You seriously need to get your eyes checked, don't you? And shouldn't the actual focus of your conversation right now be on your gorgeous model brother? I had no earthly idea how this girl managed to read "stoic" from Julian's intensely wicked face; recalling what he had put me through inside that car, a single phrase flashed through my mind: a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Since following Christian, I had behaved myself completely, never casting a stray glance at another man. Christian was my very first man, and I had always assumed he would be my only one. But if it hadn't been for Logan's sudden phone call, my unblemished track record would have been thoroughly ruined by now.

How the hell did I end up getting entangled with such a wolf in sheep's clothing!

Christian hadn't informed his wife about his hospitalization; her work was relentless, and she seemed to be away on a business trip recently. He occupied a luxury suite with ample space, wanting me to stay overnight to keep him company. But since he was hospitalized, a steady stream of subordinates and colleagues would inevitably drop by to visit, so after some thought, I ultimately refused out of fear of causing loose tongues. The hospital wasn't far from my place anyway, barely a thirty-minute drive.

Rising exceptionally early the next morning, I purchased nutritious porridge and breakfast from a restaurant before rushing straight to the hospital. When I arrived, Christian was holding a thick stack of documents, completely absorbed in reviewing them. I snatched the papers away, frowning with sharp disapproval. "You're hospitalized yet you're still pushing yourself this hard for work?" Opening the container, I prepared to feed him myself.

Christian let out a helpless laugh. "My injuries aren't severe, I'm perfectly capable of feeding myself."

Acting as if I hadn't heard a word, I scooped up a spoonful of porridge. "Open up."

A sudden knock rattled the door, followed by a woman's voice.

The voice I had heard countless times over the phone—the legitimate Mrs. Christian.

She was here.

Not just me, but even Christian had never anticipated his wife would show up here.

I froze instantly, placing the porridge on the table with a wave of panic, though my rationality remained intact. Exchanging a one-second glance with Christian, I frantically arranged the food container, grabbed my coat and bag, and dove straight into the bathroom.

Then, the sound of Christian stepping out of bed to open the door echoed from outside.

The sharp click of high heels struck the floor as the woman slowly walked inside. Christian murmured something to her, and she countered with gentle reproach, "Look at you, keeping me completely in the dark after an accident! If I hadn't heard about it from a friend, I'd still be clueless right now!"

Crystal had flown back through the night.

Previously, I had only ever encountered her voice over the phone, which sounded dignified and elegant, though devoid of any other distinct characteristics. Hearing it in person today, it was actually quite stunning, carrying a soft, alluring tenderness that was the complete polar opposite of the voice processed through electronic signals over the line.

Staring blankly at the bathroom ceiling with an expressionless face, I traced her silhouette entirely through her voice.

Christian conversed with his wife with immense tenderness. After a few exchanges, Crystal let out a sigh. "We were just planning to start trying for a baby, how could an accident happen right at this moment."

As Christian offered quiet reassurance, Crystal's voice drifted into my ears with absolute clarity: "But I truly want a child, a boy or a girl doesn't matter, as long as they look just like you..."

Christian's reply lacked any discernible emotion, murmuring that there was no rush and that they had plenty of time ahead.

They had been married for quite a while, and Christian had actually wanted a child two or three years ago. Back then, Crystal's work was even more consuming than it was now, leaving her with zero time, which dragged the matter out until the present. Although Crystal had yet to discover my existence, her sense of marital crisis was slowly beginning to rear its head.

Chapter 30: I'm Actually Quite Kind-Hearted

Not just her, but countless women trapped in similar marital dynamics constantly attempted to use a child to tether their husbands' hearts. Many men did indeed behave themselves significantly better after becoming fathers, so the method certainly possessed some efficacy. I, however, harbored zero fear of any threat to my position.

I simply let nature take its course.

After all, from the very moment I followed Christian, while taking for granted the endless pampering and luxury lavished upon me, I had also prepared myself to be discarded at a moment's notice. To men who wielded supreme power, women were nothing more than garments. Women, much like power and money, were thoroughly objectified entities, and everyone possessed an expiration date.

I had no idea how long the expiration date Christian had set for me actually was.

Crystal sat for a short while before finally noticing something amiss, inquiring who had brought the breakfast.

Christian told her it had been delivered by Logan, and Crystal didn't press further, offering a smile. "I brought a portion as well. My flight landed at four this morning, and thinking you were still resting, I didn't come straight over, choosing to prepare breakfast at home instead."

The aroma of home-cooked dishes drifted in through the air as she asked, "Do you like it?"

Christian claimed he did, adding, "Have the maid handle these things in the future." I could easily picture the doting expression on his face as he spoke those words.

Crystal didn't stay long, hurried along by two separate phone calls, and departed shortly after. Stepping out of the bathroom, my eyes landed on the breakfast arranged on the table—it was a perfectly delicate, home-cooked spread, clearly prepared with immense devotion. I let out a laugh. "What are we eating? Combining what the two of us brought today, it's practically a royal banquet."

Without a fraction of hesitation, Christian stated, "I'm eating what you brought."

He stepped out of bed and threw the fresh meal his wife had brought straight into the trash can. Failing to stop him in time, I stared in absolute bewilderment. "What are you doing?" Christian's face remained entirely flat. "It contains seafood." He was violently allergic to seafood; despite years of marriage, they were completely estranged in their hearts, and Crystal had ultimately failed to remember even this basic detail.

I looked after Christian at the hospital for an entire week, during which Crystal dropped by a few more times. Armed with the previous lesson, I remained incredibly cautious, ensuring our paths never crossed.

She was consumed by work, leaving the items behind and departing after barely staying a moment.

The day before his discharge, the attending physician arrived with a nurse. Christian had recovered beautifully, and the doctor informed him that after one final day of intravenous drips, he could be discharged tomorrow. The young nurse hooked up Christian's drip, casting a highly complex glance back at me before stepping out the door.

The premium suites offered supreme privacy, and the doctors and most nurses respected the patients' boundaries; even if they deduced my actual status, they would never gossip. However, a young intern nurse clearly lacked an understanding of this unwritten code; responsible for Christian's drip, she was naive and lively, striking up a casual conversation with me.

Discovering that our hometowns were the exact same city, she abandoned the title of "Mrs. Christian" entirely, calling me "Sister" with immense affection.

Later, the moment Christian's wife arrived and the intern witnessed the original spouse, the girl looked at me as if I had defrauded her of ten billion dollars, the gaze she directed at me turning entirely hostile.

In reality, I felt completely innocent.

Yet fate seemed to have a bizarre sense of humor. The water heater in Christian's ward malfunctioned, forcing me to head downstairs to the hot water station to fetch some water, right when the young nurse and several of her colleagues were filling their own flasks. The group had been giggling rowdily initially, but the exact moment I stepped inside, they went dead silent, their eyes locking dead onto me, completely failing to notice that the scalding water was on the verge of overflowing.

I extended my hand intending to shut off the tap for her, but she recoiled a step as if dodging a plague, abandoning her cup entirely. The cup lacked a lid, and under the momentum, the boiling water splashed straight across my hand.

It hurt like absolute hell!

Without offering a single word of apology, she dragged her bewildered colleagues straight out the door, turning back to spit a curse before exiting: "Vile woman, homewrecker."

Frozen in place, I thought to myself, I'm actually quite kind-hearted.

Chapter 31: Riding Three Boats at Once