He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 173

Yardley turned on the bedside lamp. The warm, dim light illuminated the dark, bruised-looking circles under his eyes, highlighting his sheer exhaustion.

"Don't panic. I didn't do anything." His voice was raspy. "I was worried the hospital cot was too uncomfortable and you wouldn't sleep well, so I took it upon myself to bring you home."

Home?

Scarlett found the claim absurd. She scanned her surroundings again. The room was unfamiliar, though it had a deliberately manufactured coziness to it.

Yardley quickly elaborated. "This is a new place I bought. Orchard Villa is still being renovated. Oh, and this apartment is right above yours. It's close by, which will make it easier for us to take care of our daughter together."

Scarlett raised an eyebrow, eyeing him with intense scrutiny. "And how exactly did you get me up here?"

"I carried you," he replied softly. "You were in a really deep sleep. You didn't wake up once the entire way."

Scarlett was speechless.

She hadn't expected to sleep like the dead. To be carried all the way from the hospital without even realizing it...

Well, strictly speaking, she had been somewhat aware. In that hazy, half-awake state, she remembered feeling enveloped in a warm, broad embrace. That familiar, deeply comforting scent had wrapped around her, making her want to sink into it and never wake up.

Yardley stifled a yawn. He opened his arms, his eyes filled with a cautious, hopeful plea. "Come here. Let's just hold each other and sleep a little longer, okay?"

"I promise I won't touch you. I... I just really want to get a good night's rest."

"I can tell you've been exhausted lately, too. The reason you slept so deeply next to me just now is because you subconsciously know that sleeping by my side is the only time you truly feel safe."

Scarlett fell silent.

Because of that love, she had conquered every obstacle.

Because of that love, she had endured the constant slights and disrespect from his family.

Because of that love, she had selflessly burned herself out for his company, doing everything in her power to support him.

But now, all of that had been completely shattered by Sylvia's presence.

The rose-tinted glasses were gone, completely shattered into pieces she could never put back together. The perfect image of him she once held was ruined.

She was exhausted too. Her mind and heart were drained, and every single night was a torturous internal battle.

Divorce was an easy word to say, but for any woman who had entered a marriage out of love, stepping out of that fortress meant severing deep emotional roots. It meant hacking away at the vines that had entangled them together, peeling back the layers until she could finally rip herself free.