Chapter 2

Emily ended up visiting the hospital alone. She walked into the emergency room, ER, by herself with blood still trickling down the wound on her forehead. But the nurse barely looked at her before shoving a pack of gauze and antiseptic into her hands. "Is there a doctor available?" Emily gently asked. "They're all at the VIP wing. Just take care of it yourself," the nurse replied without looking up. She sat on a bench in the hallway and cleaned her wound with trembling hands. The sting of antiseptic made her eyes well up with tears, but she forced them back. At the end of the hallway, two nurses pushed a medication cart as they walked past, their voices drifting into Emily's ears. "The lady in 302 is so lucky. She just sprained her ankle, and half the hospital's doctors showed up." "Didn't you see how terrified her boyfriend looked? When he carried her in, his hands were shaking the whole time…" Emily's hand froze. The antiseptic seeped into her wound and burned so badly her fingertips went numb. She knew they were talking about Noah and Bella. Still, she stayed silent and got the wound bandaged. After that, she went home alone. … Noah didn't come home that night. It wasn't until the next day at noon that she heard the front door open. He stepped in with Bella right behind him. When he saw Emily looking, he seemed unfazed and flatly explained, "Her ankle hasn't healed, and there's no one at her place to help, so she'll be staying here for a couple of days. "It's about lunch anyway. Make something light since Bella can't stand eating strong-flavored food." Bella peeked out from behind him and smiled sheepishly. "I hope it's not too much trouble, Emily." "It's no trouble. She enjoys doing this stuff," Noah said coldly, glancing at Emily. Emily felt something twist hard in her chest. She enjoyed it? Back then, to cater to Noah's picky tastes, she enrolled in an elite culinary course and practiced late into the night. He hated outsiders in the house, so she took on every chore and ironed his shirts himself, making sure not a single crease remained. And now, all that effort and care was shrugged off with a line, "She enjoys it." Well, she did like it, not the labor itself, but because everything was done for him. Still, she said nothing and turned into the kitchen in silence. There was no point in saying that now that the divorce was already set in motion. Standing in the kitchen, Emily's hands moved robotically as she chopped vegetables and started cooking. Soon, she served a feast of five dishes and a warm soup on the table. Bella took one bite, and her eyes lit up. "This is amazing!" Smiling, she picked up a piece of the roasted beef and dropped it onto Noah's plate. "Try this too! It's really good!" Noah ate it without hesitation. Emily froze at the sight as her heart sank further. She knew that he'd always been a clean freak and hated people touching his stuff. Once, when she sorted clothes in his closet and accidentally brushed against one of his jackets, his expression fell. Then, he emptied the entire closet and threw everything out. After that, she wore gloves when handling his laundry to avoid setting him off. Still, he could constantly find fault with her. "The collar's not ironed smooth enough." "The cufflinks are in the wrong place." "Don't touch my stuff again." She'd always believed that was how particular and cold he was. But when she watched him expressionlessly eat the food Bella had casually dropped on his plate, she finally understood. It seemed that when he loved someone, they had an exception to all his rules.