Loving the Unloving

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Hospital

“How are you, Uncle Victor?”

I greeted him with a smile as I stepped inside his private hospital room.

So this was why Link had come looking for me.

Uncle Victor was sitting upright on the hospital bed, while Aunt Eleanor stood nearby. Despite the expensive room and the round-the-clock care, he looked much frailer than the last time I had seen him.

Still, his eyes lit up when he saw me.

“I’m doing alright, dear,” he replied in a weak but warm voice. “How about you? How’s school?”

His voice lacked strength, but the sincerity behind his words never failed to reach me.

Among everyone in the Veylan family, Uncle Victor was the one who had always made me feel genuinely cared for.

“I’m doing well, Uncle. Please don’t worry about me,” I said cheerfully. “You should focus on getting better.”

A gentle smile appeared on his face.

“That’s good to hear.”

Then his gaze shifted toward his son.

“Link, are you taking good care of your wife?”

The room instantly fell silent.

Link remained expressionless.

As usual.

He didn’t answer.

“Victor, Arieza is doing well. You don’t have to worry,” Aunt Eleanor quickly replied before Link could say anything.

She walked over and gently squeezed my shoulder.

The warmth in her voice was so different from the cold, distant tone she usually used at home.

“Yes, Uncle,” I agreed. “The only thing you should be worrying about right now is getting better.”

Uncle Victor chuckled softly.

Then he looked at Link and Aunt Eleanor.

“Would you two mind giving us a moment? I’d like to speak with Arieza alone.”

Neither of them objected.

Aunt Eleanor nodded.

Link glanced at me briefly before following his mother out of the room.

The door closed behind them.

Suddenly, the room felt quieter.

Uncle Victor leaned back against his pillow and laughed weakly.

“The only healthy thing left in me is the kidney your father shared with me.”

I couldn’t help but laugh softly despite the sadness behind his joke.

“Uncle…”

His expression softened.

“The reason I asked you to come today is because of your old house.”

I froze.

“My old house?”

A strange feeling settled in my chest.

“Why, Uncle?”

The last memory I had of that house was painful.

Back when my father was hospitalized, we had been forced to sell everything.

The house.

The land.

Even the small farm that my father had spent years building.

Everything disappeared just to pay the hospital bills.

Without another word, Uncle Victor reached for a large brown envelope resting on the bedside table.

Then he handed it to me.

Confused, I accepted it.

“I managed to get the title back.”

My breath caught.

Slowly, I looked down at the envelope in my trembling hands.

For a moment, my mind refused to process his words.

Then reality hit me.

The title.

To our home.

To the land my father loved.

To the only inheritance he had left behind.

My vision blurred.

Tears rolled down my cheeks before I could stop them.

I clutched the envelope tightly against my chest.

The emotions were too overwhelming.

Relief.

Gratitude.

Disbelief.

Happiness.

All at once.

“I… I don’t even know what to say.”

My voice broke.

The tears continued falling.

“You’ve already done so much for me.”

Uncle Victor shook his head.

“No, Arieza.”

His eyes grew distant.

“Your father was the one who did so much for me.”

His voice became softer.

“He saved my life.”

The room fell silent.

“And this…” he continued, glancing at the envelope in my hands, “…this is only a small part of the debt I owe him.”

I lowered my head as more tears escaped my eyes.

My father had loved that house.

He had loved every corner of that land.

And now…

It was ours again.

I could barely contain my emotions.

“I’m so happy, Uncle.”

I smiled through my tears.

“You have no idea how happy this makes me.”

I tightened my hold on the envelope.

“Thank you.”

My voice trembled.

“Thank you so much.”

Uncle Victor smiled sadly.

“What pains me the most is that I’ll never be able to fully repay everything your father did for my family.”

His gaze softened as he looked at me.

“That’s why I want you to remember something.”

I nodded.

“Whatever you need, you come to me.”

His voice was firm despite his frail condition.

“Don’t hesitate.”

His eyes carried the affection of a father speaking to his own daughter.

“If there’s anything you need, anything at all, you tell me.”

Emotion tightened my throat.

For a brief moment, it felt as if my father was still watching over me.

Protecting me.

Through the kindness of the man whose life he had saved.

---

I was bursting with joy as we made our way back to the university. My hand gently traced the outline of my bag, feeling the solid reassurance of our land title safely tucked inside. A small, genuine smile spread across my face.

"Li—Link?" I called out, my voice laced with hesitation. He was sitting right beside me, but his eyes were buried deep in the magazine he was reading.

"What?" he asked, his tone ice-cold.

"H-have you eaten yet?" I blurted out. It was a completely random question.

Honestly, I didn’t expect him to answer. Most of the time, he just ignored me. To him, I was practically invisible.

"Yeah," he replied.

My breath hitched. I turned to look at him, shocked that he actually responded, but his eyes remained glued to the page.

"You?"

Was I dreaming?

"Y-yes," I lied. Despite the falsehood, I couldn't stop the smile from tugging at my lips. This was the very first time he had ever asked me a question back. He didn't say another word after that, but to me, that simple, brief exchange felt like a beautiful, hours-long conversation.

...

"Thank you," I murmured a short while later.

As usual, he dropped me off five meters away from the university gates. *No one can find out about us*—that was the one rule he constantly hammered into my head.

*"We are only married on paper, so don’t get ahead of yourself,"* his harsh words echoed in my mind.

That was why it had shocked me when he personally showed up at the coffee shop earlier. I still had no idea how he even knew I was there.

Taking a deep breath, I shaken off the thoughts and began walking toward the campus. But just a meter away from the main gate, I spotted Jay stepping out of a car. Our eyes locked instantly.

He marched straight toward me, his brows knitted in a tight frown. He was holding a paper bag.

"Where have you been?" he asked, his voice rigid.

"Oh, just nearby. What about you?" I replied, my mind suddenly flashing back to the bag he had given me before. "Ah, Jay, about that bag—"

"You're welcome," he interrupted bluntly, cutting me off before I could even finish. "Don’t assume anything. I just hate seeing people close to me get pushed around."

Before I could process his words, Jay brushed past my shoulder, walking away with fast, angry strides. I stood there, utterly confused, staring at his retreating back.

But as I turned around to head inside, my heart stopped.

Parked across the street was Link’s car. The tinted window was rolled down just an inch, and through the glass, I could feel a pair of dark, furious eyes watching my every move. He hadn't left. He had seen everything.