### Chapter 42: Who He Belongs To
Nina Wainwright knew they looked down on her. After all, she had only married Zachary Hawthorne through scheming. If not for her, his wife now would be Luna Sterling.
"Don’t talk like that," Luna Sterling imdiately chided. "She is Zach’s wife, after all. Disrespecting her is the sa as disrespecting Zach, isn’t it?"
The short-haired girl pursed her lips and said no more.
But the baby-faced man just laughed scornfully. "I respect Zach, not her. Besides, when she was grinding on so other guy in a club, did she think about respecting Zach then?"
"That’s enough. She’s here to take care of Zach. Why are you all so hostile toward her?!" Luna Sterling said, annoyed. She then turned to Nina, her tone apologetic. "They don’t an it. They’re just worried about Zach. Please don’t take it to heart."
Nina looked at the woman, who was as lovely as a delicate rose. After a mont of silence, she said calmly, "It would be best if you could stay and take care of him. I have my own things to attend to."
Luna Sterling froze for a second before breaking into a smile. "That wouldn’t be right. You’re his wife, after all."
Nina looked at her, thinking how she and Zachary really were a perfect match.
This woman monopolized Zachary’s ti every single day, yet the mont she saw Nina, she had to bring up the fact that Nina was his wife.
If Luna truly had any self-awareness, she wouldn’t be calling him every day, even asking him to join her for als.
"Since you don’t have ti, I’ll do it then." Nina didn’t want to argue; it was pointless.
Luna Sterling stepped forward and took her hand. "Thank you for taking care of Zach during the years I was away. I’m usually quite busy, so I’ll have to rely on you here at the hospital."
Nina just grunted in acknowledgnt, her expression blank.
"What’s with that attitude? She’s already stolen Zach from Luna, and she’s still not satisfied?!" the short-haired girl blurted out, annoyed again.
Nina shot her an indifferent glance. "And what kind of attitude should I have? Why don’t you tell ?"
"What? You got a problem with that?" The baby-faced man imdiately stepped in front of the short-haired girl, glaring at Nina. "If Silas Sinclair hadn’t called you, do you really think you’d have the right to even be in Zach’s room?"
"Alright, alright," Luna Sterling said, once again playing peacemaker.
The hands at Nina’s sides clenched into fists. She took a silent breath, walked over to the window, and stared outside.
Silas Sinclair watched her cold profile for a mont before speaking. "Young Master Thorne, please stop making a scene. Mr. Hawthorne needs to rest."
The baby-faced man scoffed. "Why did you even call her?! Our Luna is all we need. They were ant to be together anyway. Besides, he only got hurt this ti because he was protecting Luna!"
"Young Master Thorne!" Silas Sinclair’s voice rose, unable to help himself. "Mr. Hawthorne personally requested that she be the one to care for him. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with him when he wakes."
Luna’s expression was still one of concern for Zachary, but when she heard what Silas said, a flicker of resentnt flashed in her eyes.
"Who knows? Maybe after following this woman around for two years, Silas is starting to switch sides," the short-haired girl relentlessly chid in, determined to get a rise out of Nina. "I seem to recall you used to hate her."
Nina finally understood. So they had always been united in their hostility.
She said nothing, simply pulling out her phone and starting to watch a pointless video. Anything to drown out their incessant squawking and save herself the headache.
"Miss Wainwright, I’ll head back to get your toiletries in a little while. Please make yourself comfortable here," Silas said politely to Nina, ignoring the short-haired girl.
"Do whatever," Nina replied coolly.
"Alright, you can all leave now." Silas’s gaze fell upon Luna Sterling and her friends.
Luna Sterling sighed softly. "Well, you all take good care of Zach, then. It’s getting late, and I really should be getting ho, or Mom and Dad will start to worry."
With that, she left, taking the short-haired girl and the baby-faced man with her. The few others who had been standing by silently followed them out.
Silas Sinclair looked at Nina, as if he wanted to say sothing but held back.
"If you have things to do, you should go do them," Nina said calmly, her gaze returning to her phone.
Only after Silas left did she allow her lips to curl into a cold sneer.
’When he needs soone to put in the effort to care for him, he calls for . But when he’s getting stitches, he wants Luna by his side. He’s really just using as a nanny.’
Nina sat alone in the hospital room until midnight, when Adrian Pemberton pushed open the door, carrying a bowl of hot noodles.
"I went out of my way to get this from a place with great reviews. I had a taste—it’s really good. You should have so and fill your stomach," Adrian said, handing her the noodles with a look of pure concern.
Seeing the sincere concern in his eyes, Nina felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. She reached out to take the bowl. "Thank you."
"Don’t thank ," Adrian said, walking over to the hospital bed. "Do you want to know his condition?"
"No, it’s fine. I don’t care," Nina said flatly.
As they spoke,
Zachary Hawthorne vaguely heard them. In his hazy state, he heard Nina say she didn’t care about him... He tried to open his eyes, but he had no strength.
He let out a faint gasp.
Nina, who had just been about to eat her noodles, heard the sound and imdiately rushed to his side. Looking at his face, she asked, "Zachary, are you awake?"
Zachary’s hand twitched.
But he didn’t wake up.
Adrian stood to the side and whispered, "He was hit by a car. I heard his head slamd against the windshield. He was covered in blood when they brought him in. Fortunately, nothing vital was hit. He should wake up by tomorrow morning."
Nina looked at the man’s handso face, but she couldn’t bring herself to feel any worry.
"Forget it. Plenty of people are worried about him; he doesn’t need to," she said with a self-mocking laugh. She turned, walked back to the small table, and lifted the lid off the noodles. After taking a bite with her chopsticks, she murmured, "This is so good. I feel like ever since I joined the Hawthorne Family, I’ve never had noodles that taste so comforting and real."
Adrian knew she had been wronged a great deal over the years.
For a mont, he was at a loss for words, rely clenching his fists.
He watched her profile for a long ti before finally saying, "I’ll leave you to it, then. You should try to get so rest, too. Don’t stay up all night; your body won’t be able to handle it."
Nina humd in agreent. "Don’t worry, I value my health. Besides, staying up all night isn’t going to make him wake up any faster."
After Adrian left, Nina slowly finished the noodles.
When she was done, she stared at the empty bowl for a long ti, lost in thought. Finally, she tidied up the bowl and chopsticks and tossed them in the trash can.
Leaning against the window, she gazed out at the pitch-black night, her heart as cold and bleak as the darkness outside.
"Nina..." From the bed, Zachary suddenly murmured her na.
Nina turned. She stared at Zachary for a mont, then walked over and placed a hand on his forehead. No fever.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at his face, her heart completely still.*****
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