Chapter 8 Long-Held Emotions

Lysanne was briefly caught off guard but quickly steered the conversation in a different direction. "I've known Josiah for over 20 years, and everyone knows we're just good friends! Why do you have to think about our relationship in such a dirty way? "If that's the case, then I guess everyone can only be friends with the same gender. Any opposite-sex friendship would just be misunderstood." Lysander responded immediately, "Well, of course, opposite-gender friendships are fine. But there are still differences between men and women. Both you and Josiah are married now, so it's best to be cautious." Lysanne snorted. "I didn't expect someone from the medical field to be so picky. Just last week, during my surgery, a male doctor came into the operating room. I told you I wasn't comfortable with that, but you said gender shouldn't matter when it comes to doctors." "That male doctor is an anesthesiologist." "So what?" Lysanne challenged. "I am a woman, he is a man, and the surgery was a gynecological procedure. Shouldn't you consider the gender difference then? Dr. Thorne, are you being unfair to me?" Lysander took a deep breath, feeling frustrated. "Ms. Lysanne, you're misinterpreting what I said. You were bleeding heavily. It was late at night, and there was only one male anesthesiologist on call that night. If we hadn't operated right away, your child might not have survived. Which is more important—saving the child's life or worrying about male-female interactions?" Lysanne crossed her arms, her tone dismissive. "You're the doctor, so whatever you say is right. Who knows what truly happened with my baby at that time?" Lysander's patience snapped when Lysanne questioned her professional ability. "What do you mean?" "I mean, if you can be called in from home to perform surgery, why couldn't a female anesthesiologist be brought in?" "You—" "And since male anesthesiologists can enter the operating room, what's the harm in me taking the keys from Josiah's pocket?" "Enough!" Josiah suddenly stood up, swaying slightly as he steadied himself. With a frown and a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, he pulled the keys from his pocket and handed them to Lysander, his voice calm but firm. "Lysanne is pregnant. She's emotional. Don't argue with her." Lysander took the keys, took a deep breath, and then looked at Josiah with a serious expression. "Are you and Lysanne truly just friends?" She could tell that Josiah wasn't drunk, and he was fully capable of answering her question. His breathing grew heavier, his chest rising and falling, before he nodded. "Yes." Lysander stared deeply into his eyes, almost as if she were searching for something within him. After a brief moment, Josiah was the first to break the gaze, looking away. "It's getting late. Let's head back." Lysander assisted him into the back seat and buckled him in, then slid into the driver's seat and started the car. Through the rearview mirror, she noticed Lysanne had also gotten into the back seat, gently covering Josiah with his jacket. "Ms. Lysanne, aren't you prone to car sickness? Why not sit in the front?" Lysander asked. Lysanne remained calm, fastening her seatbelt slowly. "I'm fine now. No car sickness." Lysander sneered and started driving. When they arrived at the Guerra family's old house, Josiah's mother, Susan McKay, was already asleep. Though Lysander and Josiah had moved out years ago, they had come back specifically to celebrate Josiah's birthday. Over the years, Susan had become strict about her sleep schedule, going to bed by 9 PM each night. Lysander helped Josiah inside and immediately headed upstairs to their room. Lysanne followed behind and called out, "Hey." Lysander stopped, turned to face her, and waited. Lysanne said, "Aren't you going to take Josiah's jacket? You should be more responsible as his wife." "Put it on the living room couch for now. I'll tidy it up tomorrow." "Don't you have to work early tomorrow? Do you have time to tidy up?" Lysanne pressed. Lysander pursed her lips, responding firmly, "First, tidying up the jacket won't take long. A couple of minutes at most. It won't make me late for work. Second, Mom is already asleep, and she doesn't sleep well. Are you going to argue with me so loudly and risk waking her up?" Lysanne smiled, slightly impressed. "As a doctor, you sure are persuasive." "Thank you for the compliment, but please keep your voice down. Don't disturb Mom's rest." Lysanne raised her chin smugly. "Madam Susan likes me the