It was nearly midnight when Lia received a call from one of Ryan's company employees.
"Ma'am… I'm sorry to bother you, but Mr. Ryan collapsed during a meeting. He's in his office now, refusing to go home or see a doctor."
Lia froze for a second, her heart skipping a beat. "I'll be there."
Without wasting another minute, she grabbed her coat and rushed out.
---
When Lia arrived at Ryan's company, the halls were nearly empty. Only the faint glow of office lights and the quiet hum of machines filled the silence.
She gently pushed open the door to his office.
Ryan was slumped over his desk, pale, his eyes closed, and his breathing slightly uneven. A half-finished cup of coffee sat cold beside him.
"Ryan…" she said softly.
His eyes fluttered open. When he saw her, he blinked in surprise. "Lia…? What are you doing here?"
"You should be asking yourself that. Why are you pushing yourself like this without even taking care of your health?"
He looked away. "It's nothing. I'm fine."
She ignored his stubbornness and stepped closer, placing a bag on the table. "I brought soup and medicine. Sit up."
He looked at her again—this woman he'd been cold to, this wife he barely acknowledged. She wasn't accusing him. She wasn't emotional. She was just… here. For him.
Quietly, Ryan sat up as Lia poured the warm soup into a bowl and handed it to him.
The silence between them was no longer uncomfortable—it was filled with something softer.
After a while, Ryan finally spoke, his voice low.
"Why are you doing this… after everything?"
Lia paused, her eyes meeting his.
"Because you're my husband. And I don't stop caring just because you did."
That sentence hit harder than he expected.
For the first time in weeks, Ryan didn't have a cold comeback. He just stared at her, seeing something he hadn't allowed himself to see before—her quiet strength, her unwavering heart.
And for the first time... he felt a strange ache in his chest.
Maybe guilt.
Maybe something else he didn't want to name yet.
But it stayed long after she left the room.