Alice nodded. "Mama doesn't need to worry. Alice is fine," she said, her gaze directed towards Alden, who appeared to be peacefully asleep on the bed.

Not wanting to add more lies, Alice chose to end the call with her mother-in-law. She placed Alden's phone on the nightstand and settled down to sleep on the sofa, wrapping herself in a blanket from the wardrobe.

Before drifting off to sleep, Alice gazed at the man who had become her husband just two days ago. He was undeniably handsome, but she knew there would never be love between them.

Rather than hoping for a fairy-tale ending to their love story, Alice decided to build a high and sturdy wall between them.

Alden was the typical stubborn and closed-off man. In his world, there was only Chloe, Chloe, and Chloe.

Seeing this, Alice didn't want to expect much from their marriage. However, she now hoped for a divorce from Alden as soon as possible. Even though grief engulfed her, as a human, Alice managed to close her eyes, as her body was weak from illness and her heart was tired from crying.

As the sun rose, Alice still preferred to rest under the blanket, curled up on the sofa, with her body temperature rising.

Yet, none of this managed to evoke any sympathy from Alden. When he woke up, he only offered a faint smile upon seeing Alice sleeping, pale and curled up.

"What should I do now, Chloe?" Alden mumbled, gazing blankly at Chloe's picture hanging on the bedroom wall.

"Should I really go through with this marriage with your sister? Should I really build a life with a woman who hid your illness from me, causing you to suddenly leave? If only she had told me, I would have rushed back and proposed to you. I would have taken you wherever I went," he whispered, grieving over mistakes that Alice had not committed. All of it had happened because of Chloe's desire to keep her illness a secret. She wanted only Alice to know and support her until she recovered.

Even though Chloe eventually gave up, now Alice was considered the accomplice in hiding her illness, making Alden angry and resentful.

With weary steps, Alden descended the stairs of the luxurious house. The house that had once been filled with laughter and happiness from its inhabitants. The house that had been warm with love and affection from its occupants, who were now gone.

Now, silence and the fog of grief shrouded the house. The workers could be seen going about their duties, but their usual happiness had turned into gloom. The cheerful atmosphere of the house had vanished with its precious light, Chloe.

Now, Alice was the only precious light they had left. She was now officially someone else's wife and would be taken away from them as well. After this, with whom would they live? To whom would they dedicate themselves to earn a living? Without Alice, there would be no place for them to seek their livelihood.

Alden raised his head, holding back the tears that had welled up in his eyes. The aura of sadness was thick within the house, especially as it held many beautiful memories with Chloe before she left for her studies abroad.

Moreover, there were numerous photo frames displaying Chloe's sweet and cheerful face throughout the house. The face of the woman he loved so dearly. Alden shook his head, knowing that staying in the house would only further drown him in despair. So, he decided to return to the hotel, take his car, and drive anywhere to drive away the suffocating feeling in his heart. Little did he know that Alice was in the room, needing his presence as a husband.

Alice, feeling her body getting weaker, tried to get up and find her phone that she had left on the bed the previous night. She needed to contact one of the household assistants since she knew her body wouldn't be able to manage going down the stairs one by one in her current state.

"Where is it? I remember leaving it here last night," Alice murmured, searching every corner of her bed. But it was nowhere to be found. She couldn't locate the rectangular, flat object.

Feeling exhausted from trying, Alice finally gave up and sat at the edge of the bed. Unable to bear the dizziness, she decided to lie down for a while, hoping she would feel better when she woke up.

However, her condition didn't improve even after an hour of sleep. In fact, it worsened compared to an hour ago. Not wanting to stay sick alone in her room, Alice bravely got up and left her room. At the same time, one of the household assistants arrived and informed her that Gilbert was downstairs.

"Has he been here for long, Auntie?" Alice said weakly, her face growing paler.

"Just arrived, Miss," replied the household assistant, guiding Alice to descend the stairs. "Miss, your body is very warm, you should go to the hospital."

Alice turned and nodded. "Yes, Auntie. Luckily, Gilbert is here, I'll go with him." She forced a smile before focusing on the steps.

"Alice, are you sick?" Gilbert asked quickly, catching up with Alice as soon as they reached the ground floor.

"Seems so, Gilbert," Alice whispered. She reached out to Gilbert and used his sturdy body as support for her weak one.

Alice didn't care about her status as Alden's lawful wife; she didn't want to get lost in her own hopes. It was better for her to maintain her relationship with Gilbert until Alden divorced her.

"Since yesterday, the young miss hasn't wanted to eat anything. She only drank chocolate milk and warm water," the housekeeper informed Gilbert, hoping that the young miss would eat to improve her condition.

"Is that true, Alice?" Gilbert asked, his eyebrows almost meeting in concern.

"I don't want anything right now. I just want to isolate myself until my heart calms down and I can accept all of this. It's not like I've lost my life to this situation. So, what's the point..." Alice's voice trailed off.

"Sssttt." Gilbert covered Alice's mouth with his index finger. "Never say that. I don't like it."

"But, Gilbert..."

"No 'buts'! Your life is still long, Alice. I'm sure Chloe and grandmother are sad to see you like this. I'm sure both of them want you to be strong and move on with your life. Besides..." Gilbert took a deep breath. "Besides, you already have a husband. Live for him, so both of you can find happiness."

Despite the pain, Gilbert managed to finish his sentence.

"I won't be able to survive if it's for him."

