Chapter 104 You Don’t Have to Do This

A strand of hair had come loose near her temple, sticking to her flushed lips, giving her a touch of disheveled beauty.

Her eyes, still misty from the recent fever, looked innocent.

As Chandler’s gaze traveled downward, he noticed her slender, pale legs beneath her skirt. Unbidden, a memory surfaced of how they had wrapped around him that night.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he quickly averted his gaze.

“Didn’t you publicly confess your love for me? Said you fell for me at first sight? So why do you seem unhappy now that I’ve come to see you?”

Meryl smiled at Chandler and said, “I’m happy, of course I’m happy. I just didn’t expect you to come.”

After all, Chandler hadn’t spoken to her for days. Now, not only was he speaking to her, but he had also come to the infirmary to see her.

It seemed that her persistence had finally paid off.

Chandler pressed his lips together, his deep eyes locking onto hers for a moment before he looked away again.

“You caused such a scene today. Are you planning to bear the brunt of all the gossip alone?”

Meryl froze. She hadn’t expected him to see through her so quickly.

Since Chandler had already guessed her intentions, she felt there was no need to hide it anymore.

“I did this so that even if we go public later, you wouldn’t be embarrassed about me having been with Dalton.

“Even if people gossip, they’d talk about how I chased after you, how you were forced to accept me. That way, no one would think it’s your fault.

“You can keep your reputation intact.”

Meryl thought Chandler was a good man.

She didn’t want him to be tarnished because of her.

It didn’t matter if her reputation was ruined; at worst, people would just call her shameless.

But Chandler was different. He was the president of Galaxy Holdings Group, constantly under the scrutiny of countless eyes.

Chandler’s deep gaze lingered on Meryl.

“You don’t have to do this. No one would dare question me, even if I married you. You don’t need to bear this alone just to protect my image.

“If I can’t even protect my own woman, and need you to shield me, what kind of man would that make me?”

Meryl shook her head lightly. “It’s okay. This is the simplest and best way for you. Please, just listen to me on this, alright?”

Chandler’s hand clenched slightly before he finally nodded.

Hearing this, Meryl let out a sigh of relief.

Chandler’s voice dropped as he seemed to contemplate something. “So, everything you did today was an act. You were just pretending to ‘like me’.”

Meryl froze.

Seeing her expression, Chandler understood. He sighed softly, a hint of sadness in his voice. “I knew it.”

He thought, “Love at first sight? Fell for me?”

How could she act so convincingly?

Meryl had acted so convincingly that, for a brief moment, Chandler had believed it.

He had believed that she truly had feelings for him.

And now, his heart felt a mix of resignation and disappointment. A self-mocking smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and his eyes, once so deep, grew a little colder.

Suddenly, Meryl realized what had happened. “Did I offend Chandler again?”

She quickly replayed the conversation in her mind, trying to figure out what went wrong.

“Don’t go!”

In her panic, Meryl tried to stand up, but the clear IV tube immediately turned red. She frowned at it before hurriedly sitting back down.

By then, Chandler had already left the infusion room.

Watching him walk away, Meryl sighed. Her last shout had been so loud that it woke the nurse on duty from her nap.

The nurse blinked awake, only to see Meryl staring longingly after Chandler, clearly wanting to chase after him, but Chandler was already walking away without looking back.

The nurse thought to herself, “Tsk, looks like her confession got rejected.”