My Chef Husband Refused to Cook for Me but Fed My Student Chapter 06

My Chef Husband Refused to Cook for Me but Fed My Student Chapter 06

He burst into the ward, and Liora was propped half-up on the bed scrolling through her phone. Her foot was wrapped in gauze, and a half-finished bowl of creamy lobster chowder sat beside her.

She jumped when he stormed in, her eyes wide with shock.

“Chef Renner? What on earth–”

“Liora.”

Renner halted in the doorway, his chest heaving wildly.

“Did you do this on purpose?”

Liora set her phone down and knit her brows slightly.

“Do what on purpose?”

“You tracked me down to learn how to cook, flooded your social media feeds with noisy posts, and ranted to me about Seren dumping all her workload on you.”

Renner stepped closer one slow stride at a time. “You’ve been stirring up trouble between me and her this whole time, haven’t you?”

Confusion faded from Liora’s face, replaced by pure disbelief. She stared at him for a few quiet seconds, then let out a faint, bitter laugh.

“Chef Renner,” her tone stayed calm and even, “you honestly think I’ve been driving a wedge between you and my mentor?”

“Can you stand there and tell me you haven’t?”

“Let me ask you something instead.”

Liora sat up straighter, holding his gaze straight and unflinching.

“What exactly did I plant to turn you against her? Have I ever said a single bad word about Seren?”

Renner opened his mouth to reply, then fell silent.

He ran back through every conversation they’d shared. She’d never once spoken ill of me. All she’d ever said was how talented her mentor was, how much I had taught her, how kind I always was to

her

“Then why did you keep going on about how worn out you were around me?”

“Because I really was worn thin.”

There was no trace of guilt in Liora’s voice at all. “I’m the new kid on the ward. My mentor stacks

more surgeries, overnight shifts, and paperwork on my plate than anyone else-of course I’m

exhausted.”

“I vented to you because you’re my mentor’s partner. I thought you’d talk things through with her

to lighten my load. I never imagined you’d start weighing me up against her.”

She trailed off, her voice softening.

Renner’s throat locked tight, like a heavy lump was stuck there. He stood rigid at the foot of the hospital bed.

Liora dropped her gaze, her finger drawing mindless little circles over the hospital sheet.

“Chef Renner, I already have a girlfriend.”

“What?”

“I said I have a girlfriend.”

Liora lifted her head, her tone steady. “We’ve been together four years. She works in the ICU here, just got fully promoted to permanent staff last month.”

She reached under the pillow to grab her phone, held it out to Renner, and pulled up the photo for

him to see.

The frame showed Liora leaning against a girl with long hair, both grinning wide in front of a bed of

white lilies.

“I begged you to teach me to cook because her stomach’s always acting up. Takeout messes her stomach bad. I wanted to master a few gentle dishes to make for her after her night shifts.”

“I posted all those on social media because the center square of photo dump is our couple photo. I was quietly showing off my own relationship, not fishing for your attention.”

“I brought food over to your place that night because my mentor skipped dinner and threw up-her stomach must’ve been killing her. I only went to look out for her, not to get between you two.”

Renner stared blankly at the photo, unable to utter a single word.

Liora took her phone back and fixed her eyes on him.

“I came to you begging for cooking lessons because I thought you’d understand.”

“Understand what?”

“What it’s like to want to take good care of the person you love.”

Liora sighed softly. “You told me all those old stories about you and Seren. How you’d whip up stir-fries for her and her coworkers in that tiny kitchen, no matter the weather.”

“Your eyes lit up every time you talked about those days. I truly thought you knew how to love

someone right.”

She pushed her lower lip out, disappointed.

“Turns out you’re just a man who’s too full of his own self-importance.”

“No wonder my mentor chose to leave you behind and transfer to the Military Treatment Facility.”

Renner froze where he stood, like nails had pinned his feet to the tile floor.

Liora ignored his stunned state and turned her gaze toward the window.

“I never once planned to ruin your relationship with my mentor. I know exactly how good she’s always been to me.”

“She stacked all those extra surgeries on my schedule to push me to grow faster as a doctor.” “She stayed up till three AM rewriting my medical charts for me, because she treats me like family.”

“She’s the person I respect most in this hospital. I’d never bite the hand that feeds me.”

Liora twisted back to face Renner directly.

“But you, Chef Renner? You’re the one who’s ungrateful and blind to everything she’s given you.”