During the three days in the hospital, Liam hardly left her side.
Every morning, he would appear at the door of the ward on time with a thermos bucket filled with millet porridge that he had cooked himself, which was soft and dense .
He sat on the bedside, carefully scooped up the porridge with a spoon, blew it cool before handing it to Clara's mouth, his voice so gentle that it could squeeze out water: " Clara , eat it while it's hot, I've been simmering it for two hours."
Clara turned her head away, avoiding his hand, and said in a light voice: "I can do it myself."
Liam noticed her distance and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he just thought she was still sad about the loss of her child.
During the day, he would sit by her bed and talk to her, telling her interesting stories in the company and how difficult a certain client was; at night, he would sleep beside her bed .
But she knew that it was just a show he put on for her. After all, this man was on the phone a few days ago, thanking everyone that she "would not be able to have children in the future."
Once, Clara was staring at the sycamore tree outside the window in a daze. Liam came over, hugged her gently from behind, rested his chin on the top of her head, and said in a flattering tone: " Clara , are you still blaming me? I shouldn't have let you go to the hospital alone that day. I will never leave you again, okay?" His embrace was very warm, with the scent of cedar he often used. Clara always liked to nestle in his arms, thinking that was the safest place, but now, she just felt stiff all over, as if she was entangled by something and couldn't breathe.
She gently pushed him away, her voice calm: "I'm tired and want to sleep for a while."
On the day of discharge, Liam woke up at dawn, helped Clara pack her things , and even brought her a thick coat: "It's windy in the morning, don't catch a cold." Clara sat by the bed, watching his busy figure in silence , feeling ridiculous. The man who pretended to love her so much had already had a child with another woman behind her back.
" Clara , wait here for a while. I'll go drive and be back soon." Liam handed the crutches to Clara and helped her tidy up the loose hair on her forehead .
Clara nodded but said nothing.
After he left, Clara sat on the bench at the door of the ward as the sun slowly climbed in . She waited for almost an hour but didn't see Liam .
She pulled out her cell phone and called him—no one answered.
The sky darkened, dark clouds rolled in, and soon a heavy rain began to fall. The large raindrops pounded the ground, splashing muddy water and soaking Clara 's clothes. She couldn't help but shiver. Her ankle hadn't healed yet, and she stood at the hospital entrance on crutches. The slightest movement caused excruciating pain.
She called Liam again , and this time, the phone rang for a long time before it was connected.
A woman's voice came from the other side .
" Liam , you really don't like me anymore?"
There was a moment of silence over there, and then Liam's restrained voice came:
" Vanessa , we agreed that we would just get married and not interfere with my feelings ."
"But you still came to pick me up, didn't you? Then tell me, why did you leave your girlfriend in the hospital and come pick me up from dozens of kilometers away?"
Clara's breath caught in her throat as she listened to their conversation .
She opened her mouth several times, but no sound came out. Although she should have known the answer, her throat was still choked and painful.
Liam 's voice was hoarse and weak. "Yes, I just can't forget you. Are you satisfied? Five years ago, it was because you cruelly left me that I went out to drink and met Clara, who looked exactly like you. "
Clara was completely stunned, as if she had been sentenced to death. She heard the sound of saliva mixing on the other end, and she quickly hung up.
It turns out that in the past five years, she just appeared at the right time, a substitute?
Even though she knew about Liam's betrayal and had already decided to leave, she still couldn't believe that the five years between them were nothing but lies and deception.
After a while, a friend request suddenly appeared on the phone. After it was approved, a message was sent.
"I'm Vanessa, Liam's childhood sweetheart and his wife. I know you've heard everything, Miss Clara. Face the reality. You and he are from completely different worlds. Leave him as soon as possible. You might even get a breakup fee that will allow you to live a better life away from the village . That would be the greatest compensation for you. Stop wishful thinking. "
" Liam told me a long time ago that you're just a girl with no family background, and you can only stay outside as a Kept Woman . He also said..." The woman paused, her tone full of sarcasm, "He also said that you can't even keep a child. It's just right, so I don't have to worry about it."
" You don't know yet, do you? He told you that when he went on business trips abroad, he was actually accompanying me. "
Clara stood in the heavy rain, leaning on a cane, soaked all over.
She took a deep breath and wiped the rain off her face. There were still four days before the end of the training, and she had to go back to Liam's house. There were some documents and a keepsake left in Liam's house.
No one came to pick her up, it was raining heavily and she couldn't get a taxi. It would take another four days for her to use the Bennett family's connections. Now Clara had no choice but to limp back alone on crutches.
She returned to Liam's house in a mess. As soon as she opened the door, she saw the house was in a mess.
Then I heard the female voice on the phone before -
" Liam , look how much our child Noah Cole looks like you."
