Tangled in His Obsession

Chapter 463

Two weeks after his surgery, Leandro finally got the green light from the doctor to be discharged from the hospital. The condition was that he still needed comprehensive monitoring, careful convalescence, and regular check-ups.

Although the conditions for discharge were stringent, for Leandro, who had been cooped up in the hospital for over two weeks, getting out was worth any price.

Back at Reynolds Manor, the housemaid had already prepared a spread of comfort food, while Conway and Bruce had been waiting at home since early morning.

Normally, the Reynolds household would be buzzing with excitement over Leandro’s return, but now the quiet was almost palpable.

Fortunately, Leandro himself was a man of few words, never one for fanfare, so the subdued homecoming suited him just fine. The Reynolds were a stoic bunch, and they took Leandro’s return in stride. Only the housemaid clutched at his hand, her voice thick with emotion, “Thank heavens you’re home, the hospital bed has worn you to a shadow-”

“Don’t worry,” Seraphina interjected, “He’s been living it up with room service and bed rest, he hasn’t lost an ounce!”

“Even the finest hospital food is no match for home cooking, the housemaid retorted, “Nothing beats being home to eat well and rest well.”

At that, a shadow passed over Seraphina’s face, and she fell silent. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Leandro simply nodded and smiled, taking his seat at the dinner table.

After the meal, Seraphina went upstairs to arrange some personal items in Leandro’s room, while Bruce called Leandro aside for a chat.

Leandro had anticipated this moment from the time he saw Bruce; sure enough, Bruce began, “I received your mother’s divorce papers yesterday…”

Leandro was unfazed, merely acknowledging the news before asking, “Did you sign it?”

Bruce managed a bitter smile, “I’ve been awaiting this document for years, and now that it’s here, I’m not sure if I should sign it.” “If you’re asking for my opinion, you should sign it,” Leandro said.

Hearing it, Bruce looked up at him.

Leandro continued, “Your hesitation and confusion stem from guilt and regret, emotions that will fade in time. Honestly, this marriage hasn’t significantly impacted your life; signed or not, it likely means little to you. But my mother has been bound by this marriage for over thirty years; it’s time she lived her own life.”

Bruce was taken aback by this, and after a long pause, he sighed, “All these years, you’ve blamed me, haven’t you?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Leandro replied, “I never expected a happy ending… but this might be as good as it gets.”

Bruce fell silent again, before nodding his head, “Alright, I understand. Take care of yourself. I’ll be going now.”

Leandro watched Bruce leave before making his way upstairs.

Valerio was in the midst of a lesson with a tutor Seraphina had hired for him, diligently practicing new Spanish words, correcting his pronunciation with patient precision.

So absorbed was Valerio that he didn’t even notice Leandro pass by. Leandro listened for a bit before retiring to his own bedroom.

Inside, he found Seraphina, who had claimed to be tidying up, sprawled on the bed scrolling through her phone. At the sound of Leandro’s entrance, she sat up and glanced at him, “You finished talking with Dad that quickly?”

There wasn’t much to talk about,” Leandro said.

Seraphina stood up, grabbing pajamas for him, “You planning on getting some rest?”

Leandro shrugged off his jacket, “I want to take a shower.”

Her eyes twinkled with mischief, “But your wounds can’t get wet.”

“I can wrap them up,” he replied.

“Your hands work, your feet work, handle it yourself,” Seraphina teased. “Everything you need is in the bathroom, I’m off to check on Valerio’s lesson!”

08:20

As she made to leave, Leandro caught her arm. Although he was still weak, his grip was enough to pull her into the bathroom and shut the door with a “bang.”

After a Herculean effort to help Leandro bathe without getting his wounds wet, Seraphina found herself drenched and had to take a shower herself.

Emerging from the bathroom with damp hair, she found Leandro lounging on the bed with her phone in hand.

She quickly snatched it back, “Don’t touch my phone!”

“What’s there can’t be seen?” Leandro asked.

“What if someone confessed their love to me and you saw it? That would be tragic,” she retorted. “I don’t snoop through your phone, so stay away from mine.”

He nonchalantly passed her his phone, “Go ahead and check.”

Seraphina rolled her eyes, “Like there’s anything to find. You’re so sickly now; no girl would be interested!”

As she spoke, she glanced at her phone and saw what Leandro had been looking at-

It was a message from Valerio’s Spanish tutor, who had taken a break to update her on his progress. Apparently, Leandro, out of boredom, had said that he was the father and exchanged a few words with the tutor.

Seraphina couldn’t shake the feeling that the tutor was a bit more enthusiastic in her responses to Leandro than to her.

“Leandro, you’ve got nerve,” Seraphina bit back a grin, “Flirting with a girl on my phone right in front of me?”

Leandro lazily ignored her, reaching for the novel on his bedside table and flipping to where he left off. With a nonchalant tone, he began, “If you’re that worried, why don’t you just fire her?”

“Ugh, do you have any idea how hard it was to find a decent tutor for my son? Fire her because of you? Who do you think you are?” Seraphina retorted. “If anyone’s getting fired, it’s you!”

Leandro glanced up from his book, “You mean firing me?”

“Absolutely,” she said, fussing with her hair. “You think I’m like your mother, willing to put up with anything for decades? Once a cheater, always a cheater, and I don’t do second chances.”

Leandro listened, slowly nodded, and placed his book aside, then threw back the covers and swung his legs out of bed.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Seraphina called after him, alarmed.

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? Once a cheater, always a cheater,” Leandro replied. “To prove my innocence, I’ll personally go and dismiss this ‘girl’ you’re so concerned about, alright?”

Seraphina couldn’t let him make a scene, especially not in front of Valerio’s tutor-So with gritted teeth and a softened stance, she ultimately coaxed Leandro back into bed.