<b>Chapter </b><b>273 </b>
“I’m so sorry! I <b>just </b>twisted my ankle–did you get burned? Let me take you to the hospital!”
“Xylia<b>, </b><b>are </b>you okay?” Josie asked.
Xylia finally understood what had happened.
Someone walking by had tripped right next to her, and their tray went flying toward her, spilling food everywhere.
Richard, who was right beside her, quickly pulled her out of the way, saving her from getting sshed with scalding soup.
Richard had shielded her, so his arm got sshed instead.
Arge part of his skin was angry red.
Xylia answered Josie, “I’m fine.” She then got up and turned her attention to Richard.
His forearm was covered in red blotches, and slick with soup and oil.
Richard looked a little pale, but he still managed a gentle smile.
“Really, it’s just a burn. No need for the hospital,” he reassured.
“You look like it might be serious, so–how about we swap contacts? I’ve got something I have to handle in a bit, but I’ll call you a cab to the hospital and cover all the costs,” the person who bumped into them offered.
Richard could sense the apology was genuine, so he didn’t make a fuss.
The whole scene was a mess, but none of Richard’s coworkers were anywhere close–they must’ve already wandered off to the mall next door, so nobody familiar came over to help.
Xylia knew she couldn’t just let Richard go off to the hospital by himself, especially since he’d gotten hurt for her sake<i>, </i>so she spoke up and offered to go with him.
Richard didn’t turn her down.
Xylia quickly told Josie what was happening, then helped Richard out of the building.
They made <b>it </b>to the hospital pretty quickly.
While Richard was getting his arm treated in the exam room, Xylia took a moment to order a new shirt online and have it <b>sent </b>over by courier.
She <b>was </b>starting to feel hungry–she hadn’t even touched the lunch she’d packed earlier.
Noticing the exam room was still closed, Xylia headed to the vending machine and grabbed a bread roll and a juice.
After eating, she finally felt alive again.
After what felt like forever, the door to the exam room finally opened.
Richard’s burn had been treated.
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The doctor wrote him a prescription, and Xylia handed him the new shirt she’d just gotten from the courier.
“Your shirt got pretty dirty. Here, change into this. I’ll go grab your meds,” she said.
Richard paused for a couple seconds as he looked at the shirt Xylia offered, then finally took it from her.
“You got burned trying to save me, so this is the least I can do to thank you,” she said, handing him the shirt.
Richard smiled as he took her little gift, and for a moment, his gaze on Xylia held something she couldn’t quite put into words.
“Thanks,” he said.
He went to the restroom to change.
Xylia waited for him after picking up his medication.
Richard took the afternoon off and headed home, while Xylia had to get back to work.
The whole incident was soon forgotten.
Joshua showed up right on time to pick Xylia up after work.
Xylia really meant it when she said she was heading back to the Sadler family ce.
Joshua knew he couldn’t change her mind, so he took her out to dinner first, and only after did he drive her to the Sadler family home.
They picked a casual café and ordered their food. As soon as they were settled in, Xylia asked Joshua, “So, did you get things with Noelle sorted out?”
At the mention of Noelle’s name, Joshua’s brows tightened and his whole expression went cold.
“It’s done,” Joshua replied, his gaze shifting like he wanted to say something more, but in the end he kept his
mouth shut.
He’d been tempted to tell Xylia about the whole Richard situation, but it was all just too dirty–he didn’t want to drag her into that mess.
He couldn’t bear to taint her with those ugly details, and he definitely didn’t want her living in constant fear
because of it.
She was hustling to build her own business and had already got more than enough stress–no need for him to pile on any more anxiety.
<b>8:37 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>25 </b>
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It was actually good she was staying at the Sadler family’s ce for the next few days. With him dropping her off and picking her up every morning and night, even if Richard dide to Norhill, he wouldn’t have a chance to try anything.
As for Richard, Joshua had to make sure to deal with him while he was still in Norhill.
