Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 396

Chapter 396 Samuel Loved Lina

"That's not—I didn't mean I want to sleep with you," she blurted.

His eyes dimmed instantly. Of course. She could say she didn't mind his scars all day long, but at the end of the day—

That look on his face made her chest tighten. "Wait, that's not what I meant either. It's not that I don't want to sleep with you. I actually do want to."

By the time she finished, she wanted to crawl under the floor.

If there was ever a definition of digging yourself deeper, this was it.

"Anyway, I can walk on my own," she said, cheeks burning as she met his gaze.

He watched her quietly, the disappointment in his eyes slowly easing.

"Okay. I understand," he said.

Riley pressed her lips together. What exactly did he understand? That she could walk herself? Or that she wanted to sleep with him?

Either way, his eyes weren't sad anymore. God, that was a relief. He looked beautiful like this.

*****

They arrived at the hospital.

Sebastian walked her to the floor where Lina was staying. "I need to take care of something else here. I'll come find you later," he said.

Riley nodded.

Once he stepped into the elevator, she made her way—crutches tapping softly—to Lina's room.

Inside, a young woman sat on the bed in a hospital gown, her head shaved, her face pale in a way that wasn't normal. Even with the sickly color, her features were delicate, though exhaustion pulled at them.

Riley smiled, "Hi, I'm—"

"You're Riley, right?" Lina's eyes lit up, and she said her name immediately.

"You know me?" Riley blinked.

"Zane—no, Samuel—showed me your photo. He told me a lot about you," Lina said. That was why she recognized Riley the moment she walked in.

"Thank you for saving my brother," Riley said.

Lina smiled softly, "Honestly, it's more like he saved me. My family died back then, and I had no one. Finding Samuel was the only reason I didn't end up completely alone."

He had been the reason she kept going and the reason she hadn't quit on life.

Back then, they only had each other. They depended on each other in a way no one else could understand.

"If it weren't for Samuel, I probably wouldn't still be here. Even with this illness... without him, I never would've been able to get treatment," Lina added.

If she were still in Germany, she'd probably just be waiting for the end.

When Lina finally finished, Samuel wiped her mouth with tissues, helped her rinse with water, and tossed the bag away.

Lina leaned weakly against the pillows, her voice soft but steady. "Sorry you had to see that. The treatment makes me nauseous pretty easily."

"I understand," Riley said.

She had spent the past few days researching leukemia. She knew this was normal for patients undergoing treatment.

After resting for a moment, Lina managed to eat a little more.

Samuel stayed close the whole time, every bit of his focus on her. The tenderness in his eyes was something Riley had never seen from him before.

It was the expression of someone looking at the person they loved.

Samuel loved Lina.

And in that moment, Riley saw it with absolute clarity.

*****

In a hospital office, Thomas looked up as Sebastian walked in. "What's this? You're looking for me first thing in the morning? Not with Riley?"

This was the best leukemia treatment hospital in Russia.

The Lincoln family had arranged for Lina to be treated here. After arriving in Russia, Sebastian had also come here for medical evaluations and compatibility testing for the stem cell donation.