Chapter 11



Supported by Linsey, Kallie attempted to stand her ground, yet her legs betrayed her, too feeble to support her weight. Dazed, Kallie allowed Linsey to guide her into a chair. Linsey promptly called an ambulance and reached out to Ethan.

Amidst her grogginess, Kallie’s mind wandered to a distant memory. Had circumstances been different, might she have chosen Ethan over Jake? After all, Ethan had once proposed, and Linsey had been eager to see them together.

As Kallie regained consciousness in a hospital bed, Linsey’s concerned face greeted her.

“How are you feeling? Any discomfort?” Linsey inquired.

With the IV needle secured in her arm, Kallie lifted it slightly, reassured by its presence. She managed a weak smile, indicating she was fine.

“You’ve got low blood sugar and malnutrition,” Linsey relayed the doctor’s words. “Did you skip breakfast?”

Ethan’s voice came from the side, filled with concern. “Kallie, how could Jake not take good care of you? To think the Reeves family’s role in your sudden fainting… Have you not been eating well?”

Linsey, frustrated, thumped the bed and then immediately apologized. “I’m sorry. Did that frighten you?”

Kallie offered a weak smile and shook her head, her sign language saying it was all because of her own failure to eat properly.

Kallie used to prepare lavish meals for Jake, only to discard them later since he seldom returned. Gradually, her appetite had waned.

Seeing her friend’s condition, Linsey adjusted the hospital tray and set down a collection of Kallie’s favorite dishes. “I’ve brought all your favorites. You need to eat well today, or I’m not letting you leave,” she declared firmly.

Kallie grinned as she sat up, but her smile vanished completely when Linsey voiced her frustration. “Jake is so irresponsible! I called him, and his assistant just brushed me off, saying not to bother Jake unless it’s critical. Can you believe that? Kallie was his wife, lying unconscious in the hospital, and they say it’s not urgent?”

Kallie signed swiftly, trying to soothe Linsey. She frantically gestured that she was fine and since Jake was in a meeting, disturbing him wasn’t an option. She emphasized she was fine now and didn’t require Jake’s care.

Linsey opened her mouth to respond, but paused, reconsidering her words in light of Kallie’s condition. Instead, she quietly opened a food box for Kallie and sighed. “From now on, just let me know if there’s anything you need.”

“Yeah, you’ve got both of us,” Ethan chimed in, standing nearby.

After spending some time at the hospital, Ethan and Linsey sent Kallie back home.

Kallie didn’t anticipate Jake’s presence. He was sprawled on the sofa, his face clouded with gloom.

“Where have you been?” Jake asked, his gaze quickly sweeping over her before settling on the food box in her hands. “Out for lunch?”

Kallie hastened to set aside the box and clarified her outing was for resigning.

“And who drove you back home? Who were you with for lunch?” Jake probed further, his tone laced with suspicion.

Kallie’s fingers hovered in the air, frozen. It was odd for Jake to be home at this hour. What was happening today?

Kallie explained with sign language that it was Linsey who had sent her back after dining together, her expression wavering slightly. It was the first time she had ever lied to Jake, and the deception sent her heart racing, her palms slick with sweat.

Then, biting her lip, Kallie posed the question of whether he had visited Sarah. His unusual presence at home at this hour struck her as odd.

To her astonishment, the question seemed to infuriate Jake. He closed the distance between them and seized her wrist. “You brought home leftovers? Why bother?”

Kallie shook her head vehemently, unable to form a reply to explain. She simply didn’t feel like cooking today, and since there was food untouched during lunch, which Kallie found quite delicious, she thought it wise to bring it home for dinner. She hadn’t anticipated seeing Jake at this hour.

“Why did Linsey call me?” Jake pushed on, his voice rising with each word.

Panic gripped Kallie. She hadn’t expected this question and was unprepared with an excuse. All she could manage was to look up at Jake, her eyes brimming with tears and a faint accusation.

Kallie’s lips, still tender from the previous night’s kisses, were pressed tightly together, her face a portrait of beauty tinged with caution.

Aroused, Jake’s gaze darkened, and in a swift motion, he scooped Kallie up and carried her upstairs.

Jake had come back for lunch.

Reflecting on the past, he remembered how Kallie used to lovingly prepare meals for him, though he rarely came home to enjoy them. Today, unexpectedly returning and not finding her in the kitchen, his plans changed upon seeing her. Suddenly, he desired something entirely different.

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