Winter dragged herself back to the place she had called home for the past eight years.
The moment she opened the living room door, she saw Regina leaning against Liam's chest.
There were tears on Regina's face. She had clearly been crying.
Liam was gently comforting her. "Alright, stop crying. If you keep this up, your eyes are going to swell, and they'll look ugly."
Regina pouted and lightly thumped his chest. "You're so mean. I'm not ugly! You're the ugly one!"
Winter watched coldly as the man she once deeply loved petted his canary intimately; there is no greater sorrow than a dead heart.
Liam cleared his throat and finally looked up. "Winnie, you're back. How's your father?"
Winter felt like laughing.
He had ordered her father's life support shut off, and yet he still had the nerve to ask her how he was doing?
She glanced at Regina.
"Thanks to you, he's still breathing for now," she replied.
Liam's expression darkened. "Do you realize who you're talking to?"
Who? The man who nearly killed Richard, of course!
The two locked eyes as tension snapped tight between them.
Regina timidly tugged at Liam's sleeve and spoke in a soft, fragile voice. "Daddy, did I upset Winnie?"
"Daddy?" Winter widened her eyes.
That used to be her nickname for Liam.
The irony stung.
Liam didn't notice Winter's expression. Perhaps, he simply didn't care.
He turned back to Regina and pinched her cheek indulgently. "Don't say that. You didn't do anything wrong."
"Will you stay with me at the hospital? I don't want the nurses taking care of me. They're not gentle at all," she pleaded.
Winter's eyes dimmed.
Now that he had the consent form, he was already rushing Regina into surgery.
As Winter turned toward the stairs, Liam suddenly called out to her. "Winnie."
He stood up and walked toward her. "I need you to do something for me."
With one foot already on the first step, Winter didn't turn around.
"Go on. What is it this time? Is it another document you want me to sign? A divorce agreement? Or maybe you want another organ for your precious little girl?"
Liam's face hardened. "Winter! Can you stop talking like that?"
"My dad just came out of emergency surgery. What do you expect from me?" she said, swallowing the ache in her throat. "I haven't slept in over 24 hours. I just want to go upstairs and rest."
Liam grabbed her wrist. "This is your home. You can sleep whenever you want. It's just—"
He pointed toward Regina, who was watching with innocent eyes.
"Regina needs to be hospitalized for treatment. You've taken care of a heart patient before. You'll stay and look after her for a while."
"Have you completely lost your mind? My dad is in the hospital. Who's going to take care of him if I have to take care of her?" she asked, laughing.
He tightened his grip on her. Pain shot up her arm. "Can you handle the consequences of disobeying me?"
She lowered her gaze. "Fine. I'll take care of her."
He loosened his hand at once.
"Good. I'll leave it to you," he said gently.
Sending his wife to serve his mistress would undoubtedly dominate the Harbor City gossip columns.
Winter no longer cared. She didn't have the strength to care.
On Regina's first day in the hospital, Winter understood why no private caregiver would stay.
Regina complained that the room looked too plain, and had a renovation team brought in to redecorate it in pink.
She said the hospital bed was too small and demanded that a custom round bed be moved in.
"Is this water even drinkable? I only drink Evian," she complained. "This food is disgusting. I want Pretorian cuisine."
The doctors and nurses grumbled constantly. "Is she here for treatment or a vacation?"
Regina did whatever she pleased because Liam had donated an entire building to the hospital.
When Winter tried to reason with her, Regina burst into tears and immediately called Liam.
"You said I wouldn't be less important than her. You lied!"
Liam soothed her over the phone. Seconds later, Winter's phone rang.
"She's a patient," she said impatiently. "Can't you just give in to her?"
Was someone who had the entire hospital running in chaos really the critically ill patient he claimed she was?
