Sage was rendered speechless. "Mr. Morrison, could you please stop bringing up Ian in every other sentence? I'm starting to wonder if you've developed feelings for him!""You're grossing me out again, Sage!" Shane reached out to smack her head, but she dodged to the side. As a result, his hand landed on her slender shoulder."Get off of me!" Sage pushed his hand away in disgust. However, Shane took two steps forward and cornered her."I've warned you, Sage. If you keep annoying me, I won't go easy on you. Tell me, should I give you a beating or two?" He then lifted her chin and asked with a smirk, "Or would you like to give me a kiss?""Get lost!" Sage immediately kicked his knee. What was his problem? Why did he keep harassing her?"Have you lost your mind, Sage?" He bent over and massaged his knee. "I'm such a handsome guy. How could you not get embarrassed or blush when I corner you? I can't believe you'd just kick me!"She rolled her eyes at him. "I was already being very len
Tiana then told Sage about Calvin's call. "You guys are divorced, and you don't even want to give him the time of day. Yet, Ian is still planning to win you back. Why does he think he still stands a chance?" she asked. There was no chance. Sage recounted last night's events to Tiana."Tsk, tsk, tsk. So a knight in shining armor came to your aid, and he even got injured for you. Aren't you even a little touched?"Sage responded truthfully, "I'd be grateful to anyone who came to my aid in a dangerous situation like that. But I wouldn't confuse that with love."Tiana stopped teasing her when she heard that. After all, Ian's past actions had deeply hurt Sage. There was no way Sage would forgive him that easily. "Fine. I was just curious. I won't meddle in your affairs," Tiana said. "That's more like it." Sage then asked her how things were going with Wilson. Tiana told her that things were pretty much the same as before. Wilson was still working long hours, performing surgerie
"I'm craving buffalo chicken wings, escabeche, lutefisk, and for the main course, spaghetti aglio e olio," Sage said.Ian was incredibly picky when it came to food. He would avoid anything spicy and had a strong stench. He wouldn't eat anything that wasn't fresh or healthy, either. "Since you wanted to dine with me, let's see if you can stomach those dishes!" she brooded.Ian didn't object to her requests at all. He even patiently said, "I'll have them prepared. I'll wait for you to come over so we can dine together."Sage then hung up the phone. When she arrived at the hospital and saw the food she had ordered earlier on the table in the ward, she was a little surprised because Ian hadn't ordered anything he liked."Well, what are you waiting for? Come over and eat," he said casually.Sage looked at him. "Are you sure you can eat these?"Ian responded calmly, "Why can't I eat these?"He sure was as stubborn as a mule. Sage couldn't be bothered to argue with him. She went to w
Sage continued, "We've always been worlds apart. Our interests, habits, and upbringings are all different. "For example, you hate the food I like, and I've changed my habits to accommodate you. Over time, I've felt stifled and resentful. But now that I've thought about it, you've done nothing wrong. I was just trying too hard to please you."Similarly, you don't have to force yourself to change for me. It'd be pointless because I won't be moved by such an act either."Ian lifted his gaze after listening to her lengthy speech. "I was telling Delilah the truth this morning, Sage. I didn't marry you because I was forced to. Before you, Grandma had also urged me to get married, but I had no intention of marrying anyone else."Sage couldn't help but sneer. "What's your point? Do you think that still matters?"He responded, "I know I've neglected you and hadn't considered your feelings in the past. I'll learn to do better in the future. Can't you give me a chance to prove myself?"Sag
Ian could tell she was mad and might leave in a huff. He pulled her into his arms, held her close, and whispered, "Sage, you used every trick in the book to marry me, and you said you'd love me forever. "But now, you're treating me like I'm something you found upon the bottom of your shoe, and you won't even give me a chance to explain myself. You're not being fair."His voice was low and filled with a hint of grief and vulnerability. His embrace was warm and broad, and although it was permeated with the smell of disinfectant in the hospital, he still smelled faintly of cedarwood. The Ian in front of her was someone Sage could only dream of in her previous life.From his perspective, she was the one who had suddenly fallen out of love and insisted on a divorce. But with all the pain and hardships she had been through in her previous life, how could she not have reservations?"Ian, if you didn't marry me because you were forced to, then why did you treat me coldly and with disdai
His stomach sure was sensitive. She had eaten several pieces of lutefisk, and consumed a lot of spicy food, but turned out fine. She couldn't believe that a single piece of lutefisk was enough to give him enteritis. But how could she not have noticed anything at all? Did she actually sleep that soundly?Sage asked the nurse for Ian's ward number and went to see him.Sage knocked on the door and found Ian lying on the hospital bed. Perhaps due to his lack of sleep, his complexion appeared more haggard than the previous night. His lips were drained of color too. Besides Ian, she spotted Linda, whom she hadn't seen in a while, and Josephine, who was slicing an apple.Upon hearing the sound of the door cracking open, all three of them turned to look at Sage. Ian's eyes visibly lit up. Ignoring him, Sage greeted Linda with a smile. "Good morning, Grandma Holcomb!""Good morning, Sage!" Linda responded with a smile.Sage felt a little embarrassed. As Ian's caregiver, she had no id
"Oh, you silly child, please don't do anything like that again. Nothing is more important than your life," Linda chided. "You're still so young, and you have so many loved ones who care about you. It was very dangerous and foolish of you to risk your life for an uncertain outcome.""I know." Sage then apologized. "I'm sorry, Grandma Holcomb. Madam Matilda had to return to the country because of this, and I know I've put you through so much worry.""There's no need to apologize." Linda sighed softly. "I was also at fault. I knew you were determined to get a divorce. Yet, I kept hoping Ian could persuade you to stay, which ultimately led you to such a desperate act."The elderly woman continued, "If it weren't for my insistence, you guys would've divorced long ago, and none of this would've happened.""It's not your fault, Grandma Holcomb," Sage reassured Linda. After all, who would want their grandson and granddaughter-in-law to divorce? Even Matilda might not have genuinely wante
Linda added, "You're kind and brave, and I genuinely like you. I feel responsible for the pain you've endured in this marriage, and I'd like to sincerely apologize to you."Her voice was filled with tenderness as she said, "But I hope you won't lose hope in love and life. Bad things only take up a small portion of life."A wave of warmth washed over Sage again. Even if Linda had set them up for Ian's sake, her kindness toward her, spanning both this life and her previous one, was genuine. No matter what, Linda would always stand up for her and defend her. Even after the divorce, she was still worried that Sage might lose hope in life and tried to comfort her. Tilting her head up, Sage smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandma Holcomb. I won't."…While chatting with Linda, Sage received a call from Henry. He wanted to meet up and said he had something important to discuss. Sage agreed. After escorting Linda back to the ward, Ian's dark eyes immediately locked onto Sage, as if plea