“There are too many people around here. You should head home,” Stewart said, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, his voice heavy with fatigue. “I need to rest.”
“Okay,” Rosita replied, swallowing her disappointment. She nodded, gathered her purse, and left the room, glancing back every few steps, clearly reluctant to go.
Only after the door clicked shut did Stewart open his eyes again. He stared out the window, his gaze dark and brooding.
Rosita ran into Cedric Clarke halfway down the corridor.
“Cedric,” she called softly.
“He walked over, giving her a brief nod. “You’ve seen Stewart?”
She nodded, looking a little deflated. “Yeah.”
Cedric frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Stewart didn’t seem to be in a good mood.” Rosita looked at Cedric, worry in her voice. “Did something happen to him?”
Something had happened, of course. But Cedric knew better than to tell her about it.
He pressed his lips together, choosing his words carefully. “He’s hurt–naturally he’s uncomfortable. Don’t dwell on it, Rosita. Give him a few days to rest and he’ll be fine.”
Rosita nodded, reassured, but not entirely comforted.
“I’m counting on you to keep an eye on him, Cedric. I wanted to stay and look after him myself, but he told me to go home and spend more time with Irwin. He said he was worried about Irwin being alone.”
She hesitated, guilt flickering across her face. “But I still worry about Stewart, you know how he is–a total workaholic. Even when I went to his room just now, he was still on the phone, probably dealing with work. It’s exhausting just thinking about it.”
Cedric listened, but didn’t feel much sympathy. Ever since learning that Briony was Stewart’s legal wife–the real Mrs. Wentworth–Cedric found it hard to look at Rosita the same way.
He kept his voice neutral. “I’ll do what I can to persuade him to rest. Don’t worry.”
Rosita managed a small smile. “Alright, I’ll head out now. If you need anything, just call.”
“I will.” Cedric gave her a polite smile. “Get home safe.”
“Thanks. I’m off.”
Once they’d said their goodbyes, Cedric went straight back to Stewart’s room–unaware that Rosita had doubled back and was now quietly following him.
Cedric pushed open the hospital room door and stepped inside.
Outside, Rosita paused, listening.
“I checked the records. Everything looks fine, but you can never be too sure,” Cedric said quietly, walking to the side of Stewart’s bed.
Stewart’s expression was grim. He said nothing.
Cedric sighed, dragging a chair over and sitting beside him. “I ran into Rosita on my way here.”
Stewart glanced at him, his face unreadable.
1/2
Chapter 118
“Stewart, we’ve known each other for over a decade. Don’t you think you could trust me enough to say what’s really on your mind?”
Stewart picked up a magazine and started flipping through it.
Cedric snatched the magazine away and tossed it on the bedside table. “Don’t play dumb with me. If I’d known you were going to be like this, I’d have videoed you losing it in front of Briony earlier.”
Rubbing his temple, Stewart spoke in a low voice. “Do you think she could be pregnant?”
Cedric rolled his eyes. “What does my opinion matter? I wasn’t the one secretly married to her for five years, and I’m not the one divorcing her now, either.”
A faint, humorless smile touched Stewart’s lips. “Yeah. She hates me.”
“Shouldn’t she?” Cedric shot back, suddenly realizing just how little he recognized the man in front of him.
“Stewart, I’ve been meaning to ask for a long time–what really happened between you and Rosita during those two years abroad?”
Stewart frowned, eyeing Cedric warily. “Why do you want to know all of a sudden?”
“It’s just… you’ve changed since you came back. I feel like I have to guess at everything you say, and the worst part is, even when I get it right, you never let on.”
“You’re just bored,” Stewart replied coolly. “You’re almost thirty, Cedric. If you’ve got that much time on your hands, maybe you should try dating for once.”
Cedric closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to keep from cursing.
He fixed Stewart with a wry, forced smile. “I’m serious, man. When it comes to Briony… you need to let her go.”
Chapter 119
Chapter 119