"Then do it for me," Gilbert whispered, embracing Alice. Breaking down his defenses. Gilbert quickly tilted his head back to prevent the tears from falling.

Not wanting to be weak or anything, Gilbert, who loved Alice deeply, wouldn't easily forget their love story. Although he always said he was willing to let Alice go, the pain and suffocation still weighed on his heart.

Alice was stunned. To endure it for Gilbert? Of course, she would. Even without being asked, she would do her best to stay strong and hold on.

However, her status as Alden's lawful wife had changed everything. Should she pretend Alden didn't exist to make everything easier? Just as Alden had done to her. Completely ignoring their togetherness, even hating and blaming her for Chloe's death.

"Alice... Alice..." Gilbert said, starting to panic as Alice in his embrace didn't move anymore.

Gilbert let go of his embrace. "Oh my god...!" he cried out as he almost fell when their embrace broke. Gilbert immediately picked her up, not caring if Alice was someone's wife or not. What was clear was that the girl he loved had to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible.

As a man who loved his girlfriend dearly, Gilbert took care of all the needs and hospital paperwork for her. If only Alden wasn't there, it was certain that they would already be married.

"Do I have to meet that man and ask him to divorce you?" Gilbert mumbled, looking at Alice lying weakly on the hospital bed.

The girl was dehydrated due to lack of fluids. She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday, and her gastritis was acting up. She also had a fever from the rain two days ago, which worsened her condition. And all of this was completely unknown to Alden.

Gilbert shook his head, trying to drive away thoughts of having and separating Alice from Alden. No matter Alden's behavior, he had no right to judge him unilaterally.

Loving someone didn't mean possessing them entirely. He could take care of and protect her as an expression of his love for her. However, when Alden gave up and left, that's when he could approach and possess her fully.

"Hold on. I'll always be by your side. Taking care of you and protecting you. Even though we can't be together, I..." Gilbert said.

"If you truly love her, then take her away with you. Don't let her stay around me, because I don't like it," Alden said, sitting on the sofa in front of the bed.

Gilbert, who was sitting beside Alice and holding her hand tightly, stood up immediately. He walked over to Alden, who looked increasingly disheveled. He didn't know what else could be making the man not doing well.

"You don't need to concern yourself with Alice, Alden. Just take care of what you need to take care of. Like taking care of and paying attention to Alice, for example. Or try to care, to know that Alice is currently sick," Gilbert said, piercing Alden's heart with his words.

As her husband, he should be the one in Gilbert's position right now – accompanying and taking care of her. Although the grief and pain of losing Chloe would be equally felt in his heart. Despite that, Alden, as her husband, should be willing to be a support for Alice in her current state.

Alden took a deep breath as he glanced at Alice, who still had her eyes closed. She seemed to be improving from the last time he saw her. Her face was not as pale as it was in the morning.

"I don't love her. And it's impossible for me to love her because she's involved in Chloe's death."

"What did you say? Alice was involved in Chloe's death? What kind of perception is this? Chloe died because of her illness, Alden Sebastian! Don't be crazy!" Gilbert retorted, his emotions starting to be triggered by Alden's words.

Alden curled one corner of his lips. "Yes, it's her. If she had told me that Chloe was facing a fatal illness, I would have come back to marry her. I would have taken her with me wherever I went. Found the best doctors in the world for her. But what, huh? She kept silent and covered it up. Even pretended that everything was fine!" he exclaimed.

Alden immediately stood up from his seat before Gilbert had a chance to refute all of his accusations.

"If you really love her, take her away. And I will..."

"If you divorce Alice, I guarantee you won't be on my son's list anymore!" Luna retorted, glaring at Alden, who was about to divorce Alice in front of Gilbert.

"Mama..."

Alden snorted, rubbing his face roughly. "How can Mama choose her over me?"

"Don't ask too much! Just do your duty well and act like a proper husband." Luna got up and sat on a chair near the bed. "Didn't I ask you to come and take care of Alice? Instead, you're handing her over to this man."

"I'm not handing her over, Ma! I'm just helping the two of them be together because they love each other. And what about me? I don't love Alice, and the same goes for her." Alden let out a heavy sigh. "... and for Mama's information, right now, I actually hate Alice. Because of her, I lost Chloe forever."

Luna shook her head. "This is fate, Alden! No one is to blame in this matter. And I beg you, try to love Alice. I believe you can. I believe you two are destined for each other, and this is how God brought you together," she said, speaking with pressure in each word she uttered. Hoping that Alden would listen and understand. At this moment, all she had was Alden, as a husband.

"It's up to Mama. I can't promise anything right now. However, when I'm tired, I will let her go and find her own happiness. Don't expect more from me, because I will never change," Alden retorted before leaving the hospital room. Leaving a deep and gaping wound in Alice's heart. She had been awake and had heard their entire conversation.

"Excuse me, Aunt," Gilbert said when Alden disappeared behind the door. He didn't want to be Luna's punching bag later on.

"After this, I beg you not to disturb or meet him again. She is my son's wife," Luna jabbed when Gilbert reached the threshold of the room.

Gilbert turned around and smiled. "I can do that when Alden has become a true husband. A husband who cares for and protects his wife well. But if that hasn't happened yet, I can assure you that I will always be by Alice's side. Taking care of and protecting her. Just like today." He closed the door and continued his steps.

Gilbert surrendered to wherever destiny would take him. He would continue to take care of Alice, even if one day Alden managed to remove him from his heart.