Her fingers dug deep into the palms of her hands, yet Ella felt no pain at all. Every word Danny spoke pierced her heart like needles, stirring waves of relentless agony.
“Believe it or not, I didn’t push her.”
Danny had just lifted Sarah and laid her on the bed when he heard these words. He was about to turn and ask, "If not you, who else could have done it?" when the blood-soaked bandage on Ella's calf caught his eye.
He was taken aback for a moment; only then did he realize that he was the one who pushed her.
"Ella... I ...." But before he could say anything, Ella had already turned and left without looking back.
Watching her retreating figure, a wave of intense unease washed over him and he instinctively wanted to chase after her.
But, before he could, his wrist was grabbed. When he looked down, he saw Sarah's red, tear-streaked eyes. She pleaded, "Please, can you get me a doctor? My hand hurt again."
When he didn’t move, Sarah bit her lip and added softly, “It’s not that I can’t handle the pain, but the experiment needs to keep going and if my hand doesn’t heal properly, I'm afraid I won’t be able to cooperate with you. If that delays the Lily of the Valley Project and the person in charge gets upset…”
Hearing that, Danny hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll go get the doctor.”
After confirming with the doctor that Sarah was fine, he went to the ward next door.
Inside the ward, after Ella tossed her takeout box into the trash. She immediately called her lawyer.
“Yes, the day after tomorrow. I can come to the law firm for a consultation.”
She was about to say more when the ward door opened behind her, followed by Danny's voice. “What lawyer?”
Ella ended the phone; her expression stayed calm. "It's nothing, you heard it wrong.”
She then lay down on the bed, clearly not wanting to talk further.
Danny walked to the side of the bed and when he saw the takeaway box in the trash can, his hands, that previously hung by his side, curled up.
“You’re just… eating takeout?” he asked in a low voice.
But Ella did not even look at him. She simply turned her back to him.
His breathing quickened, chest rising and falling with frustration. "Ella, never thought you’d show up at the seminar, so I certainly couldn't have known the other person hit by the object was you. You followed me without telling me—I haven't even blamed you for that. But that still doesn’t justify you hurting Sarah!"
But she didn't even move, still turning her back to him.
“What do you want me to do?" he demanded. "I've been incredibly busy lately. I visited Sarah only because we have an experiment requiring both of us to complete it. I was worried her hand might affect the experiment—that's all. You're the one jumping to all sorts of conclusions. Not only are you not helping me, you're making things worse!”
Just when he wanted to say something, Ella turned and sat up.
Her eyes were as still as stagnant water when she looked at him. “Are you done? If so, leave. I want to rest.”
The glimmer of hope that had just flickered in his eyes instantly dimmed.
Watching her cold, indifferent back, Danny felt a growing sense of unease in his heart, as if something was slowly slipping beyond his grasp.
But he quickly reassured himself that they had been married for so many years, so it was impossible for Ella to leave him. She was only like this now because she was still angry; as long as he coaxed her, everything would definitely be fine.
With this thought, he calmed a bit. “Then have a good rest. I'll come see you again tomorrow.”
A flash of sarcasm flickered in Ella's eyes at his words and she curled her lips in disdain.
What she hadn’t expected was that he actually brought her a bowl of soup the next day at noon. She frowned, but he urged her, “Drink up. I simmered it for ages.”
Hearing his words, Ella raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise crossing her mind.
Since their marriage, Danny had scarcely set foot in the kitchen. Yet this time, he’d personally make the soup.
Half-doubting, half-believing, Ella lifted the lid. The moment her eyes met the contents, she froze in place.
At that moment, her phone chimed. She looked down and saw a message from Sarah. [My favorite carrot and bone broth soup! I made him stew it himself last night. Do you think it's delicious?]
Boom!
The word hit her like a bolt from the blue. Ella's hand, which was holding the bowl, shook uncontrollably.
Seeing something was wrong with her, Danny asked, "What's wrong with you, Ella?"
With reddened eyes, she choked out a question, “You know... I'm allergic to carrots, right?”
Danny's face instantly drained of color. He grabbed her hand. “I'm sorry, Ella. I...”
Ella pulled her hand and smiled bitterly. "You don't have to say anything. We're getting …"
A frantic ringing interrupted her words. She could only wait for Danny to finish his call.
But his expression turned grim. He looked at her gravely. "Ella, John fainted."