most. She won't mind—" "Enough, Lysanne!" Josiah's voice cut through the tension. He sighed heavily, straightened up, and leaned against the railing, frowning at her. "You can put my jacket anywhere. It's late, and you're pregnant. Go get some rest." Lysanne looked frustrated that he had interrupted her and spoke with some irritation, "I'm not tired." "But Lysander and I are. She has an early shift tomorrow and needs to rest," Josiah said, his tone a little firmer. She smiled sarcastically. "Josiah, are you ignoring me now that you're married? I've been helping you all day—blocking drinks, getting your clothes—and this is how you treat me?" "How would you like me to treat you? Should I treat you like a wife?" Josiah turned back and led Lysander upstairs. "Let's go." Maybe it was because he had drunk a little too much. Normally gentle, tonight his grip on Lysander's wrist felt unusually tight, as though something deep inside him had been building up and was finally about to explode. She could sense his emotions spiraling out of control, all because of Lysanne. He didn't seem to notice that his grip was painful, the pressure tightening around her wrist. Once they were back in their room, Lysander went to take a shower. Her wrist had clear red marks on it, and the warmth of the water made them swell slightly. Luckily, her long-sleeved pajamas hid the bruises from view. When Lysander came out of the bathroom, Josiah wasn't in the room. She went to the balcony and found him there, still in his suit from earlier, smoking a cigarette. He held it casually between his fingers, the tip clenched in his teeth as he took a deep drag. A thick stream of smoke escaped from his lips as he exhaled. His movements were so smooth, clearly the result of experience. "Josiah?" Josiah snapped out of his thoughts, instinctively putting out his cigarette and holding the stub for a moment, unsure where to throw it. Then, it dawned on him, and he tossed it in the trash. "Are you done with the shower?" "Yes. How about you? What's on your mind?" Josiah shook his head. "Nothing. Just had a bit too much to drink, letting the alcohol air out on the balcony." "Are you used to smoke?" " ... Yes." "Then why did you quit?" Josiah lightly. "Smoking is bad for our health." "Yes." It was a pleasant, almost perfunctory excuse. He stepped into the room and said, "You should head to bed early. I'm going to take a shower." "Okay." Josiah grabbed some clothes and walked to the bathroom in the master bedroom. As he passed her, a faint smell of tobacco lingered in the air. A knock soon echoed from the door, followed by Lysanne's voice. "Josiah, are you asleep?" Lysander stayed silent. Josiah, busy in the shower, didn't hear it. She thought Lysanne would leave after getting no reply, but the knocking resumed a minute later. "I can't sleep. Come outside with me to look at the stars, like we used to when we were kids." This time, she pounded on the door harder with her palm. Lysander didn't want to get involved, pretending to be asleep. But if Lysanne kept knocking like that, she might wake Susan. "Josiah! I know you're awake. Come out—" The door suddenly swung open, and Lysanne stumbled forward. Lysander quickly reached out to steady her. "Ms. Lysanne, it's late. Why aren't you in bed? Why do you keep asking my husband to join you outside?" Lysanne wasn't intimidated. Seeing that Lysander was the one who opened the door, she rolled her eyes and walked straight into the room. Josiah, about to take a shower, heard the noise and came out to see Lysanne standing in the bedroom. "You're not asleep! I don't care. Josiah, come with me to look at the stars, like when we were kids. If you don't come, then you're not my friend anymore, and we'll have nothing to do with each other." Her voice was filled with arrogance as she finished speaking to Josiah and left the room without looking back. Before leaving, Lysanne shot a challenging look at Lysander standing at the door. There was a victorious gleam in her eyes. Lysanne believed that Josiah would accompany her to gaze at the stars, given that his marriage to Lysander was still relatively new and their bond was not particularly deep. Lysanne's gaze made Lysander uneasy, but she didn't react right away. She glanced at Josiah before closing the door behind her. Her message was clear—she didn't want her husband going off with another woman in the middle of the night. Lysander didn't return to bed, instead standing by the door, waiting to see what Josiah, a married man, would choose.