Roger took ten minutes for a two-minute walk.

Back in the hospital room, breathing unevenly, face covered in cold sweat.

"Are you sure you didn't pull your stitches?" Stella handed him a glass of water, worried. "Maybe we should get the doctor to take a look."

Roger looked at her with an incredibly resentful expression.

"Um... as long as you're okay." Stella awkwardly looked away, tucked him in, and said softly, "Take your meds and rest for a bit."

"Laugh if you want to," Roger said, clearly sensing she was holding it in. He frowned slightly, sounding helpless.

"I'm not." Stella shook her head, wanting to deny it to save him some face.

But when she looked up, she saw Roger gingerly rubbing his lower back.

The gesture reminded her of the scene in the hallway.

Stella couldn't hold it back anymore and burst out laughing.

Roger stopped what he was doing, his dark eyes locking onto hers, his gaze deep as a whirlpool, as if trying to pull her in.

Realizing she was being rude, Stella immediately stopped laughing and stood up. "I'm going to step out for a minute."

"Where are you going?" Roger frowned, instinctively grabbing her wrist, his gaze affectionate. "Are you coming back?"

Stella turned her head, looking at his face, paused, and answered softly, "Yeah."

Satisfied, Roger let go of her hand, his voice gentle. "Come back when you're done laughing."

Stella pushed his hand away and quickly ran off. She was afraid if she stayed any longer, she'd laugh right in his face.

After Stella left, Roger called Charlotte.

"How is it?" Charlotte's lazy voice came through the phone.

"I'm fine," Roger replied, his tone relaxed. "I'm being discharged tomorrow, and we'll head straight back to Cabinda. You're pregnant, don't overwork yourself."

"Alright." Charlotte smirked, raising an eyebrow, teasing, "Half your life for our little Stella's sympathy. Was it worth it?"

"Heh." Roger narrowed his eyes, replying with absolute seriousness, "Forget half my life. I'd give her my whole life without a second thought."

"And what about Stella? How did she react?" Charlotte shifted her position, resting her palm on her pregnant belly. With twins and her slender frame, the bump was quite prominent. Lately, she could feel the two little ones moving.

"Better than before." Roger hesitated, unable to completely read the girl's mind. "But I can confirm she likes me."

"You're pretty confident." Charlotte raised an eyebrow, yawning. "If you nearly died and still can't win her over, I'll seriously look down on you, Roger."

The call ended. Roger held his phone, a helpless smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Night fell.

Roger had sent the hired caregiver away.

Only the two of them were left in the room.

Outside the window, heavy rain poured down, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder.

Stella lay on the hospital bed with her back to Roger, gripping the blankets tightly.

It had been a long time since she had spent the night in a hospital.

The familiar environment always brought back past memories she didn't want to revisit.

Another loud crash of thunder echoed. Stella's breathing hitched, her body trembling slightly in fear.

Afraid of disturbing Roger's rest, she didn't dare make a sound.

Just then, the lights in the room suddenly flipped on. She slowly opened her tear-filled eyes.

Bathed in the bright light, the man stood before her, looking down at her with concern. "What's wrong?"

Stella stared at him, suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of grievance as her tears fell drop by drop.

"Where does it hurt?"