Please Let Me Go, My Contracted Ex-Husband.-Chapter 156 - - it’ll hurt so much when you leave

Thinking about all the effort they had put into the meticulous plans earlier, Jim couldn't help but feel some resentment toward his boss's decision. In his view, they should seize this opportunity to completely wipe out the Laurence family.

But after all, he was just the subordinate. He had no choice but to follow orders. With a resigned sigh, he accepted the command and left.

After Jim departed, Albert turned back and returned to the hospital room, staying by Cynthia's bedside until she woke up. The moment he saw her eyes slowly regain clarity and brightness from their initial dullness, his heart surged with a joy that could only be described as the thrill of recovering something precious.

"Albert—"

She managed to utter his name with difficulty, her gaze tinged with a hint of guilt and unease—unease at having her identity exposed by him, and guilt for having stopped him from exacting his revenge.

"Sunflower—"

Albert's eyes flickered with a whirlwind of emotions before he finally gritted his teeth and spat out the word.

Before she had woken up, he had been seething—angry at her for concealing her identity as a doctor, angry at her for risking her life for someone else instead of protecting herself. If only she had told him earlier, this tragedy might have been avoided.

He had resolved that the first thing he would do when she woke up was demand answers for everything. Yet now, all his pent-up fury was scattered by her weakly spoken words. Staring at her, he found himself utterly incapable of saying a harsh word.

Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.

"Heh heh..."

Seeing him grit his teeth as he uttered "Sunflower," Cynthia lay there, embarrassed, her lips curling into an awkward smile.

So, that was it—before she even had the chance to admit it herself, he had already uncovered the truth, and in such a devastating manner. Unease crept through her as she considered how angry he might be. Now that she had ended up like this, he was bound to be furious beyond measure.

Looking at her timid attempt to diffuse his anger with a smile, only to wince in pain from her wounds, Albert's expression remained cold. He stayed silent for a long time before finally taking her hand and sighing softly.

"Cynthia, I'm sorry..."

Things had escalated to this point—it wasn't as simple as assigning blame to either of them. If he hadn't fired the shot, or if she hadn't jumped in the way, none of this would have happened. Perhaps this was their destined calamity, an ordeal they had to endure together to truly understand how much they meant to each other.

Cynthia gently shook her head.

"I don't blame you. I know you weren't aiming at me."

Placing her thin fingers against his lips, Albert kissed them softly and asked hoarsely,

"Does it hurt?"

He had been shot before himself, and as a grown man, he had found the pain excruciating. How much worse it must be for her—a delicate, slender woman. The thought made his heart ache, and a trace of regret inevitably crept into his eyes.

Cynthia bit her lip, lowered her gaze, and said softly, though against her true feelings,

"It doesn't hurt."

She could tell he was pained by the fact that he had hurt her. She didn't want his guilt to deepen any further, so she thought saying this might make him feel a little better.

"Doesn't hurt?"

Albert raised an eyebrow, his expression turning displeased. At a time like this, she was still trying to act tough? Couldn't she, just once, show a little vulnerability, act a bit spoiled, or lean on him for support?

His stern gaze instantly brought tears to her wide eyes. Overwhelmed with grievance, she blurted out,

"It hurts! It really hurts..."

Saying it didn't hurt was a lie. Her back had been burning with pain ever since she woke up. It hurt so much she could barely stand it, so much her tears had been streaming uncontrollably. She had been holding it in, not wanting to upset him. But seeing his reaction now, she couldn't hold back any longer and broke into sobs.

"Let's see if you dare to be this reckless again!"

Though Albert scolded her harshly, his hands moved quickly to grab tissues and gently wipe away her tear-streaked face. Cynthia, comforted by his tenderness, let herself cry even harder.

"Sob... sob..."

She wasn't invincible. Now that she had him, she finally felt entitled to be willful and spoiled. But her crying completely threw Albert into chaos. While he had hoped for her to show some vulnerability, her current state left him utterly helpless.

Hearing the sobbing from outside, a young nurse hurriedly burst into the room. When she saw Cynthia crying her heart out, her face covered in tears, and Albert standing nearby looking completely flustered, she stormed over and yanked him aside. Without any hesitation, she berated him furiously,

"Sir, this is seriously unbecoming! Your wife is already so injured, and yet you've made her cry? Honestly, what's wrong with you?"

She shot him a fierce glare, her eyes filled with disdain, as if she had pegged him as one of those ill-tempered men who mistreated their wives.

The nurse was bold enough to finish scolding him before leaning over to check Cynthia's wound. Cynthia, too weak and overwhelmed by tears, couldn't muster the energy to defend him. Instead, she could only blink her tear-filled eyes at him with an apologetic look.

Albert let out a cold snort and stood off to the side, his face dark as he glared daggers at the brazen nurse. Then his gaze shifted back to Cynthia. Seeing her frowning and enduring the pain made his chest tighten with an aching pang.

After finishing her examination and offering a few reminders, the nurse left the room, leaving the two of them alone again. In truth, Cynthia didn't need any reminders—she was an expert in handling these kinds of injuries.

As Albert sat down by the bedside again, Cynthia quickly said,

"Go handle your work. I'm fine now. I just need some rest."

She felt guilty seeing someone as busy as him do nothing but stay by her side. But he ignored her suggestion, leaning back in his chair and fixing his gaze on her as he said,

"If I leave, who's going to look after you?"

She sighed, a bit exasperated.

"Aren't the nurses here? I can call them when I need something—"

Before she could finish, he interrupted her sharply, displeased.

"Shut up! Just rest!"

He really couldn't figure her out. What was with all the nagging? Just a moment ago, she was crying her heart out in pain, and now she had the energy to try to send him away? She was injured so badly—how could he possibly feel at ease leaving her here alone?

Cynthia immediately fell silent, but the two of them just sitting there staring at each other wasn't a solution either. After a long stalemate, Cynthia finally spoke hesitantly,

"Um, Albert, I'd like some water—"

Only then did he break his intense gaze on her. He stood up, poured her a glass of water, and brought it over to help her drink. However, as soon as Cynthia's lips touched the water, she frowned. He immediately asked, alarmed,

"What's wrong?"

Cynthia frowned and replied softly,

"It's hot..."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Albert's face. He remembered that Vincent had once mentioned she couldn't handle anything even remotely hot. Even things others would consider lukewarm still felt too hot for her.

Realizing this, he glanced at her before turning to grab another cup. He poured the water back and forth between the two cups to cool it down. Only when the water was completely free of any warmth did he carefully help her drink it.

Although his movements were clumsy, even a bit rough—spilling water on her clothes several times—Cynthia still felt her chest tighten, her eyes welling up with tears. She hadn't expected him to personally tend to her with such care.

Thinking back to the time when he had been injured, she realized she had only taken care of him for a few days before leaving him to fend for himself out of spite. Reflecting on it now, she felt she had been too cold-hearted. And yet, despite her indifference, he remained steadfastly by her side...

As her thoughts drifted, her nose began to sting with emotion. Noticing, he quickly set the cup aside and asked with concern,

"Is your wound hurting again?"

"No..."

She lowered her gaze, shook her head, and buried herself under the blanket to hide the warm tears streaming down her face.

Albert, why are you so good to me? I'm afraid that if I get used to your kindness, it'll hurt so much when you leave...

Having just undergone surgery, her body was still very weak and couldn't hold up for long. After drinking the water, she soon curled up under the blanket and drifted off into a deep sleep.