"I didn''t know. You''ve faked things like this before, so I thought this was another one of those times."


    He swallowed, his voicecking conviction, his eyelids flickering.


    Hannah leaned back weakly, a humorless smile on her face. "Before? When? Tell me, Lionel, when have I ever lied to you? The time I had a high fever and drove myself through a storm, copsing on the ground-was that fake?"


    "The time I was almost hit by a car and scraped my leg-was that fake?" "The time I was pushed down the stairs and broke a bone-was that fake?"


    "This time, when I was kidnapped... if Mr. Lancaster hadn''t noticed I was absent without leave, called my phone, and been told by the kidnappers what happened —if he hadn''t abandoned his meeting toe rescue me, I would still be locked in a dog cage right now!"


    "Lionel Rosenberg, the real liar is you. You told me you were in the hospital, and I dropped everything to rush to your side, only to be handed divorce papers."


    "You tell me, between the two of us, who is the liar? Tell me!"


    Hannah fought to control her anger, but the more she spoke, the more agitated she became, tears welling in her eyes.


    After that first phone call, after his cold response, she had lost all hope in this


    man.


    Hannah looked at the silent Lionel. "You don''t have to feel guilty. What''s past is past, and there''s no future for us. From now on, we''ll stay out of each other''s lives. Whatever happens to me, whatever happens to you, it''s none of the other''s business. There''s no need to make a special visit.”


    It''s disgusting.


    Before Lionel could respond, Hannah stood up, grabbed a change of clothes, and went into the bathroom.


    Lionel remained standing there, a flicker of guilt in his eyes.


    When Hannah came out of the shower, Lionel was gone.


    The bouquet of lilies on the nightstand was also gone.


    She didn''t care where he went. She dried her hair, pulled back the covers, and slipped into bed.


    The autumn night was cold, colder than she remembered. She clutched the nket tightly, curling into a small ball, and uneasily closed her eyes, willing sleep toe.


    The next morning, Lionel arrived at the hospital room with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a thermal container in the other.


    ?


    The room was empty. At first, he assumed Hannah was just out for a check-up. He ced the flowers in a vase and sat down to wait, but after a few minutes he realized


    something was wrong.


    He checked the bathroom. The sink was clear, the change of clothes in the closet


    was gone, and the slippers under the bed had vanished.


    "Excuse me, where is the patient from this room?"


    The nurse checked the room number. "She was discharged this morning. You... wait, no, another man came to pick her up."


    "Discharged?"


    Yves picked her up?


    Lionel took out his phone to call her, then remembered he was blocked. He borrowed the nurse''s phone and dialed.


    "You''ve been discharged?"


    Hannah put the call on speaker as she continued packing her clothes. "It seems you were hoping I was seriously injured and would be hospitalized for a long time.


    Her words caught him off guard. "Where are you now?"


    Hannah couldn''t help butugh, a bitter, frustrated sound. "Does it matter?"


    When she was kidnapped, when she told him she might be assaulted, he didn''t care in the slightest. Why the pretense now?


    "Are you with Yves?" Lionel gritted his teeth, his voice cold. "Tell me where you


    are."