Chapter 556

By the fifth day, my condition had finally stabilized. My appetite returned, and my strength was gradually coming back. Elijah had stayed by my side for five days straight. He looked noticeably thinner, and his once clean-shaven jaw was now covered in stubble. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his clothes, wrinkled and unkempt, hadn't been changed in days. I sat quietly by the window and watched the snow fall outside. As usual, he had gone out to buy an expensive meal from a Haltonese restaurant. Once he returned, he silently placed it on the table and prepared to leave. I knew he would sit outside the room and wait until I finished eating before coming back in to clean up. Over the past few days, I felt like a stranger to myself, and Elijah seemed even more unfamiliar—completely different from the man he used to be. If not for his face, I wouldn't have recognized this careful, attentive man as him. "Wait," I finally said. He froze in place at the door, as if he thought he h