blossoms on my nightstand. To Alexander, who hade to see me while I slept. Who had remembered my favorite flowers.
I found myself staring at them more often than not, tracing the delicate pink petals with my eyes, wondering what it meant that he’d brought them. Was it just a courtesy? A gesture of basic decency toward his sick wife? Or was it something more?
It didn’t matter. He’d fulfilled his obligation by checking on me and bringing a gift. I didn’t expect to see him again anytime soon. He had a campaign to run, after all. A pack to lead. A Beta to punish for insubordination.
Thest thing on his mind would be me. Maybe having me in the hospital would even make things easier for both of us, because I meant it when I told Lilith that I was beyond the point of wanting him to mark me anymore.
Visiting hours ended at eight, and both Liam and Lilith reluctantly prepared to leave. Lilith had fought to stay overnight, but hospital policy was strict: family only after hours. And despite our marriage, Alexander hadn’t listed himself as staying.
Once they were gone, I tried to sleep, but memories of the alley kept intruding. Alexander’s mouth on mine. His fingers between my legs. The way he’d looked at me when I lifted my shirt. Like he was starving and I was a feast.
What was so wrong with me that he couldn’t bring himself to do that to me for five years of marriage?
Groaning, I turned <i>onto </i>my side, trying to push the thoughts away. It was useless to dwell on them.
Just then, the door opened. I turned, expecting to see a nurseing to check on me.
Instead, Alexander was standing in the doorway with a bag in his hand.
AD
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