---- Chapter 142 No matter who the patient Wendy treated was, she always gave her all. Yet, the outcome was still the same. Liam squeezed her hand gently. "Don't worry. I'm here." Those few words were like a shot of adrenaline for Wendy, slowly washing away the sadness from her face. Returning to her senses, she noticed the warmth spreading through the back of her hand. Looking down, she saw an elegant hand with defined knuckles tightly holding on to hers.

Wendy blinked in surprise, then, feeling a bit flushed, gently pulled her hand away. "Thank you, Liam. If it weren't for you earlier, I probably wouldn't have realized so quickly that Flynn came to visit a patient, not to find me." She had been genuinely frightened. Noticing her hesitation , he silently withdrew his hand and started the car engine. "It's nothing." His brief reply was cool and distant , a sharp contrast to his earlier warmth.

Wendy pressed her lips together and glanced sideways at ---- Liam, who was focused on driving. An awkward tension quietly grew between them. By the time they reached the hospital entrance , the warmth from his hand no longer stirred anything in her. They were friends, and she understood that gesture as his way of comforting her. However, it felt different in the car. Having left that 'dangerous ' moment behind, any physical contact now seemed inappropriate.

She wasn't officially divorced yet, and Liam appeared to have a girlfriend. Pulling her gaze away, she tried to break the silence. "Did you make any new friends abroad?" What she really wanted to ask was if he was dating anyone, but she twisted her words to avoid making things awkward. Liam simply shook his head. "You know all of them." They used to hang out in the same social circle, and the friendship between them had always been strong. Wendy nodded.

"Did you not meet any new female friends at all?" "What are you trying to say?" Liam turned the wheel as the car took a corner. She cleared her throat. "You're so impressive , and there were ---- plenty of women interested in you back in school. Have you met anyone who's caught your fancy?" There was a moment of awkward silence in the car. Liam didn't answer right away. Wendy looked at him with a hint of hope. After a long pause, he finally gave her a soft reply, "Yes." Wendy was surprised.

"Really? Who? Do I know her? Are you two dating?" She couldn't hold back her curiosity. But Liam frowned slightly. "You don't know her, and we're not dating." His short answer cooled Wendy's hopeful excitement, and she realized she might have crossed a line. "It's fine. You're so great. If you asked her out, she'll be sure to say yes." Just as she said that, Liam suddenly slammed on the brakes. Luckily, it was almost 11:00 pm, and the road was mostly empty.

Wendy steadied herself in the seat, still feeling dizzy and lightheaded. She held her head as she tried to recover.