Since the Gilbert family had accepted me, I was expected to become a proper Mrs. Gilbert.
Harrison said he'd always envied those couples who came home to a warm meal prepared by someone who loved them.
So I poured most of my time into learning to cook nutritious meals and devoted myself entirely to taking care of his daily life.
That was exactly when Gloria was brought into the company under the pretense of sharing my workload.
Step by step, she took over my position and stole the man I loved.
I carried the food the restaurant owner had prepared back to the hospital room. Harrison's eyes lit up, and he opened the containers eagerly.
"All these years, I've thought about your cooking more times than I can count. No one understands my palate the way you do. Sibyl, I—"
He took the first bite and his brow furrowed tight. He clamped down on his lip and barely managed to swallow. His gaze slid to me, suspicious. "Sibyl, did you even taste this yourself?"
"Why? Is it bad? It's been a long time since I've cooked. If it's not to your liking, just toss it. I'll order you something else." I picked up the container and started toward the door, but Harrison grabbed my arm.
"No, it's... it's good." He steeled himself and shoveled another large bite into his mouth.
Half reassuring me, half reassuring his own stomach, he said, "Your skills were always excellent. A little more practice and it'll all come back."
"I don't think so. Ever since that time I brought you lunch at the office, I haven't been able to get the flavors right. So I just stopped trying."
The moment the words left my mouth, Harrison's chopsticks froze mid-air. He remembered.
There had been a time when I hadn't completely given up on him. I'd foolishly believed that warmth and love could pull him back on track.
So after learning he'd drunk too much at a dinner the night before, I spent the next morning carefully preparing a stomach-soothing meal and brought it to the office.
But outside his door, I heard the unmistakable sounds of muffled moaning.
I stormed in and demanded to know why he still refused to show any restraint, why he insisted on making it everyone's business.
He couldn't have cared less. "We didn't exactly send you an invitation. If you don't want to see it, stay home where you belong. Keep making scenes and I'll start reconsidering whether you even deserve the title of Mrs. Gilbert."
I stood rooted to the spot, staring at him in disbelief.
He scoffed, took the meal container from my hands, opened it, and set it down in front of Gloria's dog.
The dog sniffed it once, then turned away and curled up on his desk.
"See? Even the dog won't touch your cooking."
After that day, I continued having the restaurant owner prepare three meals a day to my specifications.
I brought them to the hospital room, and Harrison ate every last bite without leaving a single grain of rice. He never said another word about the taste.
During the day, Harrison kept up the act with me, pretending to be broke. At night, he listened to his assistant's work reports.
Days passed, and the exhaustion became impossible to hide.
I knew Gilbert Corp was fighting for the Northgate project. Only if that deal went through could Harrison secure his footing on the board.
More than once, I caught him secretly handling work on his phone, only to shove it out of sight the moment he noticed me watching.
I said nothing. I simply carved out more time to stay by his side.
He took my presence as a sign that I was softening, and bragged to his friends. "Sibyl's still head over heels for me. So what if she finds out the truth someday? I put a billion-dollar project on the back burner just to win her back. She'll only fall harder."
"A little suffering now is nothing. I'm getting the project and the girl."
Soon enough, the day of his discharge arrived. After the paperwork was done, Harrison led me to the hospital rooftop with a secretive grin.
The entire space was blanketed in expensive flowers. Balloons and ribbons drifted through the air, shimmering like fireworks against the sky.
A crowd of elegantly dressed guests stood chatting and laughing together. The moment they spotted us, every head turned at once.
