What Separates Me and You

"What the hell is going on?" Lewis lost his composure. He would have choked Yannis to death if he weren't supporting Josephine.

While still trembling, Yannis answered, "M-Mrs. Alvarez's blood pressure spiked due to anger. S-She's better now."

Lewis looked down at Josephine, whose breathing had returned to normal. Only then did his frown ease up. He ignored the doctor and focused on wiping Josephine's bloody mouth with his sleeve. Josephine shut her eyes for a moment, then opened them and gazed up at him. "Lewis..."

Seeing the pleading look in her eyes made Lewis freeze. He then stayed silent for a long time before conceding, "I won't let those people over again since you don't like them."

Josephine shut her eyes in peace after hearing that.

Lewis gingerly placed her back onto the bed, pulled the blanket over her, and sat beside her with an unreadable expression.

As for Yannis, he panted and dared not leave. He stood aside with his head hung low, making his presence less noticeable. Even so, Lewis still turned to look at him.

Although he hadn't looked up at Lewis, he could still feel the latter's death stares. Yannis fiddled with his thumbs while his palms grew clammier.

"Tell me the truth, Yannis. Is she ..." Lewis couldn't bring himself to finish the words.

Yannis understood what the former implied. The back of his shirt got drenched in sweat. There was no doubt Josephine would be dead by now if the group of foreign doctors had to treat her sudden spike in blood pressure.

His emergency acupuncture proved he was better than 90% of doctors. That was also why Lewis spoke much more calmly to him.

Yannis' face creased with hesitation as if he were fighting an internal battle. On top of that, he was also terrified the truth would anger Lewis to the point of killing him.

"What's with the silence? Are you too afraid to tell me, or do you not know what to say?"

Yannis wiped his clammy palms against his clothes before muttering, "M-Mr. Alvarez, please forgive me for being straightforward. Instead of wasting time on those other doctors, why don't you-" He lowered his voice to a squeak under Lewis' gaze. "Keep her company."

Lewis stared straight through to his soul. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you already guessed what I mean?" Yannis murmured.

The former spoke in a quiet voice, but Lewis still heard it. He merely chose not to blow up. Instead, he sat in a reflective daze before turning to look at Josephine again. Lewis then massaged his temples while lethargically shutting his eyes. "Everyone, out."

Yannis was relieved to hear that. He sprinted out the door like his life depended on it.

The bedroom became quiet again. There was a light breeze blowing and the chirps of birds outside the window.

Josephine's eyes were shut, and her breathing was so weak that she looked like a corpse.

Nancy had visited twice but wasn't allowed into the mansion. When she came the next day, the bodyguards refused to let her in, so she forced her way in with brute force.

Arrik rushed into the bedroom to report, "Master Lewis, Madam Nancy is back. We couldn't stop her from entering."

That was when Nancy barged into the room. "Lewis!"

With his brows furrowed into a deep V, Lewis turned to face Nancy. "Get out."

Bewilderment filled Nancy's gaze as she glanced at Josephine. "What happened to her?"

She found the latter's pale complexion frightening.

A cold sneer curved on Lewis' face just then. "Isn't this what you wanted? Why bother acting like it isn't?"

Nancy strolled over, sat beside Lewis, and spoke like she cared a great deal. "Lewis, you've misunderstood my intentions. I've genuinely come to see if Josephine's okay.

"Regardless of our spats, I watched her grow up since she was a child. I can understand the friendship between you two. Yes, I was harsh to her before. That's because I had to put her in place as her elder. I never asked or wished for her to die."

Lewis shot her a sideways glare. "Are you done?"

That stunned Nancy, who then scoffed. "What's with your attitude?"

"If that's all, please leave. Don't disrupt Jospehine's rest."

Nancy could no longer keep it together. Her features contorted and darkened. It took longer than expected for her to fix her frown. "I'm your mother! Must you treat me this way, Lewis?"

Veins popped on Lewis' forehead as he glowered at her. "Don't make me repeat it for the third time. Get out!"

Like him, Nancy's wrath burbled in her chest. She put her hands on her waist, straightened her back, and scowled at him. "I'm not leaving. What about it? Are you going to take action against me, your mother?' Instead of arguing with her, he turned to the door. "Arrik, escort her out!"

Nancy's features darkened at the bodyguard who entered the room. Her eyes had not only widened in shock, but there was also rage. "What is the meaning of this, Lewis?"

Lewis no longer bothered to respond to her. He gently tucked Josephine's hair behind her ear. There was a gentle look on his face, which was the opposite of how he treated Nancy.

That snapped Nancy's last bit of patience. Yet, several bodyguards surrounded her before she could make her anger known. "Please come with us, Madam Nancy."

"Oh, I see how it is! You've made it big and no longer respect me, your mom!" Nancy couldn't suppress her rage, so she thundered, "How did I raise such an ungrateful brat like you?

"I birthed and looked after you all these years, yet that amounts to nothing when compared to this mute! Had I known you'd be like this, I wouldn't have given birth to you!"

Lewis refused to spare her any attention, no matter what she said. She shrieked and stomped her foot like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Why don't you head out for now, Madam Nancy?" Darren grabbed Nancy's arm and led her outside when she refused to leave.

"Let me go! Lewis, you ungrateful brat! How could you treat me like this? Aren't you afraid karma will bite you in the ass? Look at the rotten, living corpse Josephine has become-it's God's way of punishing you-"

Lewis' gaze snapped toward her with the utmost hostility.

That stunned Nancy.

Darren then seized the chance to drag her out of the room.

There was a shocked look on Nancy's face. She didn't mean to, but she happened to meet Lewis' eyes earlier. She could have sworn she saw a tinge of killing intent behind his pupils.

"How could he ...?" she wondered. The situation made her scalp tingle, and she remained dazed even after getting kicked out of the villa.

Whenever she wanted to chat civilly with Lewis, the latter's attitude would spark her rage and make her lose her senses. Still, she had never felt such obvious killing intent from her son, despite their many unpleasant conversations.

She couldn't believe how much he now cared for Josephine.

Meanwhile, Josephine awoke from hearing Nancy's screams. She struggled to open her eyes.

Lewis noticed it and held her hand at once. While gazing at her warmly, he asked, "Did the commotion wake you?"

Josephine's attention swept past him before settling on the clear skies outside. Alas, the protective grill on the window obstructed her view. She could only peek through the holes like a caged bird.

"It won't snow anymore, would it?" She murmured while looking glumly out the window. It seemed like she was talking to herself.

"Do you want to see it snow?"