Chapter 173

Inside Hannah's hospital room, Felix cycled through every topic he could think of, but soon he ran out of words and gave a reluctant sigh as he rose to his feet. "Now that I know you're all right, I can finally breathe easy. I told your parents you were with some friends here and decided to extend your trip, so make sure you stick to that story."

A grateful smile flickered across Hannah's lips. "I got it.Thank you."

The IV beeped to signal it was finished. Hannah pressed the call button, and a nurse appeared to remove the needle.

Hannah swept aside the blanket and started to swing her legs out of bed, but Felix quickly stopped her."Don't bother walking me out. I'll get back on my own-I am staying at that same guesthouse."

"I was heading out anyway. I have to get my passport

reissued if I want to go home," she replied, bracing herself to stand.

Felix's brow creased with worry. "Seriously, there's no need to rush. Just focus on getting your strength back."

"I'm not waiting around," Hannah responded, her voice steely with resolve. Just thinking about Brinley's actions sent a surge of restlessness and mounting fury through her veins.

Felix hesitated and then ran a hand over the back of his neck. "Then I'll go with you. After everything you've just been through, there's no way I'm letting you go off alone. Not as your friend."

He put extra weight on the last word, hoping she wouldn't shut him out.

She hadn't planned to drag him into her mess, but his persistence left her no room to argue. With a reluctant smile, she agreed."Alright." Meanwhile, in Vincent's hospital room, the nurse quietly changed his dressing while he drifted out of consciousness,woozy from the blood loss.

When he finally came to, night had already fallen,shadows stretching across the floor.

Vincent wasted no time, heading straight to Hannah's ward to check if she'd eaten. But when he opened the door, he froze-a stranger lay in the bed,and Hannah was nowhere in sight.

Vincent's eyes hardened, the coldness in his stare sending a chill down the corridor. He stopped a passing nurse. "What happened to the patient who was on that bed? Did she switch rooms?"

The nurse paused and then snapped her fingers in recognition. "Oh, you mean the young lady? She checked out. She barely finished her IV before she dashed off. Young people these days don't know how to rest."

Vincent's jaw tensed as her words sank in. Without saying a word, he turned and walked away. That

heartless Hannah, slipping away from the hospital without a word to him. A bitter frustration smoldered in his chest, leaving him with nowhere to direct his angér.

Just then, Andres arrived, arms weighed down with a basket of glossy fruit. He took one look at Vincent's stormy face and tried for small talk before turning to leave.

Vincent stopped him with a clipped command. "Get the discharge papers ready. I'm done here and going home."

Andres kept his tone low and measured. "I'll arrange a private jet right away."

Vincent shot Andres a look, his voice glacial. "Don't bother. I want you to find out which flight Hannah's on. I'll be on it,too."

Andres nodded and got to work, keeping all questions to himself.

That evening, after an exhausting sprint through

embassy red tape, Hannah finally had her replacement passport in hand. She and Felix managed to book seats on the flight home.

First class filled slowly with weary travelers.

Hannah burrowed under her blanket, eager to shut out the world. Just as her eyelids fluttered closed,she felt a shadow fall over her. She looked up-and Vincent stood at her side, his face drawn and cold.

Vincent regarded her with a stony face. "Didn't waste any time making your departure, did you?"

Felix turned and shot Vincent a sidelong look.

Hannah sat up a little straighter. "Why are you on this flight?" she demanded.

Vincent spoke with a detached, almost mechanical tone. "I'm heading home."

What Hannah really wanted to say was, "You're still hurt. Why didn't you just take your own jet? Why put yourself through a commercial flight with us?" But she swallowed the questions-there was no point

arguing when Vincent hnad clearly made up his mind.

Vincent's brow furrowed as he posed a question."Why didn't you let me know you were leaving the hospital?"

"I just forgot," Hannah murmured, her eyes drifting away, unwilling to get into it here.

The way she shut him out made Vincent's chest tighten. His wound throbbed, a dull ache blooming sharper as he stared at her. His voice dropped,edged with frustration. "Even after our divorce,we can still be friends. Are you really so bitter that you'd sneak out of the hospital without saying a word,especially after I risked my life for you?"

Hannah arched an eyebrow, a hint of challenge in her gaze. "You're absolutely right. I am that bitter.I don't play at being friends with my ex-husband." She paused, her tone sharpening. "And let's get one thing straight-I never asked you to take that knife for me."

Vincent hissed under his breath, "You ungrateful little thing." She obviously cared. She just couldn't bring

herself to admit it. And yet she'd slipped away from the hospital without a word, leaving him smoldering with frustration.

Vincent's hand hovered protectively over his abdomen, pain creasing his features. Hannah noticed, her eyes narrowing. "You really followed us all the way out here just to talk about this?" Instead of resting like he was supposed to, he was here-forcing himself through the pain just to argue. What was he thinking?

Vincent shrugged off her question, muttering, "No.The scent of disinfectant dlidn't sit right with me.l didn't want to stay."

He lowered himnself gingerly into the seat beside her,a faint groan escaping through gritted teeth. Turning to her with a crooked half-smile, he murmured, "lf staying friends is off the table, we could always just go back to being married, you know?"

Hannah rolled her eyes and yanked the blanket up her head, shutting him out completely. With his gentle attentiveness, Felix leaned in and asked if she wanted to take his seat. Hannah shook her head, politely refusing.

After an endless flight-nearly eleven hours-the plane finally touched down. Hannah and Felix made their way out together.

Vincent suddenly seized Hannah by the arm. Before she could snap at him, his face went stiff with alarm."My grandma was hospitalized again."