---- Chapter 169 'There was a pause on the other end of the line before Mary snapped , still seething with anger. "Where the hell are you right now?" Wendy let out a sigh. "If you don't have anything important to say, I'm hanging up. Don't call me again." "You ungrateful brat, how could you-" Wendy hung up before she could finish her sentence. Outside, the rain pounded harder against the windows. Still shaken from the call, she barely registered the office door opening behind her.

Liam stepped in. "Are you heading home?" She turned slightly. "Yeah... I'm going home." "It's pouring out. Wait by the hospital entrance, and I'll pull the car around." He was already walking ahead of her as he said it. "Okay," she replied absentmindedly. Liam glanced back at her but didn't press further. Instead, he held the elevator door for her as they stepped in. On the drive home, Wendy stayed quiet. "Are you hungry?" Liam finally asked.

"It's been over two ---- hours since dinner time." "Let's just eat at home," she mumbled. "T don't think we've got anything at the house. Do you want to stop by the supermarket? I'll cook." "Sure... whatever you say." Clearly, she hadn't been listening. She kept her gaze fixed on the rain-soaked window, her face pale and distant. When they pulled into the underground parking lot at the supermarket, Liam glanced at her again. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, concerned.

Wendy blinked and turned toward him, snapping out of it." I'm fine. Where are we? Weren't we going out to eat?" Liam shook his head with a hint of exasperation . "I said I'd cook for you at home. We're just stopping by the store to pick up some groceries first." "Oh. Right. Let's go." Just as she reached for the door handle, he grabbed her arm. "What?" she asked, confused. "You haven't unbuckled your seatbelt," he said, glancing toward her waist. She looked down and smiled awkwardly.

"I don't even know what's going on with me." ---- "What's on your mind?" Liam asked, his tone softer now. "Is there anything I can help with?" The smile on her face crumpled. She murmured , "Sorry. My head's all over the place. There's just... a lot piling up. I don't need anything. I just need to figure it out myself." She needed to figure out why Mary suddenly reached out and why, if Ethan really needed her, he hadn't called. Liam released her arm and nodded. "Alright.

But once we walk into the supermarket , you'd better stop overthinking . Knock over a shelf, and it's you paying for it." That actually got a small smile out of Wendy. "Okay, deal." From the moment they entered the supermarket, Wendy kept herself focused. Watching people bustle around under the rainy sky seemed to pull her out of her spiral. By the time they finished shopping for groceries and loaded the car, she was noticeably calmer.

As Liam pulled out of the garage and back into the misty blur of the storm, he said quietly , "Do whatever you feel like you need to do-just don't let yourself end up regretting it." Wendy knew he was trying to comfort her, so she responded with a quiet hum. "You have nothing tying you down right now except for your own heart. Wendy, I know you. You've never been the type to let yourself live with regret," Liam remarked.