She made a promise not to go through that same pain again. Why is this man trying so hard? Does he genuinely just want somebody to possess and claim as his own?
There are many other girls out there who would agree to be his plaything for the sake of his money. There are girls out there who are purer than her and would love him regardless. So why on earth would he continue going after her?
To her surprise, Sano suddenly let her go, not before kissing her cheek. The unfamiliar contact of his lips made her shudder.
Sano picked up the clipboard from the ground. "I know you would rather have somebody else. But I will be your doctor during your stay."
"Okay."
"Also, I meant what I said, so think it through." With those words said, he exited the room.
The moment he left, Sumire sighed deeply. The sensation of his lips on her skin still lingered. She weakly sat up and placed her hand on her neck. It does not make sense to her, after all. Why is he behaving like that? An irking feeling in the back of her mind told her that she was wrong all this time.
Did she make a mistake somewhere and didn't realize it? Sure at the start, she blamed herself for Sano dumping her. She felt so much self hate and self-loathing. But after she settled her feelings, she started to blame him instead.
Maybe she is missing something. Sumire hesitantly took out her phone and was about to do some research when the doors opened.
It was Hino, his hair seemed slightly messy, and he had kiss marks on his neck. Sumire blinked. "Did you go out and have fun?"
"Like hell," Hino muttered as he sat down on the chair. He extended his hand out and brought out a bouquet.
Her eyes brightened. "How beautiful!"
"Yeah."
"Thank you, Hino."
"Did Sano do something just now? He left a mark on your neck."
At that comment, she put the flowers down. She placed her hand on her neck and turned to the bedside table's mirror to confirm his words. A troubled look appeared on her face when she saw that. "Yuhi-san will get angry."
"Your reaction is low."
"I dated Sano for quite some time. I know his behavior patterns and mood swings very well. He often did this in the past." Sumire kept sighing. It seems like that man has not changed. But just now, she saw something in his eyes.
"I see."
Sumire raised her eyebrows when she saw how quiet he was. Why is everybody around her acting so strange today? "Did you know I was pregnant too?" She decided to change the topic as swiftly as she could.
"Yeah. I have an older sister; when she was pregnant, she showed the same symptoms as you. Also," He looked down at the ground. "When I investigated you, I found out."
At that comment, Sumire looked at him even more puzzled. How did he find that out during his investigation? It's not like she ever visited the hospital and left such records— visit the hospital? She visited it plenty, but she did so when she checked up on Ru. Who would occasionally tell her to do some blood tests, and get some other tests done?
Back then, she assumed that he only did it because he worried about her health. Could it be that he knew? How could he, the short amount of time when they did it, and his accident wasn't too far away. How did he think to check those things?
But if it were like that, then it makes sense. "No wonder you treat me like a gentleman when you're cruel to other girls."
Hino rubbed the back of his neck. "Even if you weren't, I would still treat you well. Your not a bad person, after all."
She chuckled when she heard the end of his sentence. Indeed it seems like she has underestimated this man a great deal. But there is plenty of time to fix that and learn things about him.
"So, how do you feel?"
"It doesn't feel real to me." Sumire sighed. "If I am what four months pregnant, why does it not show? I don't understand this very well. How come I didn't notice?"
"Maybe because you never thought about it?"
It cant be that simple. Sure, a lot happened in the last few months, but is this not too much?
"Sumire, you went through severe mental trauma and strain after the incident. Of course, you wouldn't think of being pregnant. It was hard for you just to survive every day." Hino trailed off and extended his hand out. He patted her hair. "Don't blame yourself for not noticing, okay?"
Whenever Hino pats his hair like this, it reminds her of her elder brother. He was cold-hearted to others, and he did not hold back against her either. But she often recalls moments where he would pat her hair to comfort her.
Her older brother, huh? It seems strange thinking of him now. After the accident, Sumire tried not to think of her family. She did not attend the funeral, either. She already decided that she would strengthen her resolve.
.From now on she is alone, there is nobody else there for her. No matter how close she becomes with other people, they will never compare to her family. The things her family could do for her, nobody else will be able to do it.
Despite the strained relationship and atmosphere at times, those people were her family. They let her live under their roof, gave her food, clothes, and anything she wanted. They gave her everything, but in the end, she could never repay them.
'If only I spoke up back then. If I told them what I really thought, would my situation change?'
"Say Hino, where's your family?"
"My family?" Hino repeated. "Right now there's only Yuhi."
Sumire immediately understood. So this person is going through a bad family situation too. "You see Yuhi as your family?"
"Is that bad?"