Chapter 141: I have no intention of marrying again.
Ian looked at her in silence. His heart felt unbearably heavy.
This was the woman who had once loved him with all her heart. She had pursued him relentlessly, confessed her feelings without shame, and refused to give up even after he had rejected her several times.
Yet through all those years, she had never truly trusted him. Her insecurity had slowly poisoned their marriage. Even after the divorce, nothing had changed.
At that moment, Ian realized there was no point explaining himself anymore. She would believe what she wanted to believe.
No amount of truth would ever change her mind.
He was simply tired.
"I’ve been married once," he said quietly. "I’ve been divorced once."
His eyes were filled with exhaustion. "I have no intention of marrying again."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked out of the room.
Evelyn remained frozen in her chair. As his footsteps gradually disappeared down the corridor, an unbearable ache spread through her chest.
She fought to hold back her tears. But beneath the bandages covering her eyes, they slipped free anyway.
The footsteps echoed outside the room once again.
Evelyn’s body stiffened instinctively. She composed herself and lifted her head, trying to identify the visitor by sound alone.
For a brief moment, she hoped Ian had come back. Instead, a gentle female voice greeted her.
"Good morning."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Evelyn’s face. It wasn’t Ian.
It was Elena.
She forced a smile.
"Good morning, Elena. How is Leo? Did he cry? Did he trouble you?"
Elena let out a soft laugh. "Not at all. He is such a sweet child."
She placed her bag on the bedside table before taking out a lunchbox. "I brought you some porridge."
Opening the container, she scooped up a spoonful. "Let me feed you."
As she carefully fed Evelyn, she spoke warmly about Leo.
"He is such an obedient boy. He finished all his homework by himself, put away his toys after playing, and even washed up without anyone reminding him."
She smiled fondly. "When I asked if he needed help, he puffed out his chest and told me he was a grown-up boy who could do everything himself."
A smile finally reached Evelyn’s lips. "That little rascal..."
She shook her head helplessly. "When I’m around, he acts like a spoiled prince. He throws tantrums and refuses to do anything on his own. Even if I ask him to tidy up his toys or arrange his bookshelf, he’ll tell me he is too tired."
She chuckled softly. "But in front of you, he is suddenly the most obedient child."
"It’s because you are his mother," Elena replied with a smile. "Children always rely on the people they love the most."
The two women shared a quiet laugh.
After finishing the porridge, Elena set the lunch box aside and gently wiped Evelyn’s mouth with a tissue.
After a brief silence, she spoke again. "Yesterday, Ian came to pick Leo up from school."
At the mention of Ian’s name, Evelyn instinctively gripped the armrests.
"He went to Leo’s school?" Her surprise was unmistakable.
During their marriage, Ian had rarely done such things. The hospital had always come first. He had missed nearly every parent-teacher meeting because of work.
And now, after their divorce, he had found the time.
A dull ache settled in Evelyn’s chest.
If only he had done this sooner, perhaps their marriage wouldn’t have fallen apart.
"He also took Leo out for dinner," Elena continued gently, carefully watching Evelyn’s reaction. "I joined them."
A faint smile appeared on Evelyn’s lips, though it never looked like a genuine smile.
Sensing the change in her expression, Elena chose her next words carefully.
"Leo was so happy to spend time with his father. Ian looked just as happy. He ordered all of Leo’s favorite dishes and even promised to take him to the amusement park this weekend."
"Really?" Evelyn was genuinely caught off guard.
Whenever Leo wanted to visit the amusement park, she had always been the one to take him.
Ian’s answer had always been the same. ’I have surgery. I’m too busy.’
Yet now, he suddenly had time. The irony was almost laughable.
When they had still been a family, he had always been absent. Now that everything was over, he was trying to become the father Leo had longed for.
The warmth disappeared from Evelyn’s face.
"There won’t be any need," she muttered. "A busy doctor like him could get called back to the hospital at any moment. I don’t want Leo getting his hopes up only to be disappointed again."
Too many painful memories resurfaced.
Ian had left family dinners halfway through. He had missed Leo’s birthday celebrations. He had cancelled countless picnics because of emergency surgeries.
Each time, Leo had cried himself to sleep.
Evelyn never wanted her son to experience that heartbreak again.
"There is no need," she repeated, her voice turning distant. "He doesn’t have to waste his precious time on unnecessary outings. Once I recover, I’ll take Leo myself. He can wait."
Elena’s heart tightened. She could hear the hurt hidden beneath Evelyn’s cold words. She had been disappointed so many times that she no longer believed Ian could change.
Elena understood that feeling all too well. Some wounds ran too deep to heal overnight. Yet when she remembered the smiles on Ian’s and Leo’s faces yesterday, she couldn’t remain silent.
"Leo is really looking forward to it," she said softly. "For his sake, let him go."
Evelyn drew a slow breath before answering. "Elena, you don’t know Ian." Her voice was calm but firm. "I spent seven years with him. My son and I received nothing but disappointment. We’ve learned how to live without him."
After a brief pause, she added quietly, "We don’t need him anymore."
Elena pressed her lips together.
She remembered Leo chatting excitedly all the way to school that morning, eagerly telling her everything he planned to do at the amusement park. She didn’t want to see that excitement crushed.
Gathering her courage, she tried once more.
"Even if you can’t forgive Ian, you can’t deny that he is Leo’s father. Leo deserves the chance to spend time with him."
Evelyn’s fingers curled tightly into fists on her lap. She didn’t want to talk about Ian anymore, nor did she want to argue with Elena.
"You’ll be late for work," she said, her voice growing cold once more. "You should go."
Elena knew there was no point continuing. Not today.
She picked up her bag and gave Evelyn a gentle smile. "Alright. I’ll bring Leo to see you this afternoon."
With that, she quietly left the room.