Love Says She Once Returned

Chapter 11 If He Cared, Why Hurt Me?

　　Elena was helped into a cleaner, more decent-looking room.

　　Every inch of her body ached so badly she couldn't even move. She just laid there like a broken doll, limp on the hard wooden bed.

　　Night settled in. The cold and the pain crawled over her skin like tiny knives, keeping her wide awake.

　　It wasn't until right before dawn that sleep finally began to creep in.

　　In her half-asleep haze, she heard someone come in, "Alright, lunchtime… Wait, you didn't even touch your breakfast?”

　　Elena wasn't trying to starve herself—her stomach just hurt too much. She didn't even have the strength to sit up.

　　A trickle of sunlight crept through the small, high window in the wall, warm against her bruised and battered skin. But despite the blue sky outside, all she felt inside was a heavy blanket of despair.

　　Mrs. Tate came in with dinner and spotted the untouched breakfast and lunch. Her heart nearly jumped into her throat.

　　Mr. Sterling had been very clear before he left—no matter what, don't let this woman go hungry. She was to be well-fed and well taken care of. But now she hadn't eaten a thing all day. What now?

　　"Miss Cooper, please, try to eat something. I brought one of your favorite dishes today," Mrs. Tate coaxed gently.

　　Elena kept her eyes shut and didn't say a word.

　　Mrs. Tate's heart skipped. No way… Had she… died? She reached out a finger, carefully bringing it to Elena's nose.

　　A faint breath touched her fingertip. Thank God. She exhaled shakily, “Don't scare me like that…” She then picked up the steaming bowl of food, along with some hot soup, and sat herself down beside the bed.

　　She gently propped Elena up against her shoulder.

　　Mrs. Tate didn't know what exactly Elena did to end up in Mr. Sterling's bad books, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for the girl.

　　She brought a spoonful of soup to Elena's lips, blowing on it first so it wouldn't burn her. “Miss Cooper, you've got to hang in there. As long as you're still breathing, there's always hope. If your parents saw you like this, they'd be heartbroken.”

　　Elena slowly opened her tired eyes.

　　“Don't tell my parents,” she rasped. Right now, the only thing she was grateful for was that her parents were far away, unaware of how badly things had turned out.

　　“Of course not. I won't,” said Mrs. Tate, feeding her another spoonful. “Come on, just a little more.”

　　Bit by bit, spoonful by spoonful, the meal disappeared.

　　By the time the bowls were empty, Mrs. Tate looked downright relieved.

　　“Miss Cooper, now just lean back and rest a while.”

　　As she cleared the dishes, she added, “I've known Mr. Sterling since he was a kid. He's really not like this at heart. I'm telling you, he cares about you. If he didn't, he wouldn't have made all the arrangements for you to go back to the hospital. I think you two have a huge misunderstanding. Why not just talk to him and clear things up?”

　　“He was the one who helped me get back into the hospital?” Elena's voice flickered with the faintest spark of hope.

　　“I thought Sophie was the one who rallied the patients' families?”

　　“She's just a nurse—how much could she really do? It was all set up by Mr. Sterling behind the scenes. Chloe was furious over it.”

　　“Really?”

　　Elena sat up slowly, her voice low. “If he really cared... how could he hurt me like this?”

　　That's what she said, but deep down, for the first time in a while, something softened in her chest. Was it true he actually cared? But why did he never show it?

　　Maybe... maybe it was finally time they talked.

　　Then again, maybe she wouldn't get that chance.