The Secret Obsession of the CEO
Chapter 185: Tough Love

Chapter 185: Tough Love

Rory didn’t even realize that it had been a fortnight since she was admitted to the hospital. She didn’t care about what was happening in the world pertaining to the serial killing cases.

She was in her world void of any colors and scent.

She was not pleased that they were not giving her painkillers anymore. "My arms still hurt. Can you increase that dosage?" she asked the doctor who was on a routine visit.

"Mrs. Roberts, you are fine. Your X-rays show that your~"

"I am the one suffering. I am telling you that it hurts a lot. What kind of doctors are you? What would an X-ray show you better than what I say?" she shouted at the doctor.

These doctors are useless. Rather than making a valid assessment based on what the patient feels, they decide on their own and trust those stupid machines.

"Cherry, that’s enough," Liam stopped her from chewing off the doctor.

He tried to place his hand on her shoulder to calm her down. But she did not appreciate that and swiftly adjusted herself away from his hand. Liam looked at her and let out a short sigh. He then turned to look at the doctor and apologized for her behavior sparking anger in her heart.

He cannot talk on my behalf!

"I was talking to the doctor!" she talked in a deep voice expressing her rage. "I am hurting, and I want painkillers. They help me sleep. Who are you to stop the doctor from giving me the medicines I need?" She asked.

Liam took in a deep breath and poured a glass of water for her.

"What are you doing?" she shouted not accepting the glass of water. She did not want water. She wanted medicines for her pain.

"Go back! Tell them to give me my medicines! And don’t interfere in my life. Where is my divorce?" she shouted. Her head throbbed and the more she looked at him staying calm, the more she got angered.

"I am not going to watch you turn into an addict, Cherry," Liam said with serenity ruling his tone. He was not angry at her. Because he could see her hurt. She is not sleeping at night and often wakes up screaming.

She is not fine. She is unwell. She needs support. And he will give it to her as long as she needs it, even when she does not want it.

He has nothing else going on. And if the roles were reversed, Rory would be staying by his side even if he tried to kill her. So, he will do the same for her.

His only concern was if he was the one making it worse. But whenever she has those nightmares, he found that his voice is soothing and comforting her. So, he did not want to leave. After staying with her in the hospital, he figured that she hated looking at him. He looked at the comments people left everywhere, and he only then realized that he has the eyes of his biological father.

Maybe that’s what is keeping her from him.

he can change that. He was happy that his voice was not that similar to Lennon’s. He can change his eyes once Rory gets a little better.

And divorce? They are not getting divorced. He is not getting divorced from her unless she finds someone else, she loves.

He knew it will never get to that point. She cannot love anyone else.

Rory wanted to talk back to him. He cannot judge her. She is in pain and asks for painkillers and he is thinking that she is getting addicted.

What an idiotic thought!

But her chest hurt so much she didn’t bother to talk back to him. He will never understand what she feels. He never did. All he cares about is his interpretation and his feelings. Right now, he might be feeling bad that everyone will blame him if he leaves her after what she went through. That should be the reason he is pretending to be with her.

He is not even getting angry. Is that even him anymore?

She, like always, turned her back on him and closed her eyes. Liam rubbed his forehead. He wanted to shake some sense into her. But he can give her some time. He will wait for her to open up to him for as long as it takes.

She was still not willing to talk to her about what Lennon told her. And he stopped listening to the news long ago, so he does not know if everything is open to the public. For now, he heard that a lot of details are kept under wraps only to be spoken in front of the judge in secret.

He thought Agnes Roberts was behind that. Thinking of Agnes Roberts, Mrs. Delport said that she will make a visit soon. Agnes Roberts’ health is not well. He informed Rory of that, but she was not reacting to it.

In fact, she was not reacting to a lot these days. Even their baby who would get her all excited and tender-eyed is not moving her. Only those pills are moving her.

He knew he cannot let that continue. He has to stop her from getting too dependent on those pills. And the doctors are sure that her fracture is healed. They are insisting that she can be discharged.

But Rory does not want to. He knew her problem is not in her body, but in her mind.

So, what can he do?

-----

"She’s still not better?" Mrs. Delport asked Liam.

Liam shook his head.

"And the baby... Still with your parents?" she asked.

Liam nodded.

Mrs. Delport let out a deep sigh. "So, whatever that man said~"

"I’ll wait for Aurora to talk to me about it," Liam said. His family was proud of his decision. But Mrs. Delport looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Bring the baby. Don’t leave her on her own. Make her watch the baby. If she is not holding her, let the baby cry. She is bound to pick her up. She is her baby, and she loves her with all her heart. Right now, she knows that her baby is fine even without her and once she sees her baby suffer, she will step up," Mrs. Delport said.

Liam scoffed at that suggestion. Maybe this advice might closely resemble to what they call "tough love". And it might work on Rory. She won’t watch her baby cry and would react. She would try and pull herself together for the sake of her baby.

But would that be better in the long run? Without coming to terms with her trauma and healing herself, if her recovery was forcefully accelerated using emotional blackmail, will she ever become better?

He didn’t think that it would be a better idea. The doctors advised him against that and told him to allow her to be how she wants to be for a while until she decides to turn her life around.

Because if she is not willing to change, nothing would be productive.

He loves his wife. And he does not want just a shell of her who behaves the way others want her to be. He wants her to be herself and he will wait for the day she decides to be her true self--the motherly girl, who loves everyone.

Rory pressed her lips seeing Mrs. Delport. "What do you want?" she asked as Mrs. Delport sat beside her.

"How long are you going to ruin yourself sleeping on the hospital bed?" Mrs. Delport asked. "And thanks for asking about your grandmother. She is not doing well and it will do her good if you visit her."

Rory laughed. And she laughed some more. "Isn’t that what you said in the phone call that day too? I was fine... I would have left for my hometown with my baby, and everything would have been fine. And you, selfish woman..." She gritted her teeth. "You had to ruin it!"

"Your baby needs you even now. What is locking yourself in the hospital do for you or for her? And look at your husband. What~"

Rory smirked seeing Liam leaning on the wall like a pitiful little boy.

"He can leave anytime he wants to. I already asked him for a divorce. Didn’t he tell you?" she spoke in a cocky way lifting her eyebrow.

"A divorce?" Mrs. Delport looked at Liam for answers. No one has heard anything about it. But by Liam’s reaction, she could say that Aurora is leaning towards that decision. "So, you are giving him what he wants," she smiled. "I didn’t peg you for a loser, Aurora. I thought you always fought for what you wanted and got it."

Rory knitted her brows. She did not want to answer her.

"And..." Mrs. Delport rubbed her knees. "Who is going to have custody of your baby then?" she asked. "Is she going to be with the father wondering all her life why her mother abandoned her, or is she going to be with her mother resenting her for not letting her father in her life?"

"That’s not fair, Mrs. Delport," Liam stepped forward. That was a low blow blaming Rory for everything. He did not agree with that.

Rory scoffed. Her eyes reddened as she looked at Liam. "The baby will be with her brother," she said. Before she finished, her eyes got clouded blocking her from looking at Liam.

"What?"

"What the..."