Chapter 5 Caleb silently observed her, then sat beside her to wait.

Lily stubbornly looked at the door, clutching her small doll: "No need. Auntie will bring breakfast for me."

Caleb silently observed her, then sat beside her to wait.

But the longer they waited, the angrier he became. He should have no expectations for her. Whatever the reason for her sudden departure, could she not have left a message for the child?

Lily waited until noon, and when she saw Caleb's increasingly grim expression, she dejectedly twiddled her fingers: "Auntie isn't coming..."

Caleb knew his daughter well. He couldn't bear to see her upset. He reached for his phone to call Chloe, but then remembered he didn't have her number.

Lily looked at him expectantly. Caleb awkwardly patted her head: "Sweetheart, I forgot. Auntie has to work today."

Lily despondently fiddled with her nails, her small mouth pouting: "But Auntie promised yesterday that she'd take me out once I got better."

Caleb lifted her onto his shoulder: "Daddy can take you out too."

Lily's clear eyes widened, and her chubby hands tugged at her father's ears: "Really? Are you not in a rush to return to work?"

Her actions made Caleb laugh despite himself. He gently restrained her wandering hands, caressing her small paws: "I'm not in a hurry. You're the most important thing to me."

Lily was, of course, delighted by his sweet words, momentarily forgetting her disappointment in Chloe. She clapped her hands and laughed: "I want to go to the park, see a movie, and eat pizza! Promise not to leave early this time, or I won't go out with you again!"

Seeing his daughter regain her cheerful spirit, Caleb's lips curled into a smile: "First, let's get you discharged from the hospital."

-

"No bone damage, just superficial wounds," said a young doctor in a white coat, his deep eyes framed by silver glasses. He slowly set the film on the table, massaging his temples as he studied the girl before him.

Every time they met, various injuries covered her body. The frail girl awakened his professional ethics, evoking a sense of pity.

Hearing that her injuries weren't serious, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing her sore wrist: "Thank you, Dr. Lewis."

Henry Lewis looked at her thoughtfully and advised seriously: "Chloe, this isn't the first time. Your brother's condition isn't just physical. He needs a psychiatrist."

Chloe was startled, quickly lowering her lashes to hide her feelings: "Yes, I know."

She always understood that Nathan's chronic illness had changed him completely. He was no longer the sharp, wise person he used to be, often getting irritable over trivial matters. When he lost control, he became entirely irrational. His thoughts grew twisted, and his temper worsened.

Henry could see her dismissive attitude and said helplessly: "A sanatorium isn't as scary as you think."

Chloe looked up, the dried blood on her lip forming a scab. She forced a faint smile: "Dr. Lewis, this is a family matter. I'll handle it. Thank you."

Her distant demeanor stirred unusual emotions in Henry.

After speaking, Chloe stood up and walked out. Henry watched her frail figure, sighing deeply: "You've done a lot for him. Whatever debt you owe him, consider it repaid."

Chloe stopped, her eyes fixed on the ground. She shook her head and calmly said: "It's not what you think."

Henry frowned, his eyes filled with doubt.

Chloe didn't explain further. She grabbed her medicine and walked straight out. Before her father passed away, he had instructed her never to leave Nathan alone. His condition may worsen unexpectedly, leading to his passing. She couldn't let him face that terrifying moment alone.

These were her father's last wishes, as well as her stepmother's.

The injuries on her face weren't obvious, but her wrist, which Nathan had repeatedly attacked, ached sharply. She looked at the bruises and considered wearing long sleeves to work.

In this weather, wearing long sleeves might attract strange looks from people.

When Chloe opened the door to her room, she suddenly found herself face-to-face with a familiar, somber gaze. The man seemed slightly surprised, but then his thin lips pressed into a straight line, and his eyes fell on the wound on her lip and the bruises on her wrist.

Caleb's unexpected appearance made Chloe feel embarrassed. She must look very disheveled right now. Every woman wants to look her best in front of the man she likes. But why does he always see her at her worst moments?

"I-" She stammered, wanting to break the awkward silence. She quietly pulled her arm behind her back, forcing a faint smile: "I had to leave early this morning for something."

Caleb's lips curled into a mocking smile. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged nonchalantly: "No need to explain. Whether you stay or go has nothing to do with me."

"Nothing to do with me..."

Those three words summed up his attitude towards her. Even though she knew it, her heart still harbored a tiny hope. Chloe bit her lip and glanced at him: "I was just going to visit Lily."

Caleb blocked her way and with disdainful eyes that didn't even meet hers, he said, "No need. We have already discharged you."

Chloe suddenly looked up, her dark eyes seemingly always veiled with a thin mist. Caleb found this look of hers extremely annoying, like a naïve, weak rabbit. Once, he almost fell for this deceptive appearance.

On the surface, she pretended to be innocent, but inside, she was deeply calculating.

He gazed at the corner of her mouth. Chloe awkwardly lowered her head, and he laughed derisively: "These injuries... did you get them fighting off a robber?"

Chloe's head almost touched her chest: "No, I just fell accidentally."

What a "brilliant" lie, but Caleb was too lazy to expose it. This woman lied so easily, always scheming. Who knew what she was planning now?

He moved to step inside, maintaining as much distance from her as possible, as if she were a filthy virus.

Chloe clenched her fingers, summoning all her courage to negotiate with him: "Mr. Wilson, I promised to take Lily out. I don't want to break my promise. Can you let me see her?"

Caleb halted, not immediately looking back. Chloe's heart sank further, feeling her request was too much.

When Caleb finally turned around, his eyes were ice cold, looking at her with disdain: "Chloe, have you forgotten your place? Last night, I found you because Lily insisted. Now you're acting like her mother? Don't you remember what's written on her birth certificate?"

Chloe clenched her teeth, her face flushing with anger: "But I gave birth to Lily-"