Serena took her time crossing the short distanceâthree meters, maybe lessâmoving so slowly it felt like minutes passed with every step. Yet her smile was infectious, warm enough to draw tears from the nurse standing nearby.
âMr. Lynch, your wife has worked so hard during her recovery,â the nurse said, her voice thick with emotion. âTo come this far, sheâs truly given it her all.â
The nurse had always assumed Serena was Tyroneâs wife. Serena never corrected her, always referring to Tyrone as her husband. Alicia felt a pang in her chest, a hollow ache she couldnât ignore. Of course it hurt.
Tyrone heard the nurseâs words and gently corrected her. âActually, youâre mistaken. This is my wife,â he said, gesturing to Alicia.
Aliciaâs mind went blank. She was standing a little further away, her hearing not what it used to beâshe didnât quite catch what Tyrone said. All she wanted was to disappear, to find a crack in the floor and slip through. Caught between the three of them, she felt like the odd one out, painfully out of place.
Serenaâs expression darkened for a moment, her smile fading as she turned her gaze to Alicia.
Alicia stood frozen, forcing a smile only when Serena came closer. âMiss Sinclair... we meet again.â
Serena nodded gently, heading toward the front passenger seat as if it was the most natural thing in the worldâif Tyrone was driving, of course sheâd sit up front. Her leg wasnât fully healed, so Alicia didnât overthink it; she hurried to open the door, helping Serena settle in.
But Tyrone intervened, opening the back door instead. âMelanieâs missed you,â he said, guiding Serena toward the rear seat. âYou two havenât seen each other in so longâyou should sit in the back and catch up.â
Serena hesitated, her face clouding over, but she didnât protest. Alicia hovered awkwardly until Tyrone told her to get in, and she slid into the front seat, still dazed.
Maybe Tyrone just wanted to give Serena and Melanie some space to reconnect as mother and daughter. But something was off. Melanie didnât say a word to Serena the whole drive, and Serena didnât speak to her either. Glancing in the rearview mirror, Alicia saw them sitting side by side like strangers, neither willing to break the silence.
She knew Melanie loved her motherâshe always had. So why, after so much longing, couldnât she bring herself to reach out, to hug her, to say anything at all? And why did Serena seem so distant in return? Alicia couldnât make sense of it.
Trying to break the tension, Alicia turned and asked, âSerena, do you have any dietary restrictions? Iâll let Wilma know to be careful with dinner tonight.â
Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent)
ï¤Chapter 185 Transmigration: I Have Storage Space in the Apocalypse ï¤Chapter 760 - 756: Encountering a Man with Evil Intentions Serena offered a small smile. âIâm not picky. Anythingâs fine.â
Alicia reached for her phone to call Wilma, but Tyrone cut in. âLetâs eat out tonight. No need to make a fuss at home.â
Alicia glanced at him. âWeâre... not staying at the house?â
âWeâll stay at a hotel for now,â Tyrone replied. âTomorrow Iâll have someone get Melanieâs apartment ready, so she and her mom can stay there together.â
But Serena interrupted him. âTyrone... Iâm used to Wilma taking care of me. I donât think Iâd adjust well to anyone else. Letâs just stay at your placeâ
no need to rearrange everything.â
Serena clearly intended to keep living with Tyrone; she must have sensed a threat.
Tyrone replied, âAliciaâs pregnantâshe needs special care. I donât want Wilma to be overwhelmed looking after both of you, so Iâll have her recommend a good nurse to help out. How does that sound?â
The fact that Alicia was pregnant seemed to matter a lot.
Aliciaâs heart beat faster; for a moment, it seemed like Tyrone was more concerned about her. But then she realizedâmaybe it wasnât her he cared about, but the child she was carrying.