6

Aileen swallowed, feeling a bit nervous even though they were alone together. She was astonished when she heard herself utter a soft "O-okay."

Just over a month ago, Aileen had returned from England. Due to her father's massive debts and the old house left by her grandfather being mortgaged by the bank, the financial gap remained unfillable.

When she was driven to a dead end by creditors, Geoffrey appeared. He claimed to be Aileen's fiancé and paid off her billion-dollar debt. At the time, she was emotionally numb toward love, so she reluctantly accepted this marriage, pretending it was real.

In her previous 22 years of memory, there had been no one named Geoffrey. Later, she learned about the genius surgeon Geoffrey from the news.

Now, thinking back, she felt that she had been too naive, accepting a marriage with a stranger so casually.

But what puzzled her more was, what made him willingly shoulder the burden of a murder charge for her?

As Aileen rinsed her mouth in the bathroom, regretting her hasty agreement to Geoffrey's invitation, fate played another joke on her.

She had a nosebleed.

A fresh red liquid gushed out of her nose, unstoppable, and a chill instantly spread from her feet to her heart.

Her lips turned pale, and she recalled how she had bled like this in her past life. At that time, Geoffrey never came home every night because he disliked having strangers in the house, so there were no housekeepers either.

On that night, holding a pool of blood in her hands, she attributed it to excessive internal heat, not bothering to think further even though the blood exceeded the level of an internal heat condition.

By the time she realized it, the disease had become incurable.

Aileen forced herself to remain calm and tried to recall the first time she was diagnosed with late-stage leukemia, which was about a year later. Perhaps there was still a chance to save herself.

Pressing a tissue to her nose, trembling, she dialed the phone. When someone answered, she said, "Geoffrey... Can you come upstairs, please?"

"Okay." Geoffrey hung up and went upstairs.

Seeing Geoffrey's figure in the hallway, tears almost escaped from Aileen's eyes.

He strode toward her, his gaze fixing on the tissue soaked with blood. "Why are you bleeding so much?"

"I don't know... I suddenly felt a warm sensation in my nose while rinsing my mouth, and then the nosebleed couldn't be stopped." She grabbed Geoffrey's sleeve, sounding anxious, "I think I have leukemia."

Geoffrey's eyes darkened, and he lifted Aileen up, carrying her with his powerful legs as he walked toward the bedroom.

Before she could even exclaim, she found herself lying on the bed. Geoffrey lifted her chin, took out another tissue, but the blood kept flowing, furrowing his thick brows.

"Let's go to the hospital." He swiftly picked a coat from the wardrobe and draped it over Aileen, carrying her downstairs.

With her entire body leaning against him, Aileen felt a bit uneasy. "Geoffrey, I can walk on my own."

"Don't move." His low voice seemed to suppress something, and Aileen instantly dared not speak further.

The scent of disinfectant in the hospital irritated Aileen's nerves. Her past life of lying in the hospital for eight years had left psychological scars, and she felt restless in the waiting room.

When she saw the doctor and Geoffrey returning to the room, her heart tightened, and she hoarsely said, "Doctor..."

"Let's go back." Geoffrey's voice interrupted her, and he pulled her away, walking out. Aileen looked puzzledly at the doctor.

In the car, Geoffrey's face remained expressionless.

"Geoffrey..." Aileen couldn't help but be curious about the severity of her condition.

"With me here, you won't have any problems." His deep voice lacked any emotion.

Upon hearing this, a feeling of grievance surged up in Aileen. She lowered her head, her eyes reddening. In her past life, she had never heard such words. She always thought that even if she disappeared, no one would care.

"Thank you."

Geoffrey's rugged profile was filled with gloom.

Ever since returning from the hospital, Geoffrey never mentioned their honeymoon plans again. Aileen noticed that almost all the household items had been replaced recently, with the fruit knife and scissors missing. Even the tables in the kitchen and living room had been changed to round ones.

A few days ago, her online job application had been accepted, and after dressing up, Aileen was about to leave for an interview.

"Where are you going?" a deep voice came from behind.

Startled, she felt inexplicably guilty. "I have a job interview today."

"You're not allowed to go."

"Why not?"

His blue eyes stared at her, but he didn't answer.

"This job is important to me today, and I'll be careful." She knew he was concerned about her health, but she didn't want to waste this opportunity.

Geoffrey approached, and his large hand covered the one she had on the doorknob. She felt the scorching heat and instinctively pulled her hand away, causing the door to shut instantly.

His tall figure, solid broad chest, and dangerous masculinity exuded an intimidating aura. Aileen's tone softened, "Why are you like this?"

Though she was sick, it didn't mean he could restrict her freedom.

"Just stay at home; I can take care of you."

"But I don't want to stay at home all the time. I want to have my own career and not be worthless."

Geoffrey's gaze remained firm, showing no room for negotiation.

Aileen's temper flared up, "I'm definitely going for the interview."

It seemed like he wasn't listening to her words. He took her hand and started walking back, making Aileen feel disrespected. She raised her voice, "Geoffrey, who do you think you are to control me?"

Hearing her call his name directly, a hint of emotion flickered in his blue eyes, "As your husband, I have that right."