Chapter 44
Ellie’s breath caught in her throat as Alex’s words echoed in her mind. “Hypocritical,” he had called her. The word sliced through her like a knife, and she struggled to believe that Alex—someone she had once cared for—would throw that at her.
Her face turned pale with anger, her fists clenching at her sides. The tears that threatened to fall were held at bay by sheer force of will. “I don’t need it!” she snapped, her voice firm despite the storm inside her.
She threw her bag down and began tidying the ward, determined to swallow her emotions and focus on the goal: the promotion that had been promised. This was her chance, and she couldn’t afford to lose it over petty emotions.
Alex stared at her from the bed, his eyes narrowing as he observed her pained and frustrated expression. He glanced down at the pink diamond necklace in his hands, the silence between them growing heavier. Finally, he broke the tension with a snap of his own.
“Help me up! I need to go to the bathroom!” His voice was sharp, demanding, but Ellie remained unfazed. His head was injured, not his legs. He could’ve been up and about since morning, but he seemed to enjoy making her wait on him.
“Did you hear me, Ellie?” Alex grumbled, annoyance dripping from his tone. He threw something at her, but she didn’t flinch.
Rolling her eyes, Ellie stepped into the caregiver’s area, focusing on the task at hand. After making the bed, she stepped back out, only to find Alex blocking the doorway, peeling an orange with a look of disdain.
“Did that idiot Aaron say anything to you?” Alex asked, his voice dripping with contempt.
Ellie’s patience had worn thin. “At least Aaron’s better than you,” she shot back, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife.
Alex’s response was swift. He threw a half-peeled orange at her, the peel landing in her lap. “You little brat! Try saying that again!” he snarled.
Ellie picked up the dripping orange from the floor, throwing it into the trash. “That day in your apartment, Aaron started the fight. Why don’t you go yell at him instead?” she retorted, moving to step around him.
Alex moved aside but not before grabbing another orange and tossing the peel in her direction carelessly.
Ellie was done arguing. She pretended not to hear him, keeping her eyes on the floor as she moved past him.
“Talk to me, Ellie!” Alex snapped, his frustration reaching a boiling point. He hurled the orange at the ceiling in a burst of rage, the loud thud of it hitting the bed filling the room.
Ellie stared at the stain on the ceiling, then walked over and tossed the orange into the trash without a word. As she turned to leave, Alex grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
She looked down at his hand gripping her wrist, her expression wry. “You’re not wrong; the ceiling started the fight first,” she smirked, the words coming out before she could stop herself.
Alex was taken aback by her response, his surprise evident.
Ellie wrenched her wrist free from his grip, grabbed a tissue, and wiped the orange juice stain off the blanket, her movements mechanical. It was a small gesture, but it felt like a tiny victory in their ongoing silent standoff.
The days began to blend together, and Ellie soon found herself trapped in a cycle she hadn’t expected. What she thought would be a single night of caregiving turned into days—two, maybe three—without Nancy coming to relieve her.
Ellie was not only responsible for Alex’s treatment but also had to keep him company and manage his medications. On top of that, Alex seemed determined to make things as difficult as possible for her, constantly pushing her buttons and testing her patience.
Every time she wanted to walk away, she reminded herself of the director’s promise: a permanent position if she handled this well. It was her only motivation to stay, and she gritted her teeth, enduring it all, no matter how exhausting it became.
