Upon his arrival, Alexis opened the door, clearly surprised by his return.

"Why did you come back?" she asked.

In the background, Leonel noticed the voices of a doctor and someone who appeared to be an assistant.

Alexis whispered softly, "Let's just talk in another time."

But Leonel couldn't wait. He looked at her with a gentle earnestness and asked, “Those two years-- were they hard for you?"

She suspected Marcus had told him about his newfound knowledge.

Maintaining a casual demeanor, Alexis replied, "It's all in the past.

There's no need to revisit old wounds. I'm fine now."

Before she could react, Leonel stepped forward and embraced her, his lips brushing against her neck.

His voice was raw with emotion.

"Alexis, I won't ask if you still love me. I wouldn't dare. But I need to know- do you hate me?"

His greatest fear was her indifference.

Caught in his embrace, Alexis could have pushed him away and retorted with cold, biting words as she had done before.

But this time, she didn't.

Her voice low, she said, “Leonel, hating someone takes too much energy. Why dwell on the past? I never expected you to return, let alone express regret. The past is just that, the past. In eight years, even the deepest feelings can fade."

She motioned for him to release her, but Leonel held on, his face burning against hers.

He knew he was compromising his pride, but at this moment, he was desperate to cling to any remnants of their past connection, even if it was just a fleeting glance from her.

At that moment, the doctor approached with Calvin's assistant in tow.

They appeared somewhat uneasy at the scene unfolding before them.

Alexis quickly distanced herself from Leonel and turned her attention to the doctor, inquiring, "How is he?"