Sadie's heart trembled, besieged by a torrent of worrying thoughts. A few possibilities arose — maybe Holden hadn't returned to his room at all, or he had stumbled upon something amiss, or, in the worst case scenario, another woman had entered his room.

The more she pondered, the more her flustered state deepened. She stole furtive glances at Holden and tentatively inquired, “Why did you only just arrive? You have no idea how upset I am. My whole body aches.

To her dismay, Holden remained absorbed in checking on Adele's well-being, not sparing a glance in her direction.

Unable to endure being ignored, Sadie's eyes brimmed with tears. Observing that Holden's attention still eluded her, her sobs echoed, a symphony of distress.

Only then did Holden raise his head, casting an impassive glance her way, and uttered in a toneless voice, “If you're in so much discomfort, I can call a doctor for you."

Choking back tears, Sadie accused, “How can you not care one bit about me? I'm your fiancée, and Adele's mother, after all. How can you be so cold and indifferent?"

Holden heaved a weary sigh and reminded her, "You should recall what I've told you before."

That he could not provide her with emotional affection.

However, in this moment, Sadie's tear-filled doe eyes continued to fixate on him, her weeping growing even more intense.

Witnessing her as a patient as well, Holden rubbed his furrowed brow and inquired with strained patience, "Is there anything that feels uncomfortable? Or anything you want to eat?"

“My body hurts all over," Sadie faintly murmured, refraining from making any further demands. She simply inquired, “why didn't you respond when I called you? I was so worried."

“I was asleep," Holden replied nonchalantly.

Upon hearing this, Sadie's inner turmoil deepened. This meant he had returned to his room the previous night after all.

She discreetly clenched the bedsheets and continued tentatively, “Did you sleep well, then?"

Holden regarded her oddly, noting her peculiar reaction and the line of questioning that extended beyond mere curiosity. Despite this, he maintained his impassive expression and responded mildly, "I slept quite well. Why do you ask?"

Upon hearing this, Sadie's expression instantly soured.

She carefully studied Holden, observing that he was still clad in yesterday's clothes and seemed completely unruffled.

Based on his reaction, it was evident that he remained unaware of her slipping him the aphrodisiac. Holden had returned to his room to sleep the previous night, implying that something had happened in between.

The disquiet within Sadie's heart grew stronger. She forced a smile and uttered, “Oh, no reason. Just concerned about you.

Holden's brows furrowed as he sensed an oddity in Sadie's demeanor and her probing questions. In that moment, the peculiar occurrences of the previous night flooded his thoughts.