Alicia’s POV

I finished work early and decided to head home sooner than usual.

While standing in the elevator, a news notification suddenly popped up on my phone.

"Two individuals were attacked by unknown assailants on Bellmont Street earlier today and are currently receiving treatment at City Hospital."

I frowned.

At first, I almost ignored it and locked my phone, but curiosity got the better of me.

After a brief hesitation, I tapped on the notification.

The video attached to the article had clearly been filmed by a passerby.

The footage was shaky and blurred from the rain, making it difficult to see clearly. I could hear heavy raindrops hitting the person’s phone as several medical staff hurriedly lifted an injured person from the ground and pushed them into an ambulance.

Something about the man in the video felt familiar.

I narrowed my eyes and dragged the timeline forward.

For a brief second, the camera caught the side profile of a man standing beside the stretcher.

Alexander.

My fingers froze.

I quickly paused the video, but I was a second too late. The frame stopped on the injured person lying on the stretcher.

It was a woman.

She was dressed in black, one pale arm exposed beneath the rain.

Just as I was about to press play again, something suddenly caught my attention.

Her wrist.

I stared at it carefully.

Even through the blurry footage, I could still see the faint blue shimmer beneath the rainlight.

A bracelet.

The same blue bracelet Alexander had once bought for me—

Only to later give to Lilian.

A cold feeling slowly crept up my spine.

The woman on the stretcher...

Was Lilian.

And the black coat draped over her body looked suspiciously like the one Alexander often wore.

Which meant—

The man beside her really was Alexander.

A faint, mocking smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

A few days ago, he had kept insisting he would send Lilian abroad.

Yet now?

He couldn’t even bear to let her out of his sight.

Then what was the point of dragging out the divorce?

Why not just let me go and be with the person he truly wanted?

The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

I turned off my phone and stepped out.

Ever since Alexander returned two days ago, I had started driving myself to work again, so it didn’t matter whether Jim was around or not.

Gripping my bag tighter, I walked toward my car alone.

<<<<>>>>>

When I returned home, only Maria was there, which confirmed my suspicions.

My appetite had improved a lot recently, and by the time I got home, I was starving. Seeing that Maria had already prepared dinner, I ate quietly before heading upstairs to shower.

Warm water streamed down my body, but my thoughts remained restless.

Just then, a knock sounded on the bedroom door.

"Ma’am?" Maria called from outside. "Mr. Alexander is looking for you."

My brows furrowed.

Wasn’t he supposed to be at the hospital?

"Ma’am, can you hear me?" Maria asked again, her voice sounding slightly panicked.

"Okay, Maria. I’m coming."

After finishing my shower, I changed into my pajamas and walked toward the guest room Alexander had been staying in lately.

I supposed it was his way of giving me space.

Even though most of his belongings were still in the master bedroom.

When I reached the door, I noticed it was slightly open.

Before I could knock, Alexander’s low voice drifted out from inside.

"Just come in, Alicia."

My hand froze on the doorknob for a second before I gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The moment I looked up, I immediately turned away again.

Heat rushed to my face.

"Why the hell are you shirtless?" I asked irritably.

Alexander sat lazily on the sofa, completely unbothered.

His upper body was bare, revealing broad shoulders, defined muscles, and several injuries scattered across his skin. Knife wounds lined his shoulder and arm, while bruises and dark contusions spread across his chest and waist.

He leaned back against the couch with one hand resting loosely over his shoulder, his dark eyes fixed on me.

His voice came out low and slightly hoarse.

"Alicia," he murmured, "I’m hurt. Could you help me treat it?"

I stood there silently, my thoughts briefly flashing back to the news video I had seen earlier.

"Didn’t you go to the hospital?" I asked finally. "Why didn’t you treat your injuries there?"

"Who said I went to the hospital?"

I frowned. "The news said both victims were taken there."

"I didn’t go."

Alexander noticed I was still standing by the door and repeated quietly,

"Alicia. Come here and help me."

My gaze drifted toward the wounds on his shoulder again.

The cuts weren’t shallow.

And besides the knife injuries, there were bruises all over him.

For a moment, my expression flickered slightly.

Even though part of me wanted to ignore him completely, I still couldn’t stop the concern rising inside me.

"...Maybe you should go to the hospital," I said after a pause. "Those wounds should be treated properly."

"Too many reporters there," he replied calmly. "I don’t want my private life photographed."

Or maybe...

He simply didn’t want me discovering Lilian had been hurt because of him.

"Then should I call Maria?"

"She already retired for the night."

"...What about calling a doctor over?"

"If you don’t want to help, then forget it." Alexander lowered his gaze with a faint, self-mocking smile. "I’ll manage on my own."

He opened the medicine cabinet beside him and began rummaging through it awkwardly.

Then, with obvious inexperience, he applied ointment to the wound and started wrapping bandages around his arm.

The result was terrible.

The bandage sat crookedly around his arm, uneven and loose in some places while overly tight in others.

After struggling for a while, he realized he had forgotten to grab scissors.

He tried tearing the bandage with his hands several times, but instead only tightened it further against the wound, making the skin around it turn red.

Seeing that I silently , A few moments later, I returned holding a pair of scissors.

But when I stepped back inside, I saw Alexander gripping the end of the bandage between his fingers before tearing it off forcefully and tossing the excess onto the table.

"Did you manage to tear it open?" I asked quietly from the doorway.

Alexander looked up in slight surprise.

"...Yeah."

His gaze lowered again.

"You should go rest. I can handle it."

I furrowed my brows. "I only came back to give you the scissors."

Walking over, I placed them beside the medicine cabinet.

"I’ll head back now."

As I turned to leave, my eyes landed on his damp pants.

"You should change into something dry too," I added softly.

Just as I reached the door, Alexander suddenly called out—

"Wait."

I stopped and turned back toward him.

"Is there anything else?"

Alexander slowly stood up.

His eyes locked onto mine.

"Alicia," he said quietly, "I’m hurt. Don’t you care about me anymore? Even a little?"

I met his gaze before giving a helpless smile....