I nodded and went to my room. When I picked up my phone, a new post from Tilda glowed on the screen.
Got hungry in the middle of the night and someone didn't mind cooking for me from scratch~ My baby is the absolute best!
Attached was a photo of Xavier in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, busy at the stove.
A bitter laugh escaped me. So it wasn't that he couldn't cook. He just couldn't cook for me.
I remembered a night when I'd had a fever. For some reason, all I wanted was seafood chowder. I'd begged him for what felt like forever.
He never made it.
Then Tilda posted again.
Fresh homemade seafood chowder~
Something inside me snapped clean. Not broke—released.
Why was I wasting a single tear on a man who had never loved me?
In that moment, Renata's words echoed through my mind. I flipped my phone around and screenshotted both of Tilda's posts, saving them.
A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Since you love showing off so much, let's make sure everyone gets a good look.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Xavier was personally feeding Tilda seafood chowder, one spoonful at a time.
Suddenly, Tilda let out a little gasp, her voice laced with feigned concern.
"Xavier, where's Maggie? I haven't seen her all day. You don't think something happened to her, do you?"
Xavier froze. He pulled out his phone and dialed my number, again and again. No one picked up.
An unexplainable unease crept over him. Tilda, who had been watching his every reaction from the corner of her eye, felt a flash of jealousy. She spoke up again.
"Don't worry. Why don't you check with the rescue team first, see if there were any casualties that day?"
Xavier nodded and contacted the rescue team. After a round of questions, he learned there had been no casualties during the earthquake.
Tilda continued, her tone light and casual.
"Maggie's young. She probably just got caught up having fun somewhere."
Xavier's brow furrowed. Displeasure flickered across his face.
"But you went through something this serious, and she couldn't even be bothered to come check on you? She's family. That's just disrespectful."
Tilda shook her head gently.
"It's fine. I really don't mind."
Xavier reached over and flicked her forehead affectionately.
"That's because you're too understanding for your own good."
"If she's fine, then I won't bother with her for now."
On my end, I was giving Renata her final instructions.