Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 410

The next morning, Silas boarded the earliest flight back to New York.

Upon landing, he bypassed his penthouse completely and went straight to the Merit Biotech headquarters.

Since the trip was entirely impulsive, Willow had no idea he was back. Assuming he was still out of state, she froze when she saw him stride into the executive suite. "You're back?"

"Yes. Wrapped things up early," Silas replied smoothly, though his predatory gaze was instantly anchored to her face, hungrily taking in her features. Thank god. She remembered him.

But as he stared, his chest tightened. Had she lost weight?

Didn't Arthur swear she had been eating every single meal? How could she look this fragile?

Silas's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as a heavy, suffocating ache lodged in his throat. He studied her intensely.

She had always been slender, but there had been a soft, healthy fullness to her cheeks. Now, that softness was gone. Her jawline was sharp, almost painfully so. Wrapped in her tailored blouse, she looked delicate and insubstantial, as if a strong gust of wind could knock her over.

She had definitely lost weight.

Unable to restrain himself, Silas stepped into her personal space, the words tearing out of him before he could stop them. "Why did you lose so much weight? Have you not been eating?"

Willow blinked, entirely caught off guard. She hadn't expected his first words after days of radio silence to be a fierce, intimate interrogation about her health. She had braced herself for a cold brush-off or a polite, sterile greeting—something matching the sheer apathy he had shown her recently.

Yet here he was, his eyes dark with concern, his tone wrapped in that same intense, overwhelming protectiveness he had always shown her. For a split second, she felt like the agonizing distance of the past few days had just been a bad dream. But the lingering sting of rejection in her chest reminded her it was very real.

Instead of answering, Willow scrutinized him right back. If anyone looked like hell, it was him.

As the apex predator of a global conglomerate, being busy was a given. But Willow had seen him operate at maximum capacity before, running back-to-back summits from dawn until midnight. Even then, he had never skipped a meal. Why was this time so different?

A thousand questions burned in her throat. She wanted to demand why he had left so abruptly, and why he had rushed back. She wanted to know why he had iced her out for days, only to return and look at her with that same, suffocating intensity.

But the words died on her tongue. She had no right to demand answers. More than that, she was terrified that if she pushed, he would casually mention the woman he had gone to see, and the truth would shatter her completely.

Just then, Leo walked over with a stack of files, effectively killing the moment.

Seeing Silas standing there, Leo quickly offered a respectful greeting.

Though jealousy flared hot and vicious in Silas's veins, his iron-clad self-control took over. He gave a curt, polite nod, formally welcoming Leo to the company.