The white walls of the Feng Family Hospital smelled of antiseptic and whispered stress. Eli, dressed in his lab coat and mask, adjusted his gloves as he walked down the corridor. Patients, charts, and nurses passed by in a blur. He was used to the pressure—it was his world now.
But today felt different.
Because Mia was here.
She wasn't dressed in her usual fashionable elegance. Instead, she wore a pale blue blouse, tied her hair into a neat bun, and followed Eli through the pediatric wing, holding a clipboard.
"You didn't have to come," Eli said softly, stopping beside her.
"I wanted to," she replied with a smile. "Helping you makes me feel... useful."
Eli's heart ached quietly. Mia always looked so perfect beside Alex—but her warmth belonged here, in the quiet rooms with sick children, not in boardrooms or on magazine covers.
As she knelt beside a small girl recovering from surgery, helping her with crayons and smiling so gently, Eli saw it again—that spark. Not the fiancée of a CEO, but a woman full of quiet light.
How long will you keep pretending you're in love with my brother? he wanted to ask.
But he didn't.
He never did.
⸻
Scene Break: Lisa's Classroom
"Alright, kids, that's it for today!" Lisa clapped her hands gently. "Time to clean up."
The children cheered and began picking up toys and crayons.
But Lisa's skin felt clammy. Her vision blurred slightly as she turned to erase the whiteboard. A wave of dizziness hit her chest like a crashing tide. She clutched the edge of the table.
"Miss Lisa?" one of the children asked.
She tried to smile. "I'm okay, sweetie—"
But then everything spun.
And she collapsed.
⸻
Scene Break: Hospital
Lisa's eyes fluttered open to harsh white light and the familiar scent of sterile walls.
She blinked.
"Where am I—?"
"You're in the hospital."
That deep voice. That coldness.
Her breath caught.
Alex sat beside her bed, jacket tossed over the nearby chair, sleeves rolled up, tie undone.
"Food poisoning," he said flatly. "You passed out. Your phone had Eli's number saved, so they called him. He called me."
Lisa's heart beat faster. "Why are you here?"
He didn't answer right away. Just stared at her pale face, at the IV in her arm.
"You didn't tell anyone you were feeling unwell."
"I didn't think it was serious."
"Everything about you is serious to me," he snapped.
Lisa froze.
Those words... they didn't sound like the Alex she knew.
Or maybe they did. The one she hoped existed.
She turned her face away. "You shouldn't say things like that. Not when Mia's waiting at home."
A long silence.
Then, his voice—quieter. Raw.
"Mia's not here."
Lisa turned to him slowly.
"I sent her to help Eli at the hospital. I didn't know you'd be here."
She wanted to say something cruel. She wanted to protect herself.
But all she managed was a whisper: "Why do you care so much, Alex?"
Alex stood suddenly, his expression unreadable. He looked down at her.
Then, with a voice full of restraint, he said, "Because I don't like seeing other people steal your attention."
And then he left.
Leaving Lisa wide-eyed, heart pounding, wondering—
Was that jealousy?