"Are you hungry? I bought some food for you."
Indeed, Maria was quite hungry because she hadn't eaten for several days. "Sure," she answered.
Ethan called a nurse to help Maria sit upright and lean against the headboard.
The dinner was nutritious and well-prepared. It was purely vegetarian, most of which were liquid food. Ethan handed the spoon to Maria. "Are you strong enough to eat by yourself? Do you want me to feed you?"
Shaking her head, Maria smiled. "You don't have to do that, Ethan. I can do it myself."
"Oh, good."
Ethan watched her eat, and occasionally spoke to her.
But because she was tired, Maria didn't eat that much. However, she still didn't feel sleepy yet.
After tucking her in, Ethan noticed that her eyes were still red. "Does it still hurt?" he asked. James had told him that if Maria ever groaned in pain again, he should let her bite his arm to alleviate her sorrow.
"It doesn't."
"Then why are you crying?"
Maria forced a smile. "I'm not crying." In reality, she was just touched that Ethan not only visited her, but also took the time to take care of her.
On the other hand, James had only visited her once during her whole stay in the hospital. He didn't spend more time with her.
"You're lying. Your eyes are red."
"Oh," she replied. "That's because the ashes of my ex-husband got into my eyes."
Outside the door, the man who was about to enter halted.
Ethan burst into laughter. "Aren't you afraid that James would teach you a lesson?"
She was afraid.
If James really wanted to punish her, he could kill her with a snap of his finger right now.
But Maria had always been a proud woman, so she couldn't bring herself to admit it. "Why should I be scared of him? He's nobody to me, and I have the freedom of speech."
"The freedom of speech?" That cold voice came from the door.
The look on their faces drastically changed. Ethan looked like he was enjoying a good show; on the other hand, Maria looked disheartened. It was difficult for her to say something bad about James, and she got caught for doing so. Her recent misfortunes made her wonder why she was so unlucky lately.
"Do you want to go shopping with me some other day?" she asked Ethan.
Ethan was confused. "Why? Are you still planning to buy those blind boxes?"
"No, I'm going to buy a bead of luck this time."
Ethan was rendered speechless.
Seconds later, James entered, took off his gloves and overcoat, and hung the coat on the coat rack.
Afterwards, he glanced at Ethan.
Immediately, Ethan understood him and said to Maria, "You don't have to go there yourself. I have some spare time on my hands right now, so I'll go and buy one for you. Please wait for me to come back."
"Wait a minute. Hey! Ethan!" Maria watched the young man run out of the ward without even looking back.
Now, only James and Maria were left inside the ward. He sat beside the bed, staring at her. "Who am I to you?"
"Nobody."
Once again, James asked calmly, "Is your ex-husband dead?"
"Yes. In my eyes, he's been long dead," she replied. It turned out that he had heard everything.
As of this moment, she was a patient, so she had the final say. She didn't think that he'd do anything to her. Hence, she remained proud.
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