He Wanted a Pet, I Left Him Behind

Chapter 4

Marcus stayed at the hospital with Sophia for days.

The sharp smell of antiseptic hung in the air.

He stood by the window with a cigarette between his fingers. It had burned almost to the filter, but he didn't seem to notice.

His phone lit up again.

It was another work report from his assistant.

He unlocked the screen, but his eyes kept drifting to the silent chat pinned at the top.

The last message was still the one he had sent 5 days earlier.

Marcus: I won't be home today. Sophia needs me here.

There had been no reply.

Marcus stared at the screen.

His thumb rubbed absently along the edge of the phone until hot ash fell onto his finger and snapped him back to the present.

'She must still be mad.'

The thought made his chest tighten.

Yet a strange flicker of satisfaction followed.

'Good. Let her be.'

If Elena was angry, it meant she still cared.

"Marcus..." Sophia called weakly from the hospital bed. "Maybe you should get some rest."

He turned around, his expression already composed again.

"I'm good."

Sophia studied his unreadable expression from the side and dug her nails into her palm.

She had seen it clearly.

A moment earlier, when Marcus looked at his phone, a tiny smile had crossed his lips.

"Marcus, Sophia."

The door opened, and Chloe walked in on high heels with a bright smile.

Given Chloe's tone, she had already considered Sophia family. Marcus's brow twitched almost imperceptibly, but he said nothing.

After he stepped out, Chloe immediately leaned closer to Sophia and lowered her voice.

"Elena left."

"Finally!"

Sophia exhaled in relief, unable to hide her delight.

Chloe waved her phone proudly.

"I had someone watching her the whole time. Yesterday she bought a one-way ticket to Valoria."

"Really?" Sophia's eyes lit up. Then she quickly put on a worried expression. "If she's gone, what about Marcus..."

"Who's gone?" Marcus asked from the doorway, his tone cool.

Sophia's heart skipped.

She forced herself to stay calm.

"N-no one. We were talking about a nurse."

Marcus's gaze moved between them.

In the end, he said nothing about it.

"When are we holding the wedding?" he asked.

"Whenever you want."

Sophia lowered her head. Her cheeks turned pink, and her voice softened.

Marcus looked at her, but his gaze was distant and cold, giving nothing away.

"Fine."

When he left the hospital, a grimy little dog brushed against his leg and looked up at him with watery eyes.

Marcus crouched, but his hand stopped halfway toward the animal.

Years ago, he had a dog too.

His parents later gave it away.

"The Hale family's heir cannot waste time on useless attachments."

So Marcus had learned to keep his face unreadable. He buried every emotion and turned himself into the flawless heir his family expected.

Then he met Elena, the woman who called him Dummy but would stand up to anyone who insulted him, even if she ended up in tears herself.

A second later, he opened his phone again.

Still no new messages.

His brows drew together.

'Why has she been angry for so long this time?'