?Chapter 181:


    “I arrived just in time and managed to save her. Fortunately, she wasn’t vited,” he exined, his voice carefully measured.


    Rachel nodded. “That’s good to hear.”


    Her calm tone washed over him like a cool breeze. Brian realized she wasn’t angry anymore, and a rare sense of relief flooded through him.


    “Rachel, thank you,” he murmured.


    “For what?”


    “For not being mad.”


    With one arm encircling her slender waist, he pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. However, as he leaned in to deepen the kiss, she turned her head away. “I’m not feeling well. Let’s save this for another time,” she whispered.


    Brian remained silent.


    That evening, they had dinner together. During their meal, Rachel casually inquired, “You wore that wedding suit when you went to save Tracy, didn’t you?”


    Brian hadpletely forgotten this detail. Her reminder struck him immediately, the memory returning with startling rity.


    “Please don’t be upset,” he hastened to exin. “I’ll have Ronald take it to be cleaned and restored. It’ll look just like new.”


    Rachel set her spoon down, her expression unreadable. “There’s no need. Once something gets dirty, no matter how much you scrub it, it’s never truly the same. Just buy another one—you can afford it.”


    Brian reached for her hand. “Sure. I thought you were mad. Thank God I was wrong.”


    Rachel tilted her head slightly, studying him with a knowing smile. “What, do you think I spend my days constantly angry?”


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    “No,” he admitted.


    After dinner, Rachel leaned back against her pillows and stared at the hospital TV, though she wasn’t really watching. Her mind was tangled in two thoughts. One was the medical check-up scheduled for tomorrow. She wished, just for a second, that reality could be rewritten—that she would wake up and find it had all been a bad dream. The other thought was more immediate: When was Brian going to leave? It was already ten o’clock.


    She waited another half hour before finally speaking up. “I’m tired. I want to sleep.”


    Brian didn’t argue. He simply turned off the main light and said, “Go to sleep.”


    Rachel frowned slightly. “You’re not leaving?”


    “I’m staying with you.”


    “What if you get tired?”


    Brian leaned back against the chair and gestured toward her bed. “Your bed’s big enough. If I get tired, I can just squeeze in with you.”


    “This bed is kind of short. I don’t think you’d befortable.”


    He chuckled, ruffling her hair like she was overthinking things. “Why are you worrying about me? Just sleep.”


    “Alright.”


    Rachel closed her eyes, but sleep didn’te easily. With Brian so close, she couldn’t bring herself to toss and turn. Instead, she remained still, pretending to be asleep. Minutes passed—ten, maybe fifteen—before she felt a shadow cast over her. Then, a familiar scent enveloped her. It was Brian’s scent—subtle, elegant,ced with that warm, woody aroma she hade to recognize so well.


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