The Enticing CEO's Chosen Bride novel Chapter 2097

He never said “I love you,” but his love never ceased.

Back in the day, Seth loved her, and she loved him back, so a little coaxing was all it took. Now, Seth still loved her, but she didn't want to love anymore. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t coax her back into it.

Cicely’s love had been open and bold, but her decision to stop loving was swift and decisive. Once she made up her mind, she never looked back.

It seemed that in their relationship, the control was never really in Seth's hands. The one who was truly afraid wasn't Cicely; it was Seth. Even now, that hadn't changed.

Lana closed her eyes briefly, suppressing the surge of sorrow. "What are you planning to do?" Lana asked.

Seth shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe, it's enough if she just doesn't leave. As long as she doesn't vanish from my sight, and I can see her anytime and know what's happening with her..."d2

Lana tugged at her lips. "And that satisfies you?"

Seth didn't hesitate. "It doesn't."

Lana felt a tightness in her chest. It was as if she were Seth, trapped in a space with all exits blocked, unable to find a way out.

Irritation, anxiety, near madness.

After a moment of silence, she said, "She is not leaving today. Go back to the hospital."

Seth looked at Lana and asked. "Really?"

"If you don't trust me enough, then you can have someone else watch her."

"She'll get angry."

Seth said softly, attempting to retract his arm from the pillar, his rigid body swaying slightly.

Lana pressed her lips together, looking at him solemnly, "She won’t be up this early. Come in and have something to eat."

Seth didn't move.

"When you're completely drained, down with an illness you can't shake off, or passed out for days, do you think Cicely will stay by your hospital bed or take the opportunity to run away with Hugo?"

Seth's dark eyes finally flickered.

Lana lowered her gaze and opened the door to the house. Seth stood still for a moment before lifting his feet and walking stiffly inside.

Lana instructed the servants to prepare breakfast for Seth. It was a simple meal: oatmeal, some side dishes, and two fried eggs.

"Is this what she usually has for breakfast?" Seth asked.

Lana, with a cup of hot water in front of her, hummed a response, "Yeah, she usually eats with Hugo. It's the same breakfast. Sometimes she makes Hugo a sandwich. Kids love those."

Seth nodded, glancing at the fried eggs. "She prefers boiled eggs, a little runny in the middle. They should be soaked in saltwater for a few days first."

Lana pursed her lips. "She never mentioned it."

*

After breakfast, Seth didn't linger. When he left, Charlie was already there. Noticing Seth come out, Charlie hurriedly opened the car door.

Seth was flushed. He had forced himself to eat breakfast despite having no appetite, his head spinning, his stomach churning. He stubbornly endured it.

His fever returned with a vengeance. Upon arriving at the hospital, the medical staff scurried around until they finally got an IV into him. By then, Seth was already deeply asleep.

*

Cicely came down for breakfast with Hugo, finding Lana already seated in the dining room.

"Good morning."

"Morning, Grand-aunt."

Cicely and Hugo greeted her, and Lana responded with a smile only to Hugo, "Good morning, Hugo. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah."

"Come here, today I will feed you."

"Okay."

Lana scooped up a bite of side dish for Hugo and glanced at Cicely, who was eating peacefully, biting her lip. "Planning to visit the hospital today?"

Cicely's expression didn't change. "Grandpa wants to teach Hugo chess."

"Aren't you going to see him, too?"

"Maybe. Hugo's been asking about him since he woke up."

Lana curled her lips slightly. "If you'd woken up a bit earlier, maybe Hugo could've seen him."

Cicely paused in her eating, looking up at Lana. "He was here?"

"I don't know when he arrived. When I opened the door this morning, he was already there."

Cicely looked down, her gaze falling into Hugo's bowl of porridge. "He had a car accident yesterday, got a fever, and is in the hospital, Auntie."

"I don't believe it either. The moment I opened the door and saw him, it felt like it was all happening yesterday. Who knows, he's like a madman. I am afraid he might actually die on our doorstep, so I let him have breakfast."

Cicely didn't respond.

But Hugo stopped eating. "Is Daddy going to die?"

"No, darling, Daddy is in the hospital now. He loves you so much, he wouldn't dream of leaving you."

Hugo nodded, his mood turning somber.

*

They took Hugo to the hospital to see Erik, and without playing chess, they went to Seth's ward room. Charlie was there, keeping watch.

Lana, being the elder, found the silence unbearable. Just one man, sick in the hospital, with only an assistant, who was neither family nor friend, by his side. "It's like he's living the life of an empty nester ahead of time," Lana commented sarcastically.

Charlie stood aside, glancing at Cicely. Hugo approached the bed, looking at Seth, deep in sleep, his dark eyes filled with hope and concern.

Seth's forehead was now seething with a layer of sweat, his face flushed and his brows furrowed while his thin lips flushed pale. For someone who typically showed little emotion, he must be in terrible pain to look like this.

Cicely had never seen Seth this sick before.

*

Seth was a light sleeper, but despite the room filling with people, he showed no sign of waking. He didn't wake up until past noon.

Cicely took Hugo out of the ward. "Mommy, is Daddy really sick?"

Cicely just held Hugo and walked forward in silence.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

Hugo looked at her for a couple of seconds. "Is Daddy really sick?"

Cicely hesitated. "It's nothing, just a fever."

Hugo frowned. "But I've had a fever before, and it was awful. I think Daddy feels as bad now as I did then."

"Yes." Cicely responded softly, her mind seemingly adrift.

Lana watched on silently.

*

Seth woke up around 9 p.m., and Charlie immediately notified the staff to prepare dinner. "Mr. Diaz."