Back to Love: A New Beginning
Chapter 178

Chapter 178:.

The day Derek was discharged from the hospital, he eagerly shed his hospital gown and changed into his pristine business suit. Timmy drove us back to the villa. The gate was open when we arrived.

Aaron should be at work by this time. Had he forgotten to lock it when he left? – I stepped into the doorway and found a woman sitting on the couch. All strength then left my body and I dropped everything I was carrying on the floor.

The woman gave me a look. No, actually, she was giving a look at the man behind me.

She was beautiful and gave off an air of elegance. She looked even better than in the pictures in the newspaper. The moment her eyes landed on Derek, a smile blossomed on her face, making her look even more radiant and charming.

Was she really alive?

I had a nightmare unfolding before my eyes. As for Derek… I turned to him in a daze, desperate to see his reaction. He didn’t look at me at all. It was as if I had become invisible to his eyes. He strided forward, his every step full of determination. At that very moment, I could see nothing and no one but Sybil.

“Derek.”

My heart broke as I spoke his name. He was still not facing me. Sybil got up from the couch and ran to him with open arms. They hugged tightly, shutting out the rest of the world. And then she kissed him.

Derek made no move to refuse. Instead, he responded passionately. It was a long, torrid kiss, which I supposed was to be expected between lovers who had been separated for a very long time.

I slowly approached them, though I felt my body being stabbed by countless daggers. I felt the hot stream of tears running down my cheeks.

Finally they ended their kiss. Sybil rested her head on Derek’s chest and gave me a smug, mocking look. “Why are you still here? If you have any shred of dignity left, you should leave and quietly disappear. I’m the one Derek loves.”

I ignored her and stared at Derek. Even if he really wanted to divorce me and walk away, I wanted to hear it from his lips.

Then he gave me a look, but his usual tenderness was gone. Now he looked at me with indifference and distance, making me feel like a stranger he was trying to reject.

“The one I have loved all this time is Sybil. It was always her, and it will only ever be her.” The pain I felt was so great it was physical.

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I curled up and let out a bloodcurdling moan. Suddenly, I felt something warm brush my cheek. I opened my eyes. Derek was there, peppering me with kisses.

“Did you have a nightmare? You were crying in your sleep.” He brushed away a tear with his thumb and kissed the spot on my face.

Was it all a dream? I reached up and touched my cheeks.

They were indeed wet with tears. My throat also felt tight and I could hardly breathe through my stuffy nose. So it had all been a dream. But it felt so real. His actions, his expressions, were so vivid.

Derek reached over again and kissed my eyelids. “Aren’t you supposed to feel safe with your husband sleeping next to you? How can you have a nightmare in this state? Or is it because your husband doesn’t make you feel safe at all?”

“Do you love me?” I answered directly.

I realized I sounded clingy, and that my eyes were pleading He blinked twice, his eyelashes fluttered gently. The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he ran his thumb across my lower lip.

“Stop asking such stupid questions,” he murmured softly. In the end, he had managed to dodge my question. The doctor had advised him to stay in the hospital for a few more days.

Lately, Derek had been eating nothing but porridge, so I decided to go home and prepare a hearty soup. I stood at the stove while the pot bubbled away, watching for any possible spillage. I was always restless, but I couldn’t help it. My thoughts kept returning to the dream and the message. I was so lost in my own head that I accidentally brushed against the burning pot.

I gasped and jumped, then ran to the sink to put my hand under the faucet. Although the heat soon subsided, it left a scalding mark on my skin. I finished and divided the soup into two portions before pouring them into separate thermoses.

I then changed clothes and took a cab back to the hospital. I first stopped by the other ward to give a thermos to Shane’s mother. She was sound asleep, but her husband was up when I entered the room.

“I’ve made some soup. When he wakes up, please let him drink some.” Shane’s father accepted my offer, albeit with a conflicted expression on his face. He had never been a talkative person, but he thanked me before dismissing me.

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