I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 154

Xander seemed somewhat satisfied—or rather, amused—by that answer.

The corner of his mouth twitched imperceptibly. He pushed an insulated bag on the nightstand closer to her, his tone retaining its usual uncompromising flatness.

"I picked up some stew on my way here. I don't know if you'll like it, but just eat something for now. Zelda should be on her way."

Nora nodded and softly murmured a thank you.

Xander pulled his chair back and sat down again, crossing his long legs. He grabbed the day's financial newspaper from the rack and unfolded it, clearly intending to stay.

Without looking up, he added, "I'll leave once they arrive."

Nora tried testing the waters. "You don't have to wait. You can go ahead. I can handle myself."

Xander paused his page-turning. He lifted his eyes, the temperature in his gaze plummeting a few degrees. "Are you really that eager for me to leave?"

That question caught Nora off guard. They weren't exactly close to begin with; the fact that he was staying was what felt truly absurd.

With him sitting there reading the paper, she felt entirely too awkward to even eat. Nora opened her mouth to reply.

But Xander had already returned his attention to the news. His magnetic voice drifted over, carrying a nearly undetectable hint of petulance. "I said I'll leave when they get here. You don't need to chase me out."

With that, he flipped to the next page. His expression remained utterly unreadable, but the force he used to turn the paper was noticeably sharper than usual.

Truthfully, Xander was harboring a strange, unnameable frustration. Any other woman would have bent over backwards finding excuses to spend an extra minute with him. Yet this Nora Newman wanted him out of her sight the second they met.

Zelda stood at the foot of the bed, her eyes already red.

Looking at Nora's pale, drawn face, her voice trembled. "Nora, you scared me to death. The call only said you were in the hospital getting stitches. It didn't explain what happened."

Nora quickly reassured them, giving a brief rundown of the events. She forced a bright smile. "I'm really fine. It's just a few stitches. I'll be discharged in a couple of days."

Right then, Xander stood up from the sofa. He smoothly placed the newspaper back on the rack, adjusted his suit jacket, and gave Zelda and Felix a subtle nod. "Since you're here, I'll be taking my leave."

Felix finally noticed there was someone else sitting in the shadowy corner. He turned and met Xander's fathomless eyes, his brows furrowing slightly.

Since when were Xander and Nora close enough to be alone in a hospital room together?