Sincerity 89_Forgotten Wife: My Ex-Husband Regrets It After I Left

89 

 Sienna’s POV

 I looked at the spoon he held out toward me again. Thin steam rose from the soup, its aroma light, not overpowering. My hand reflexively moved to stop him, but Liam only shook his head slightly, as if he already knew I would try to refuse again.

 “I can eat by myself,” I said, trying to sound firm.

 He gave a faint smile. “I know. But if I let you eat on your own, I’m sure you’d stop after just two bites. Am I right?”

 I froze, lips ready to protest, but no words came out. Because he was right. I would have stopped far earlier than I should.

 “Liam.” I drew in a deep breath, searching for an excuse. “You don’t have to go this far. I don’t want to trouble you.”

 He looked at me for a long time, as if to make sure I would hear every word he was about to say. “You’re not troubling me, Sienna. I’m here because I want to be. If I thought this was a burden, I would’ve left already.”

 The spoon approached again. Reluctantly, I opened my mouth, letting the soup in. Its warmth flowed down my throat, and for some reason, it also soothed my tangled mind.

 “I could just call a nurse,” I said after swallowing. “They’re paid to do this.”

 “Nurses are just doing their jobs,” Liam replied softly. “I’m doing this because I care.”

 My chest tightened. Those simple words shouldn’t have meant much, but to me, they felt too heavy, too

 deep. I quickly turned my gaze to the window, staring at the night sky turning a darker shade of blue.

 Liam scooped again, this time waiting longer, as if giving me a chance to refuse. But I said nothing, only

 let the spoon return to my mouth.

 “Why are you always so stubborn?” I asked quietly between bites.

 He gave a faint smile, a yful glint in his eyes. “If I weren’t stubborn, you would’ve pushed me out of

 your life long ago.”

 I fell silent. My tongue felt tied, not knowing how to respond. His words struck exactly where I least

 wanted to be touched,

 “I just don’t want you to get too used to this,” I whispered, almost inaudible.

 Liam frowned slightly, “Too used to what?”

 89

 “To all of this,” I said, lowering my head. “To taking care of me. To being around me.”

 For a moment, I thought he wouldugh. But his face remained serious. “And if I do get used to it, what’s wrong with that? I don’t mind. In fact, I want to.”

 I looked at him, my heart pounding wildly. Those words, once again, were too honest to ignore. I could only close my eyes briefly, trying to calm myself, before opening my mouth for the next spoonful.

 Until thest spoonful, we didn’t talk much anymore. But the silence wasn’t awkward. There was something between us–fragile, unspoken, but real–that filled the room along with the fading aroma of the soup.

 When we finished, he tidied up the bowl and sat back down. His hand reached out, gently touching the back of mine. “The doctor said you can go home tomorrow, but I want you to get enough rest first. Don’t rush back to work.”

 I only nodded. His touch made my thoughts noisy, but my body felt calm. A paradox I couldn’t exin.

 Outside the window, the sky was shifting into shades of golden orange. The twilight filtered through the curtains, framing his silhouette as he sat close to me. And for the first time since I was admitted to the hospital, I didn’t feel alone.

 I looked at him quietly, noticing the sharp line of his jaw, the way his brows furrowed when he was lost in thought, even the rhythm of his steady breaths. My heart, which I had locked away for so long, began to waver. Liam might not know it, but his care today had already broken through the defenses I had always held onto.

 It was frightening and yetforting.

 Liam sat in the chair beside my bed. He looked at me for a few seconds, as if weighing something. I frowned.

 “What is it?” I asked.

 He didn’t answer right away, only leaned forward slightly.

 “Sienna, do you want to call Noah?”

 The question stunned me. I even blinked a few times just to make sure I hadn’t misheard.

 “I may I?” I asked softly, my voice almost a whisper. A sharp disbelief pierced my chest. All this time, I never thought Liam would let me contact Noah–especially in a situation like this.

 He nodded slowly. “Of course. I think he would want to know how you’re doing.”

 Suddenly my heart was flooded with relief, gratitude, and a tremble I couldn’t hide.

 “Thank you,” I whispered, barely audible, but I knew he heard it.

 89

 Liam stood, took his phone from the table, and handed it to me.

 For a moment my fingers hesitated to hold it. It felt as though I was clutching something too precious. While I stared at the screen, searching for Noah’s name, Liam sat back down, lowering his head as if to give me space. I knew he could hear every heavy breath I took.

 When atst I pressed the call button, my chest pounded harder. The dial tone made me swallow hard. And when Noah picked up, his voice was warm yet tinged with worry.

 “Hello? Mommy?”

 My tears almost spilled over.

 “Yes, sweetheart it’s Mommy. Mommy’s okay,” I replied, choking back a sob.

 “You’re not sick, right? I dreamed you were sick yesterday,” he said, his voice trembling, on the verge of crying.

 I shook my head though he couldn’t see me.

 “No, darling, Mommy isn’t sick. How was school today?” I asked, gently steering the topic away.

 “I miss you, Mommy. I want to see you,” he said, and my heart tore painfully at the edges.

 “Mommy misses you too,” I whispered, fighting tears.

 We spoke for a few minutes about how I was doing, about his school, about how much I longed to hold him again. I tried to sound strong, though inside I felt so fragile. Every now and then, I nced at Liam. He wasn’t looking at me, but from the corner of my eye I could see his jaw tighten, as though he was wrestling with his emotions.

 When the call ended, I handed his phone back.

 “Thank you, Liam,” I said sincerely.

 For a moment, our eyes met. There was something there–a mixture of regret and warmth.

 He simply gave a small nod.

 “Rest. You need your strength to recover.”

 Iy back down, staring at the white ceiling. But this time, my heart felt a little lighter. Not only because I

 had heard Noah’s voice, but also because perhaps, I felt that Liam truly was here for me.

17kNovel

Sincerity 89