?Chapter 554:


    The wound was serious—arge red patch covered in clusters of tiny blisters.


    With all the dressing and undressing, some had burst, leaving behind a mix of fluid and blood.


    Eric’s brows knit together as he reached for a disinfectant swab.


    “This might sting,” he warned.


    “I’m prepared.”


    Linda flinched as the swab touched her skin, but Eric was quick. “Just about finished.”


    He then gently applied ointment to the burn.


    “We’ll check how it’s healing in the morning,” he said.


    “Okay.”


    As Eric tidied up the first aid supplies, Linda’s voice quivered, a noticeable tightness in her tone.


    “Eric, are you heading upstairs already? Maybe you could stay a little longer… could we talk?”


    Eric lowered his gaze slightly, giving a small nod. “Alright. What is it you want to say?”


    Linda’s lips pressed together before she spoke, her voiceced with quiet frustration. “Aren’t you even going to ask how I got hurt?”


    That question…


    Without answering right away, he reached for the medical kit, closing it carefully before exhaling. “I may not know the details, but I don’t believe Ernest would have done it on purpose.”


    Linda’s fingers curled slightly, her smile turning wry.


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    “No, he didn’t.” Her voice softened, tinged with something almost fragile. “But sometimes, the worst wounds don’te from deliberate cruelty… Theye from carelessness.”


    Eric had no immediate response.


    Some things—especially emotions—were too personal for outsiders to untangle. Even well-meaning interference often backfired and made things worse.


    “Eric.”


    Her voice carried an odd weight now, something deeper than before. “If—and I mean if—Ernest truly betrayed me… would you help me?”


    “What are you talking about? He won’t hurt you like that!”


    Eric’s chest tightened slightly. He didn’t want to entertain that thought.


    “I’m asking you—what if I…”


    Linda’s insistence sharpened, her eyes growing red as she pressed on. “Eric, you once promised me—you said you’d always be good to me, that you’d help me no matter what. Did you mean it?”


    Eric frowned, his expression unreadable as he let the weight of her words settle.


    Finally, he spoke, his tone measured but firm. “If that day everes… I won’t turn a blind eye. I won’t abandon you.”


    That was all he could give her.


    With that, he picked up the medical kit and stood. “You can sleep in the guest room downstairs tonight. I’ll bring you a change of clothes.”


    Eric stepped into the master bedroom, where the only light came from…


    The soft glow of the wallmp illuminated the room.


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