Chapter 1976


    The midday sun was already climbing high when Cicely''s eyelids fluttered open. She was greeted


    by a blur of light that made her instinctively turn her head away, a frown creasing her forehead.


    Something warm pressed against her eyes, and she stirred, rejecting the unexpected touch.


    "Don''t move," came a deep, slightly hoarse voice near her ear. It was different from the usual crisp


    tones she was ustomed to, but Cicely recognized it andy still.


    The outline of her eyes moved beneath the palm, a sensation that was all too distinct. Seth rxed


    his grip slightly and instructed, "Open your eyes now."


    As the sound of his voice faded, Cicely lifted her eyelids, her longshes fluttering against his palm.


    Seth slowly pulled his hand away. Cicely blinked a few times, her gaze skipping past the room''s


    decor tond on the man sitting by the bed.


    Dark eyes, light, deep-set brows, sharp, thin lips, and a perfectly chiseled nose—every feature


    seemed tailored to captivate her heart.


    She wasn''t entirely amnesiac, but she couldn''t quite piece together where she was or why. "Where


    am I? Why are you here? Aren''t you busy?" she asked, her tone even and devoid of emotion.d2


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Going out on a spree and noting home, unreachable by phone—your dad was worried sick.


    The entire Ellis family probably spent the whole night up," Seth responded, sidestepping her


    questions, yet somehow answering them all.


    She was probably still in the suburbs because her phone had been out of reach, and her father,


    concerned, had tracked her to Seth''s ce. As her nominal boyfriend, finding her seemed both his


    duty and obligation. Her father and the Ellis family were worried, but he wasn''t.


    Turning her head away, she had no desire to continue the conversation. Her mind was upied


    with the "breakup" Kane had mentioned the day before. If she broached the subject and Seth


    confirmed it in front of her, she had no idea how she would handle it.


    After a moment of silence, Cicely moved slightly, noticing a fully charged phone on the nightstand.


    She remembered the battery had died, but now it was clearly recharged.


    Just as she was about to call Creighton, Seth''s voice interrupted her thoughts. "I''ve already spoken


    to your father about your condition. I downyed it, thinking you wouldn''t want him overly worried."


    Cicely paused, exiting the contacts interface. She opened the social media app instead, only to find


    it empty. Surprisingly, there wasn''t even one greeting message. Her chat box with Joel was also


    empty. She was hospitalized, yet Joel seemed to have no reaction at all.


    After a moment, she looked up at Seth. "What''s my diagnosis?"


    "Acute gastritis," Seth replied, his gaze indifferent.


    Cicely furrowed her brow, attempting to sit up, but a sharp pain in her stomach made her face,


    which had just recovered some color from a night''s rest, instantly drain of its hue.


    Seth''s expression darkened. "What''s the point of asking me if you don''t heed the answer?"


    Clinging to her stomach and biting her lip, Cicely looked at Seth, her eyes red and teary. "Why does


    it hurt so much?" sheined, her voice a mix of grievance and anger. She had never suffered


    from acute gastritis before, and the pain felt unbearable.


    Seth scoffed. "Keep eating junk food and frequenting hospitals, and maybe then you''ll understand


    the cause."


    Cicely bit her lip harder and red at him fiercely.


    At that moment, a knock came at the door, and Seth responded in a low voice. As the door opened,


    Cicely recognized Seth''s assistant walking in with a food container.


    Seth took it from him. The container opened, releasing the fragrant aroma of chicken soup.


    Cicely pursed her lips, abandoning the attempt to sit up, and dialed Joel''s number on her phone


    instead. The call connected quickly, but it wasn''t Joel on the other end. "I''m sorry, Ms. Cicely, Mr.


    Joel is still resting and can''te to the phone."


    Something felt off to Cicely. Even if Joel had been outte, it was strange that his driver would


    answer his phone. She didn''t recall Joel and his driver sharing a room.


    "Where is he?" she pressed.


    The driver took a deep breath and said. "He''s in the hospital."


    Cicely''s brow furrowed even deeper. "You said he was resting. How can he be in the hospital?"


    Seth paused in the middle of pouring the soup. He turned his head, giving Cicely a cold look, and


    then nced at the phone pressed against her ear.


    "He got injured yesterday."


    Cicely''s tone grew firmer. "What happened?"


    The driver found it hard to continue and sighed.


    The more Cicely heard, the more she sensed something was amiss. She demanded, "Which room


    is he in?"


    After the driver provided the room number, Cicely hung up, about to rise from the bed when Seth


    swiftly pulled the covers from her. He lifted her up, propping her against the headboard, then tucked


    the nket around her once more before sitting down beside the bed with a bowl in hand.


    Stirring the chicken soup, Seth''s deliberate, icy voicemanded, "Eat."


    Cicely''s frown persisted as she looked into Seth''s handsome, indifferent face and spoke up. "Do


    you know why Joel''s hospitalized?"


    Seth stopped stirring, lifting his gaze to meet hers. "Do you think you''re in any position to worry


    about someone else right now?"


    "Why wouldn''t I be? He kindly took me out to clear my head, and now he''s the one injured and in


    the hospital. No one has more right to worry than I do."


    A dark cloud seemed to pass over Seth''s expression at her words.


    Cicely continued, challenging him with her gaze, "What, in your eyes, I''mpletely devoid of


    redeeming qualities? Have I sunk so low in your estimation that you see me as ungrateful?"


    Seth nced at the bowl in his hand. "Whether you''re ungrateful or not, I''m not sure. But I''m


    curious, who gave you the confidence to think that your presence would be more effective than the


    hospital''s doctors?"


    Cicely was taken aback.


    Seth continued to mix the soup, his voice cold and methodical. "Not talking now, eh?"


    He slowly lifted his gaze, ced the bowl on the bedside table, and his cool hand gently cupped her


    chin. Leaning in slightly, his attractive and aloof face appeared in Cicely''s eyes. His gaze swept over


    her pale face, finally locking onto her eyes as he whispered. "It seems you had quite a delightful


    time with him yesterday. In just one day, you''ve be the woman most entitled to worry about


    him."


    Cicely tilted her head back and brushed his hand away, "Compared to the past few days, yesterday


    was indeed a joy."