Chapter 3 Don’t Be So Aggressive
Lizzie woke up from a coma three days later. Her leg was in a cast and hung high up in the air.
Two nurses walked in, chatting, unaware she had come around.
“I thought Mr. Howland was always so serious and stern. But it turns out he can be so gentle.”
“I’m surprised, too. Did you see his hands shaking when we were dressing his fiancée’s wound? He was so nervous, asking us to be gentle. To think we’re talking about a guy who never uttered a sound when he was treated for serious injuries!”
“His hands were trembling so violently. Who could have missed that? But his fiancée’s injury wasn’t serious at all. It could have healed on its own if they had come a bit late.”
Only Theron was surnamed Howland in the entire Equinox Research Institute.
And his real fiancée was staring at them.
Finally, they noticed her. “Ma’am, you’re awake. Which unit are you from? We didn’t recognize you, so we didn’t call anyone. Tell us your name, and we’ll call someone.”
“Lizzie Trevino.”
They were obviously stunned before looking at her strangely. “Is it some sort of joke? Ms. Trevino is Mr. Howland’s fiancée. We’ve just met her.”
Lizzie spent most of her time doing research in Equinox Research Laboratory and barely went out. As they worked for different departments, it made sense that those two nurses had never met her.
Theron got hurt all the time and was a regular here. Besides, Efren often talked about Lizzie, so everyone here had all heard of her.
Without explaining anything, Lizzie pulled out a pen from a nurse’s pocket and wrote down her name on the tag at the foot of the bed.
Her calm and unhurried demeanor largely convinced the nurses.
.
“You really are Ms. Trevino?”
The nurses were wondering the same thing. They thought, “Who is the woman Mr. Howland has been taking care of these three days?
“Is this woman really Ms. Trevino? While she lay here unconscious for three days due to severe injury, Mr. Howland took another woman here every day to have her wound dressed, and he never checked on her at all. How is that possi-
ble?”
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Chapter 3 Don’t Be So Aggressive
They looked at her skeptically.
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Under their gazes, she opened the nightstand drawer and saw her belongings inside, including a cloth bag with cash.
She took some cash out and gave it to them. “Could you get me a pair of crutches?”
The nurses widened their eyes. “You wanna leave? Absolutely not! Your bone is fractured, and the doctor gave your leg twelve stitches! What if your wound reopens?”
She lowered her head. “I’ve got something very important to do.”
“Well… Let me check with the doctor first,” one of the nurses said.
“Thank you,” she replied while moving her body slowly by supporting the bed.
The nurses left for the doctor while telling every gossip they had just heard–Theron had left his severely injured fi- ancée alone in the hospital while looking after another woman meticulously. Soon, everyone in Equinox Hospital knew.
As Johanna and Theron walked toward the entrance of the hospital, they saw that everyone was staring at them strangely.
Johanna was in a cream–colored dress and a light–brown plaid coat. The wound on her leg was bandaged tightly, vaguely visible beneath the hem of her dress.
She stroked her lips with pink lipstick and looked down at her carefully chosen outfit. “Is there anything odd about me?”
Theron, who was walking beside her, was in uniform, his posture straight. Hearing this, he gave her a once–over to see if there was anything wrong, not noticing her makeup. “You’re perfectly fine, Johanna.”
A nurse passing by them suddenly stopped and widened her eyes while gawking at them, exclaiming, “So, you really aren’t Ms. Trevino!”
She then covered her mouth and walked away quickly.
She then stopped next to her colleague waiting for her not far ahead, and they both pointed at Johanna before leaving.
Johanna was puzzled. “Why would they think I’m Lizzie? Did she say something?”
Theron frowned tightly, pursing his lips into a thin line. He thought, “I’ve explained everything to Lizzie clearly. How come she still stubbornly thinks Johanna wants to be the other woman? Since even the nurses here know about this, I 
bet the rumor has already spread everywhere. How could Johanna work at the Equinox Research Institute then? This
makes it even harder for me to let go so that she can take care of herself.”
Johanna sighed and said to him gently, “Lizzie is young, and it makes sense that she sometimes gets touchy and throws a tantrum. You should coax her more.”
She sounded so wise and mature, which made Lizzie look even more petty and willful.
Theron had always kept his emotions to himself. He nodded expressionlessly. “I know what to do. I’ll take you back
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Chapter 3 Don’t Be So Aggressive
first.”
Meanwhile, Lizzie struggled to walk to the hospital entrance on crutches.
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She was in bed unconscious for three days, not eating or drinking anything. Besides, she had lost a lot of blood, and the wound in her leg was killing her.
It was less than fifty meters from the third–floor ward to the entrance, but after ten minutes, she still hadn’t reached the entrance, and she was already drenched in sweat and panting.
Feeling that she was about to collapse, she put the crutches aside and leaned against the wall to rest.
Her hands were trembling violently from excessive exertion.
Just then, Theron walked over slowly while supporting Johanna, whose leg was wrapped in gauze, and he saw Lizzie leaning against the wall.
He was slightly stunned before letting go of Johanna and striding over and holding Lizzie, who might collapse at any second.
He held her sweaty, cold arm with his warm, broad palms.
Feeling the warmth and his support, Lizzie subconsciously said thanks and opened her eyes.
“Thank…”
She swallowed her words and turned icy upon seeing Theron’s face.
Knowing she was mad at him, Theron wasn’t annoyed by her coldness. Instead, his heart ached and softened at her pale expression.
“You look terrible.”
He stroked her face. “Your face is so cold, yet you’re sweating on a winter day?”
Lizzie pushed away his hand and tilted her head, her gaze falling upon Johanna, who was walking toward them.
Meeting her eyes, Johanna smiled at her.
“Lizzie, where have you been these three days? Mr. Howland was so worried about you.”
“Oh, really? Did he look for me?” If he had, he would have known she was right in this hospital, unconscious for three entire days.
Theron explained patiently, “Hear me out, Lizzie. I went to your dorm, but you weren’t there, so I thought you were deliberately avoiding me and would come back within a few days.”
“He thought?” Lizzie sneered inwardly.
It was the same in her past life. Whenever he had thought she was acting out of spite, he’d give her the silent treat- ment. After a few days, she’d come around and patch things up with him.
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Back then, she had loved him enough to yield. She had figured that he, a regimental commander, had a lot on his shoulders and wouldn’t be sensitive enough to know such things. She shouldn’t be his extra burden or distract him when he was out. Instead, it was her duty to lick her own wounds.
Theron pinched the bridge of his nose, the fatigue on his face palpable. “Don’t be so aggressive, Lizzie.”
If it were in the past, when Lizzie saw him so tired, she would have felt distressed for him at once and asked him to go get some rest, not letting him fret at all.
But not anymore.
“What did I say to make you jump to that conclusion?”
She stood upright while bracing herself against the wall.
Due to her fractured bone, her body tilted to the left, but it didn’t diminish her imposing presence at all.
“You think I’m aggressive because I saw through you and exposed you. You didn’t even look for me, which is why you’re embarrassed and angry.”
Johanna stood with her back straight, looking noble and unsullied. “Lizzie, you shouldn’t define my relationship with Mr. Howland as a romantic one. It’s so inappropriate.”
She continued to advise Lizzie earnestly, “Don’t be so rash again. Haven’t you realized that what you did will affect how others see Mr. Howland? His promotion might be jeopardized. You’re about to marry him, and you’re supposed to act in his interest. How could you drag him down instead?
Without saying a word, Lizzie took the crutches from the side and propped them under her arms.
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