Xylia saw the look in Joshua’s eyes turning colder and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?”
Joshua shook his head. “It’s nothing.” But worried she’d overthink it, he added, “It’s just… seeing Noelle end up like this makes me feel guilty towards her brother.”
Xylia didn’t often get to hear Joshua open up like this.
Whenever he did share something real, he’d always make it sound like it was just a joke–never too serious, she thought.
But now, she could actually see the sadness on his face.
“Were you and Noelle’s brother really close?” she asked.
She thought, ‘If Noelle’s brother was willing to risk his life for Joshua, he must have truly seen him as a brother.’
Joshua found himself thinking back to his past with Nelson after Xylia’s question.
“Nelson and I go way back. He went to the school next to mine, and when I skipped ss in middle school and got cornered by some thugs, he saved me. After that, we just naturally became friends,” Joshua exined.
As he spoke, Joshua couldn’t help but cough awkwardly.
Back then, skipping ss didn’t seem like a big deal, but saying it now in front of the girl he liked, he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
Xylia always thought Joshua could be a bit offbeat sometimes, but she never would’ve guessed he was skipping sses as early as middle school.
“Honestly, I figured your rebellious phase must’ve hit in college,” she teased.
Back then, he was literally on the run overseas–now that was no small mess.
Joshua dodged that and hurried to switch topics.
“His family situation wasn’t great–his parents split up and everything was messy at home. He pretty much raised Noelle himself. I tried to help him out with some side gigs so life wouldn’t be so tough. Once my mom learned about their situation, she started paying for everything Noelle needed for school,” Joshua said.
“But Nelson was stubborn. He kept insisting he could handle it all himself–wouldn’t take my mom’s help no matter what. When he was in high school, he enlisted. Just before he shipped out, he told me once he got back, he’d apply to be our family’s bodyguard–and from then on, he’d take care of my safety, like it was his own mission,” Joshua continued.
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Joshua couldn’t help butugh at that. He thought, ‘Me? Getting protected by somebody younger than me?‘
“He knew what my family was dealing with, so he left the military early and stuck with me. On the battlefield in Kregonia, he gave his life to save mine. Before he died, all he asked was that I look after his sister,” Joshua said quietly.
His tone was so t and even, it was like he was just narrating someone else’s story.
It had the feel of something far removed, like he wasn’t talking about himself at all.
But Xylia could sense the loneliness wrapped around him.
She thought, ‘When your best friend and the guy who saved your life asks you for onest favor… No matter what Noelle does, Joshua could never really me her. He owes her brother that much.‘
But what if the person you’re supposed to care for, the legacy your best friend left behind, has a heart that’s been bent and twisted by hardship? What do you do then?
Xylia didn’t have a perfect answer for that.
But she reached out, took Joshua’s hand from where it rested on the table, and with her delicate fingers, gently traced the lines on his palm.
“People’s hearts change. No matter what the future holds, no matter where you find yourself, I’ll stay with you,” Xylia said, her voice gentle and steady.
Joshua nced up at Xylia, catching the gentle smile ying on her lips.
The overhead lights cast a snowy glow over her fair face, making her look almost magical–like she belonged in a miracle.
Joshua squeezed her hand, his smile deepening. “Alright.”
The rest of their dinner was purefort–warm and full of quiet joy.
As they got into the car and Joshua was about to drive Xylia back to the Sadler family home, his phone buzzed.
He pulled it out and saw an email from an unknown sender.
He hadn’t meant to check it right away, but for some reason, he found himself opening it anyway.
Inside the email was a photo of Xylia nestled against the chest of a man Joshua couldn’t recognize. The angle was sneaky–while the guy’s face was obscured, Xylia’s was perfectly clear, and the two looked intimate, almost like lovers.
Attached underneath was <b>a </b>single sentence.
‘Mr. Garcia, looks like that perfect little wife of yours isn’t nearly as innocent as you