Chapter 459
Given Leandro’s boredom while confined to his hospital bed, Seraphina took it upon herself to enliven his days, even going so far as to arrange for Valerio’s tutoring sessions to take place at the hospital.
Though he had company by day, the loss of freedom was a torment to a man like Leandro, who was accustomed to a bustling life. Forced to be idle, he was completely out of his element.
Three days post-op, once he was free of the myriad tubes, Leandro began trying to get out of bed with assistance.
On day four, he attempted to walk on his own.
By the seventh day, Seraphina had to leave to handle some matters at Carney Artful Reverie. Twenty minutes after her departure, Leandro, with Keen’s support, also made a temporary exit from the hospital.
Naturally, he was going to see Gloria.
Herman was already surprised when he got the call, but seeing Leandro in person left him utterly astonished.
“Leandro!” Herman rushed over to support him. “How did you manage to get discharged so soon?”
Fresh from surgery, Leandro was visibly pale and running on sheer willpower.
Herman guessed the reason immediately. “Does Seraphina know you’ve bolted from the hospital?”
Leandro shook his head, bypassing the concern. “Is everything set?”
Herman was worried about his health, but since Leandro had come all this way, they couldn’t let it be for nothing. He nodded, “But it can’t be long, you need to get back to the hospital ASAP.”
Leandro acknowledged with a nod.
Herman reached out to help him, but Leandro waved him off, “I’m not that fragile.”
Unable to argue, Herman let him be.
Ten minutes later, Gloria, accompanied by a policewoman, entered the room where Leandro was waiting.
As she stepped in, her face was calm, but upon seeing Leandro, her eyes instantly welled up. She hastened forward, reaching out to cradle his face.
The policewoman moved to intervene but was stopped by Herman.
Understanding Herman’s look, the policewoman nodded and closed the door behind her.
Gloria gazed silently at Leandro for a moment and then couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.
“Does it still hurt?” she sobbed, “Your wounds, do they still hurt?”
Leandro gently grasped her hands. “It stopped hurting a while ago.”
Up close, Gloria could see the weariness in his pallor. She cried even harder, “I’m sorry, Leandro… I have failed you…”
Holding her hands tightly, Leandro said, “I’ve made the effort to come see you, please don’t cry.”
Despite his words, Gloria couldn’t stop her tears, leaning on him and weeping. Even in the worst fights with Bruce, Gloria rarely cried. Her tears showed she was no longer holding back.
Leandro let her cry it out without further attempts to console her.
After more than ten minutes, Gloria began to calm down, still looking at Leandro with a mix of tenderness and remorse. “You need to heal properly. You’re so young; don’t let my mistakes cause you lasting harm.”
“Don’t worry,” Leandro reassured her. “I’ll take care of myself. And I know you’re struggling too. I’ll get you out of here soon.”
Gloria paused at his words, then slowly shook her head.
“No need,” she said. “Just take care of yourself. I’ve done wrong and need to face the consequences…”
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