Hearing this, a terrifying chill flashed in Willy's eyes.
He curled his lips mockingly and said nonchalantly, "My grandmother may be old, but she's not yet senile. Surely you're not naive enough to think she can't live without you, Ms. Lila?"
After speaking, he let out a cold laugh, his face filled with disdain.
Lila knew there was some truth to his words.
She had no retort, so she simply pressed her lips together and fell silent.
Willy didn't say anything more either. He gave her a deep look, then turned silently. With a loud "bang—", the door of the hospital room closed.
Lila was shut out.
She took a deep breath, didn't linger, and left directly.
Stella had been waiting downstairs in the inpatient building.
Seeing Lila walk out, she went up to her.
"You look quite worn out. Life hasn't been easy for you these years, has it?" After blocking Lila's path, she said this with a smile.
Her expression was condescending.
Just like before, whenever the two of them were alone, she didn't even bother to pretend.
Arrogance, provocation, sarcasm—she wielded them all effortlessly.
And all of this was backed by the confidence Marcus gave her. Every time Lila thought of it, she felt intense hatred.
Suppressing the turmoil inside,
she met Stella's gaze steadily and smiled. "After all these years apart, you haven't made any progress at all. All you can do is attack my appearance."
Stella's face darkened, and her tone turned cold. "Willy won't marry you. Give up on that idea. Don't end up walking the same path as your mother. People need to know their place—you're nothing now and utterly unworthy of him."
Lila responded with an "oh," then asked unhurriedly, "And you're worthy? Will he marry you?"
Stella suddenly smiled, her expression brimming with confidence. "He's my daughter's father, of course he'll marry me. You? At best, you're just a third party. Lila, do you know why he slept with you back then?"
"Because I went abroad to study and broke up with him. He knew I hated you, so he used you to provoke me and force me back to him."
"All these years, he hasn't married because he's resisting his grandmother. It's you who's shameless, trying to leverage a child to gain status. Let me tell you, as long as I'm here, you stand no chance."
Hearing the word "used" again, Lila's heart constricted with a dense, needle-like pain.
She truly hadn't known that Willy and Stella were in a relationship.
Back when they reunited, she had asked him if he was single before pursuing him, and he said yes.
It was only because of his answer that their relationship had developed.
So the truth was something like this.
He hadn't just been toying with her—he was also using her to get back at Stella.
Lila felt like the biggest fool in the world. No words could describe how she felt at that moment.
Seeing her as if she had lost her soul, Stella felt immensely pleased. "Women need to rely on their own abilities. Look at society today—those who try to climb their way up through underhanded means never end well."
"Lila, since you've already left Willy's family and left Jingbei, you should get as far away as possible."
With those words,
Stella left.
The "clack, clack, clack" of her high heels was like a heavy hammer pounding relentlessly on Lila's heart.
Her hands, hanging at her sides, unconsciously clenched into fists.
Stella did not enter the hospital room.
She knew Willy's grandmother didn't like her.
After calling Willy out, she said with a downcast expression, "I won't go in. I don't want to affect Grandma's mood."
She clearly seemed somewhat disappointed.
Willy pressed his lips together and comforted her, "The elderly lady was spoiled by my grandfather. She's arrogant by habit—no one can easily win her favor."
Stella sighed and said, "That's not true at all. She really likes Lila. Sigh, I wish I could be like her, at least capable of winning people over."
Hearing this, Willy's expression grew colder, and his voice turned icy. "There's no need to compare yourself to someone like that."
Stella murmured, "I'm afraid that with them and their daughter around, you'll abandon me and Sissi."
At this moment, she seemed somewhat fragile, a stark contrast to the strong, assertive woman she usually was in the workplace.
Willy promised, "I won't."
Though it was just two words, Stella was satisfied and smiled again. "Willy, without you all these years, I definitely wouldn't have made it. Thank you."
Willy said, "Alright, go rest now. The driver is downstairs—let him take you home."
Stella nodded emphatically. "Okay."
By the time Lila returned home, it was quite late, but Lyra was still awake.
"Sorry, something came up last minute, and I had to break my promise," Lila hugged her and apologized.
The little girl, however, shook her head and replied, "It's okay, Mommy. You work hard! We can go play next time when you're free."
As she said this, she tilted her head, blinking her round, bright eyes, and smiled at Lila.
Seeing her daughter so well-behaved and understanding, Lila felt both comforted and heartbroken.
She lowered her head and gently stroked Lyra's hair. "Mommy will take a shower and then tuck you in."
Hearing this, Lyra pouted and said with a giggle, "I've grown up. Now it's my turn to tuck Mommy in."
Lila smiled and played along. "Yes, it's my precious daughter's job to tuck me in."
Helen had been standing to the side, watching this scene. For some reason, she felt as if something were stuck in her throat.
She took a deep breath before walking over to Lila and asking cautiously, "Is Willy's grandmother awake?"
Lila glanced at her and replied calmly, "She's out of danger."
She didn't want to mention that Willy had refused to let her into the room.
Helen breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing the exhaustion on Lila's face, she didn't ask anything else.
She only said, "I'll go visit her tomorrow morning."
Lila frowned. "I'll go myself. You just focus on taking care of Uncle."
She didn't want her mother to subject herself to humiliation—Willy would undoubtedly treat her poorly, and most likely, she'd be shut out too if she went.
Hearing this, Helen could only say, "Alright then."
The next morning,
after sending Lyra to kindergarten, Lila didn't go directly to the hospital.
Instead, she went to a temple first.
Willy's grandmother lacked nothing, and since she had just undergone surgery, there were many dietary restrictions. After some thought, Lila decided to pray for her at the temple and obtained a peace charm for her.
By the time she finished praying and reached the hospital, it was almost noon.
Just as Lila arrived at the door of the hospital room, she ran into Willy.
Standing beside him was a middle-aged woman. With just one glance, Lila recognized her as Willy's mother, Grace.
She was staring at Lila, her gaze clearly appraising.
"What are you doing here?" Willy spoke first, his tone noticeably displeased.
Just as Lila was about to answer,
Grace's gentle voice chimed in. "Willy, who is this young lady? She looks somewhat familiar."