Once the Forgotten Wife, Now His Biggest Regret

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Waking up in the hospital

When my eyes fluttered open, I was greeted by a white ceiling and the soft beeping of the machines. The overly bright white light felt overbearing as it shone down at me, causing me to squint my eyes.

Where am I? How did I get here?

A soft groan slipped past my lips as I pushed myself up into a sitting position. I let my eyes wander around the empty room, and it quickly became clear that I was in my own private hospital room.

As if on cue, the door swung open, and Rhys walked right through. The moment his dark eyes landed on mine, I watched them light up almost like he was relieved. But that was only a fleeting moment before it returned to his stoic expression.

"You are awake."

"Yeah," I said weakly, my body not feeling like my own as a cough burst out of me.

Before I knew it, he was already by my side, gently patting my back as he poured me a glass of water.

"Are you okay?" He asked as I took a sip.

For a moment, I thought I had travelled back in time to more than seven years ago, back when he used to take care of me whenever I fell ill. But before my thought could stray too far, or I let myself get carried away, I snapped back to reality.

I nodded. "Yeah, what happened?"

"You fainted," he explained, a tiny frown resting between his dark brows as he dropped into the seat next to the bed. I could almost see the gears shifting in his head as he contemplated his next few words. "Does it happen often?"

The fog finally lifted, and the memories came rushing back to me. The office, my name leaving Rhy’s mouth, and his strong arms wrapped around me before I hit the ground were some of the last few things I remembered.

Then it clicked, and I shook my head. "It’s the first time this happened..." I muttered under my breath.

At that moment, the door creaked open, and a nurse stepped into the room, tablet in hand. "Mrs. Smith, you’re awake," she said with a small smile as she walked over to check the monitor beside my bed. "How are you feeling?"

"A little dizzy, but better. I think I’m okay now," I admitted. "Do you know what happened?"

The nurse glanced down at the chart before looking back at me. "Your blood sugar levels dropped pretty badly. Have you eaten anything today?"

The question made my stomach twist. I could practically feel Rhys’ stare from beside the bed, burning right through the side of my skull.

I lowered my eyes to the blanket pooled over my lap, suddenly embarrassed and ashamed to admit that a grown adult like myself had forgotten to eat. "Not really," I mumbled. "I got busy and forgot to eat." free𝑤ebnovel.com

The nurse sighed softly, though her tone remained gentle. "Stress and skipped meals can do this, especially if you’ve been overworking yourself. You were lucky someone brought you in when they did."

I stole a quick glance at Rhys, only to find his jaw tightened in irritation or worry. Maybe both, but then again, I might have been overthinking this.

"You’ll need to make sure you’re eating regularly and staying hydrated," the nurse continued. "We’ll discharge you later today as long as your vitals remain stable."

Relief immediately washed over me. I didn’t exactly want to stay in the hospital alone. "So I can go home today?"

"Yes, although Mr. Carson insisted that—"

"I think that depends on her," Rhys cut in smoothly before the nurse could finish. His eyes shifted to me, dark and unreadable. "Right, Evelyn?"

I nodded. "Right."

The nurse looked between us briefly before nodding. "Okay. Just press the call button if you need anything."

With that, she stepped out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her, leaving the two of us alone once again.

Rhys was looking at me now. "You forgot to eat? Why would you—"

"You dumped a pile of documents on me this morning," I retorted. "And you said you needed it ready for tomorrow’s meeting. I guess I was too busy with it that I just forgot to eat." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

He ran a hand through his dark hair. It was only now that I noticed how messy his once perfectly styled hair was, and the dark circles under his eyes.

"Evelyn," he started. "If you can’t handle it, just let me know. You can’t just skip lunch."

My brows furrowed together. "You sound just like my father."

The corner of his lip twitched slightly, amusement swirling in his dark eyes as he leaned in closer towards me. "If you want me to be your daddy, just say so."

My eyes grew wide like saucers. If I had been drinking, I would have most definitely started choking on water. "Rhys!" I smacked him on his arm, which only elicited a low chuckle from him.

"What?" He arched a brow. "Did I say anything wrong?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out, and I pressed my lips into a tight line.

"Anyway, please get some rest."

"But the dinner tomorrow—"

"Who cares about the dinner? I can go alone, that’s fine. You need to rest."

"I told you, I’m perfectly fine. It’s not a big deal."

"Are you sure? I don’t—"

"Rhys. I’m sure. It’s not like I’m dying."

He frowned. "Don’t say that."

"Why? Do you actually care if I die? I thought you hated me."

Silence wrapped around us, and my heart thudded loudly against my chest. Why did I have to be so reckless with my words and make everything awkward?

I didn’t know how long had passed before he finally spoke up.

"I think I do, I hate what you did to me." He paused, and I sucked in a breath through my teeth. "But I don’t think I can bring myself to hate you after all. If I really did hate you like you think I did, I wouldn’t have hired you."

"I..." The words were stuck in my throat. I didn’t know what to say. I broke his heart, and I didn’t think anything could fix it. "But I cheated on you, you have every right to hate me and—"

His warm fingers wrapped around my wrist, and my eyes snapped up to his. It felt like my arm was on fire. "I told you, I don’t have you, Evelyn." His voice grew low and hushed. "Do you want me to?"

My breath hitched in my throat. "I...I don’t."

He leaned back into the seat, an infuriating smirk etched into his lips. "That’s what I thought. So be a good girl and get some rest."

"No."

"No?"

"Exactly." I pressed the call button next to me, and it didn’t take long before the same nurse walked through the door again.

"Mrs. Smith, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes," I replied quickly, a smile forming on my lips. "I would like to be discharged today."

***

"I told you that you should be getting more rest. Maybe at least stay for the night," Rhys continued to nag beside me as we walked.

The sharp scent of antiseptic drifted down the polished white hallways that seemed to stretch on endlessly, as exhausted nurses and doctors in pale blue scrubs moved briskly through the corridors.

I turned to look up at him. "And I told you, I am perfectly fine."

He frowned for the umpteenth time today, his eyes narrowing into thin slits. "You know, you’re being really stubborn."

"But you already know that, don’t you?"

An unreadable expression flashed past his face for a second. "I—"

But before he could finish his sentence, a familiar voice reached my ears. Instantly, I froze in place, that voice sent ice flooding my veins.

"Well, well, well...look who we have here."