“Does it matter?” Isabella’s voice was cold and detached. “You’ve done your duty. Now leave. Or I’ll call security to escort you out again.”

Ethan shrugged casually, one eyebrow raised indifferently as he settled into the chair beside her hospital bed. He picked up an apple and began peeling it slowly, his movements deliberate and calm.

“Just so you’re aware,” he said, his tone effortlessly smooth. “I’m now a major shareholder of this hospital. One call to the director, and any… inconvenience… disappears.”

Isabella stared at him, disbelief clear in her eyes. “What do you want, Ethan? You asked for a divorce. I agreed. Yet you refuse to sign. You ignored me when I needed you after the accident. Now you won’t leave. Do you even hear yourself?”

Ethan’s hand stilled. The knife hovered over the apple. Her words struck a nerve, and for a moment, he was speechless.

He remembered the distance in her eyes yesterday. The memory sent a sharp pain through him. He wanted to fix things, to bridge the gap between them. But pride held him back.

His voice turned icy. “Don’t misunderstand. I’m only here out of courtesy. A final gesture for what we once had.”

Isabella’s heart clenched. Tears threatened, but she forced them down. “I don’t want your pity,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “I’m done crying over you.”

As she spoke, Ethan’s focus broke. The knife slipped, slicing deep into his finger. Blood welled up, dripping onto the apple and staining the white sheets crimson. He barely noticed the pain, his gaze fixed on Isabella’s sorrowful expression.

Sophia’s alarmed voice cut through the tension. “Ethan! You’re bleeding!”

He ignored her. His eyes remained locked on Isabella, full of unspoken agony. He searched her face for any sign of concern, but found none.

Sophia tugged gently at his sleeve. “We need to clean that. It might need stitches. Or a tetanus shot.”

Ethan didn’t respond. He was still watching Isabella.

Biting her lip, Sophia turned to Isabella. “Please, Isabella. Tell him to see a doctor. He’ll listen to you.”

Isabella offered a mocking smile. Her gaze settled on Ethan, calm and undisturbed.

She looked at him with cold indifference. “Your bleeding is your problem, Ethan. You could bleed out right here. It wouldn’t mean a thing to me.”

Ethan stared, shocked. She had never spoken to him with such contempt.

Sophia frowned, her tone reproachful. “How can you be so heartless? He cut himself while peeling an apple for you. Don’t you care at all?”

Isabella laughed softly. “Care? Really, Sophia? Where was his concern when I was lying broken after the accident? And now you expect me to fuss over a little cut?”