At the sound of the familiar voice at the door, Sandra''s frantic struggles ceased.


    She froze for a moment, then slowly turned her head.


    "...Lionel," she choked out, her voice thick with tears that began to fall, one by one, to the floor. But in the next second, she grabbed a pillow from the bed and hurled it at him.


    "What are you doing here? Did youe tough at me, too? Get out, just like them! Get out!"


    Lionel dodged the pillow and walked into the room.


    "Why are you doing this to yourself? I told you I was working on a solution," he said, cing the container on the table. His gaze fell on her casted leg, and his brow furrowed.


    "Are you hungry? You can be angry, you can yell and throw things, but you need to eat first to have the strength for it, right?"


    Sandra watched as he gently unpacked the food, and her heart softened.


    "Did you make this?" she asked.


    Lionel''s hands paused. He lowered his eyes, a flicker of guilt crossing his face as he avoided the question and begandling soup into a bowl.


    "Here, eat something."


    Sandra stared at the bowl he offered, her eyshes fluttering. She took a deep breath, so moved she was on the verge of tears.


    "I knew it. I knew you wouldn''t give up on me."


    A nurse standing nearby saw Sandra reach for the bowl and quickly intervened. "Ms. Woods just had surgery. She can''t have solid food yet."


    The words were barely out of her mouth before she felt a scorching, terrifying re lock onto her. She quickly lowered her head and exined the dietary restrictions.


    Lionel listened, then put the food away.


    "If you can''t eat now, we''ll just wait."


    "Will you cook for me againter?" Sandra asked, her eyes full of hope.


    Lionel still didn''t answer, but he nodded.


    Seeing him nod, a warmth spread through Sandra''s chest, and she wiped the tears from her eyes.


    "Lionel, I''m sorry. It was a stupid, impulsive thing to do. I''m sorry for worrying you."


    "As it is, the wedding will have to be postponed. But don''t worry, I''ll find a way to make Kim back off. Just promise me you won''t do anything foolish like this again, understand?"


    The mention of the wedding brought back the events of the previous day. He had misunderstood Hannah. He needed to go to her and exin everything before the


    misunderstanding spiraled even further out of control.


    "Ms. Woods, when he heard you were in trouble yesterday, he raced over here in


    a storm," Cora interjected.


    Lionel shot her a sharp look, silently warning her not to say things she shouldn''t.


    Cora understood his meaning but ignored it and continued. His


    rtionship with Hannah was


    already damaged beyond repair


    Even the patched things up with Sandra, the wedding issue remained unresolved. He was losing on all fronts.


    "Sir got into a car ident on the way here. He cut his forehead and was bleeding badly, but after a quick bandage, he waited for you right outside the operating room."


    "After the surgery, he sat by your bed all night. Everyone tried to get him to go home and rest, but he wouldn''t budge. The only reason he left was to cook for you, because he wa Worried you''d be hungry when you woke up. Otherwise, he would have been the first person you saw."


    Sandra listened, her hands flying to her mouth in disbelief.


    When she''d jumped, she had calcted thending spot, climbing down a bit before letting go to ensure she wouldn''t be seriously injured.