Chapter 4

Elara’s face instantly darkened.

She took a deep, shaky breath, her voice weighted with desperation. “Leo, I just want to beg you to see her.”

“She truly adores you. She hasn’t stopped talking about how you’re exactly the son-in-law she always dreamed of.”

“Just... out of pity for an old woman, could you please just go see her?”

Her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes were a little red.

I put my book back on the shelf and turned to leave.

“Leo!” Elara’s voice suddenly rose sharply.

“Are you really so heartless?!”

Heads turned, eyes drawn to our little scene.

I stopped, my gaze calm as I met her slightly displeased stare.

“Ms. Albright, please watch your words.”

“Between us, there’s nothing but a single, failed blind date.”

“Your public outburst right now is making me incredibly uncomfortable.”

Her chest heaved, a clear sign of her barely contained rage.

“Fine. Fine. Fine.” She spat out the words, a dark, unsettling glint in her eyes.

“Leo, I’ll remember this.”

With that, she turned and hurried away, her back radiating a certain defeat.

That night, I received a call from an unknown number. On the other end was a frail, elderly woman’s voice.

“Is... is that Leo, dear?”

I instantly recognized the voice: Elara’s mother, Mrs. Albright.

“Mrs. Albright, hello,” I replied politely, a hint of detachment in my tone.

“Oh, Leo, dear.” Mrs. Albright sighed heavily on the phone.

“Auntie knows. It’s our Elara who’s simply not good enough for a wonderful young man like you.”

“But, but I just desperately want to see you, to say a few words to you in person.”

“Otherwise, my heart will feel so heavy, so choked up, I’m afraid... I’m afraid I won’t last much longer.”

As she spoke, her voice started to break with sobs.

I gripped the phone, a heavy silence hanging in the air.

She was just like this in my last life.

Every single time Elara wanted something from me, Mrs. Albright would conveniently fall ill, claim her heart was heavy, or say she couldn’t go on.

And I, time and again, would soften, time and again, I’d compromise.

“Leo, dear, Auntie doesn’t ask for anything else. Just please, come to the hospital and see this old woman, alright?”

“Just... out of pity for me.”

Her voice was full of pleading, as if I had no choice but to agree.

I took a deep breath, knowing that if I didn’t deal with this once and for all, they’d cling to me like a stubborn stain, forever.

“Alright,” I agreed.

“Send me the address. I’ll come tomorrow afternoon.”

After hanging up, I stared out at the inky black night sky, my gaze growing colder with each passing second.

Elara, if you and your mother insist on performing this little drama, then I’ll be more than happy to play my part. But this time, the script is mine.

The next afternoon, I arrived at the city hospital as promised.

Just as I reached the hospital’s main entrance, I saw Caleb waiting there.

He was dressed in a crisp white T-shirt, wearing an expression of perfectly calibrated concern. The moment he saw me, he rushed over.

“Leo, you finally made it! Mrs. Albright, she... she hasn’t eaten anything since this morning, just keeps asking for you.”

He instinctively reached out, trying to sling an arm around my shoulder, as if we were still the closest of brothers, sharing every secret.

“Really?” I subtly sidestepped him.

“Then let’s go in quickly. We shouldn’t keep an elderly person waiting.”

Caleb’s eyes flickered, a momentary lapse, before he smoothly slipped back into his ‘helpful friend’ persona, guiding me toward the ward.

As he pushed open the病房 door, a heavy, cloying scent of antiseptic and stale medicine instantly assaulted my senses.

Mrs. Albright lay weakly on the hospital bed, Elara perched on a chair beside her, gently offering her water.

The moment she saw me enter, Mrs. Albright’s eyes lit up, and she struggled to sit up. “Leo, dear, you’re here...”