"Is it the noodles? Don't you like them?"

"It's not that. Just not in the mood to eat much."

Then he started to eat.

Bennett ate at a moderate pace, neither rushing nor savoring the food.

His appetite wasn't great, but he still managed to finish the noodles.

After eating, he looked at his watch and said, "We should head back to the hospital."

It was ten minutes past three, and the operation was about to begin.

"Alright, alright."

With concern for Jace heavy on her mind, Claudia quickly got up and accompanied Bennett back to the hospital.

Just as they reached the operating room, it was time for Jace's family to sign a consent form.

Without delay, Claudia headed to the office, affixed her signature to the consent document, and after the doctor gave her a quick run-through of the procedure, she rejoined Bennett in the waiting lounge.

In the hall, many people had already taken their seats in the spacious room measuring over 200 square meters. On the upper left wall, a row of screens displayed the progress of their relatives' surgeries.

Jace was listed under the Cardiac Surgery section. After an anxious twenty-minute wait, Claudia spotted his name, indicating the beginning of his procedure.

Typically, Jace's type of surgery wrapped up in roughly an hour.

These moments were emotionally taxing for Claudia. Despite rising early and having breakfast, she felt drained. Ideally, she'd have taken a power nap, but with her head resting on Bennett's shoulder, but she couldn't fall asleep.

Seeing that she had been staring at the screen, Bennett held her hand and asked, “What happened to the car on Monday?"

Upon hearing him, Claudia faced Bennett, her eyes flickering in confusion.

"I'm not sure. It's still at the garage. Haven't gotten it back yet."

“Did you take a taxi to get here today?"

“I did."

Bennett gently traced circles on her hand, asking, “Aren't there two cars in the garage?"

“I couldn't find the keys," Claudia replied with embarrassment.

Smiling, Bennett responded, “I mentioned before; they're in the study.”

"I must've forgotten."