Chapter 922

He was waiting for her. What for?

“Uncle, you didn’t skip dinner, did you?” Lena’s first thought was his meal.

In truth, he hadn’t eaten. After receiving her message, he had been uneasy all evening, unable to focus on food.

“You didn’t eat? I’ll make something for you,” Lena assumed his silence was confirmation.

“There’s no need,” Aaron refused.

“Then why were you waiting for me? Is something wrong?”

In Lena’s view, Aaron would never wait for her without a reason.

He gazed at her, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly. “You’ve been drinking?”

She nodded, flashing him a sweet, soft smile. She even gestured with her hand, “Just a little.”

Aaron stepped closer, his tall frame looming over her with an intensity that made her feel small. Though the light above bathed his eyes, they remained dark and inscrutable, filled with a depth that was hard to read.

Lena sensed something was off. “Uncle, what’s wrong?”

She looked into his deep, clear eyes, untouched by any impurity. Whatever tension Aaron had felt while waiting for her seemed to ease in that moment.

He reached out, brushing aside the strands of hair framing her face. “Didn’t you once say that drinking numbs the nerves and can affect a doctor’s ability to perform surgery?”

Lena chuckled, her smile faintly revealing a shallow dimple. “It’s fine occasionally. It’s not like I’m drinking excessively. Besides, doctors are human too. We can’t swear off alcohol entirely just because we hold a scalpel.”

She even defended herself with logic.

“Who were you drinking with?” Aaron asked.

“Nate.” Lena leaned against the shoe cabinet for support, her hands gripping the edges to steady herself. “He’s leaving.”

Aaron’s eyes settled on her face. “A farewell, then?”

Lena’s pretty eyes shifted slightly. “More like a goodbye.”

She tilted her head back to look at the chandelier overhead. “A goodbye to my past with him, a goodbye to the love I held in my youth.”

“Does it make you sad?” Aaron asked again.

Lena didn’t answer immediately. After a few moments of thought, she said softly, “A little.”

She smiled bitterly. “Uncle, you’ve probably never loved someone since your youth.”

“I have,” Aaron replied without hesitation.

Lena gave a faint laugh. “Then you must understand the feeling. I thought it would be the regret of my youth, but surprisingly, life was fair enough to let me see it through.”

Seeing the contentment on her face, Aaron felt a sudden sense of relief. For a long time, he had blamed himself for not being more direct with her. But now, he saw the benefit—she had experienced it and let go, leaving no lingering attachment.

Still, he couldn’t help but ask, “And this ending doesn’t leave you with any regrets?”

“Not at all. Just having had it is enough,” Lena replied, her view of love catching Aaron off guard.

He studied her quietly for a few seconds. “Do you still love him now?”

Lena didn’t answer right away. While she had spoken decisively in front of Nate, this time, she paused to reflect. Finally, she shook her head. “No, I don’t. If I did, I wouldn’t have said goodbye to him.”

She was certain because tonight’s goodbye hadn’t left her with even a shred of reluctance or sadness. This wasn’t how it felt to love someone. When she had loved Nate, their reunions and partings had always been deeply emotional, leaving her heart aching.

“But you said you loved him for so long. How could you just let go so easily?” Aaron seemed puzzled.

Lena smiled faintly, her tone calm and assured. “It’s because the love I had for him was like a flame—it burned brightly for a while, but it burned out when its time was up. Love isn’t about duration, Uncle. It’s about what you feel in the moment. Once the fire is gone, it’s gone. Holding onto cold ashes doesn’t make sense.”

Aaron’s expression softened as her words resonated with him, though he said nothing more.