The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 486

Franco turned his usual cold gaze toward the woman.

Compared to the genuine joy in her greeting of "Long time no see," his reaction was entirely flat. He looked at her no differently than he would any other medical staff or corporate subordinate.

Galen stood off to the side, entirely unsurprised.

Franco kept everyone at arm's length. With his eccentric temper and impossible personality, getting him to treat anyone with special warmth was harder than reaching the stars.

The only reason he had ever played along and shown a shred of civility to Laura was for the sake of Abacus.

But had he just heard this female doctor call Franco "Malcom"?

"What's going on?" he asked, tilting his head toward Franco.

Franco pressed his lips together in a thin line. His expression remained unreadable, clearly showing no intention of explaining himself.

"Malcom" was the alias he had chosen a decade ago, right before leaving for an undercover mission. It was a name inspired by his thoughts of Petty.

Going into a suicide mission, she was the only person on his mind.

The final letter he had drafted before deployment had been addressed solely to her.

A memory flashed through his mind, causing him to frown slightly, but he smoothed his features in an instant. "My real name is Franco," he told Wendy, his tone heavily laced with distance.

Wendy froze.

Faded memories instantly flooded her mind.

A man with a tight military buzz cut and a black tank top, sitting quietly on a low stool outside an island hut. His predatory gaze had remained locked on the boats passing through the harbor.

There were several times she had caught him absentmindedly dragging a wooden stick across the dirt.

But every time she approached, he would wordlessly scuff his boot over the marks, erasing whatever he had written. She had never been able to read it, only making out that it was two letters.

He was exactly the same as he was back then—cold and aloof to the core.

She quickly recovered with a bright smile, seamlessly adapting. "Of course, Franco."

Seeing his reaction, Galen paused before letting out an amused chuckle. "Did I actually hit the nail on the head?"

The hospital room fell into a brief, heavy silence.

It grew so quiet that Galen started to feel a chill creep up his spine. Just as he opened his mouth to speak...

"Not a fake couple," Franco said in a low voice. "A fake marriage."

Galen gaped. "Another fake marriage?"

The words had barely left his mouth before he felt Franco's murderous glare lock onto him. A cold sweat immediately broke out on his skin.

"What's with that look? Did I say something wrong?" He hurriedly stood up and backed away a few feet, making sure he was safely out of striking distance before settling.

Glancing back at the door, he added, "You faked a marriage with Petty, and you did the same with the doctor. What, are you addicted to faking marriages?"

He was already holding back because Franco was injured. Otherwise, he would have called him out for being a serial fake-husband.