Annabelle's support for Fabian, as well as her portrayal of herself as a bad person, made Kendrick's heart ache.
Was Fabian really more important in her heart?
But no matter what, she was his wife now, so she had to go home with him!
Kendrick grabbed Annabelle's arm.
Annabelle, on the other hand, gasped in pain, as if it was too much for her to stand straight.
Fabian immediately pushed Kendrick's hand away and supported Annabelle's shoulder, asking, "Still hurting?"
"Ouch!"
Annabelle said with red eyes.
The pain in his voice brought Kendrick back to his senses, if only for a moment.
Annabelle's clothes were intact and she had neatly tied her hair behind her head, as if she hadn't just experienced that kind of thing.
While she had a pained expression on her face, she was clutching her shoulder and gasping for breath.
Her injury... was on her shoulder?
Did Fabian just treat her injury?
Kendrick
Annabelle immediately looked up at the person beside her. She hadn’t guessed wrong—it really was Kendrick! He stood there, pale-faced, staring at her intently.Then, Kendrick leaned over, bracing one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the table, effectively trapping her in place.“You can’t even tell my voice from his anymore?” Their voices did sound somewhat similar, and she *hadn't* recognized it right away…But that was because she’d been completely absorbed in the book—and she never imagined this idiot would actually follow her here.Whether he was angry or not, the important thing was his condition! His injuries were still severe; the doctor hadn’t even allowed him out of bed. Judging by how pale he looked, and how sweat had soaked the hair at his temples, it was clear he was forcing himself to stay upright.Annabelle’s heart ached. But at the same time, she was furious. “Are you insane? You’re not even healed yet—what are you doing running around?”She held onto
Annabelle woke up in less than half an hour.Her neck felt a little stiff from her awkward sleeping posture. She sat up straight and rubbed her shoulder and neck, then checked the time—it was time to go.She turned to glance at Kendrick, who was still sleeping soundly.That was probably for the best. She was never good at lying, and if Kendrick were to ask where she was going, she would likely give herself away. But if he asked after she got back tonight, it would be easier—she could just tell the truth. That was what people called "act first, explain later."She went into the bathroom, splashed her face with cool water, and smoothed her frizzy hair. Staring at her slightly pale reflection in the mirror, she instinctively reached for her lipstick. But after twisting the cap open, she put it back down.No more dawdling—she left the room.She’d left early. It wasn’t yet 2:30 when she got downstairs, so she thought she’d have to wait for Kendrick’s father.But surprisingly, he was alread
Annabelle and Colten talked for about ten minutes in the garden.After that, they went their separate ways. Colten left the hospital, and Annabelle stopped by the convenience store downstairs to buy some fruit before returning to the building.Standing in the elevator, she pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and looked at the phone number written on it, pressing her lips into a tight line.It was Aron’s contact.She thought back to a few days ago, when Aron had invited her for coffee outside Kendrick’s office. She had declined him without hesitation.Yet in the end, he still managed to arrange a meeting—one she couldn’t refuse.During their ten-minute conversation just now, Colten had been honest and visibly conflicted when he made his request. He also cleared up a few things that had been on her mind.The surgeon who had entered the OR the night of Kendrick’s operation was indeed Mr. Damien, the president of the Knight Group.He had gone in after the critical condition notice had
After a while of chatting idly, Kendrick dozed off again.He was still weak, and the fact that he’d stayed awake to talk to her for so long was already no small feat.Watching him sleep—this man she loved but sometimes resented—Annabelle couldn’t help but lean over and press another gentle kiss to his lips.No matter what… he finally woke up.As Annabelle was still lost in her emotions, she suddenly remembered that Jax had told her earlier: if Kendrick woke up, she needed to inform his father immediately.They’d been so caught up in talking just now that she’d completely forgotten.She quickly picked up her phone and stepped out of the hospital room. Jax had just returned with breakfast, so she first told him about Kendrick’s condition and asked him to notify Jaime.Then she walked to a quieter corner and dialed Kendrick’s father’s number.As the call connected, Annabelle softly greeted, “Dad… It’s me, Annabelle.”Even though she’d been married into the Gregory family for over half a
Annabelle didn’t even know how to describe her emotions in this moment.So, Kendrick had actually thought she killed the Young Master, and was already thinking of ways to clear her name...“I didn’t kill him, and I never intended to. He’s saved me so many times—no matter how much I hate him, I wouldn’t kill him. But after what he did to you, I had to return the favor with one stab.”Kendrick let out a long sigh of relief. “Silly girl, you almost gave me a heart attack. I really thought you killed someone…”Such a heavy topic was suddenly lightened by his comment, making Annabelle want to laugh a little.“You even planned my escape route, didn’t you?”Kendrick let go of her a bit and said, “I’m not telling you. Otherwise, my law-abiding image will be ruined.”Annabelle chuckled but her nose suddenly turned sour.“Thank you, Kendrick…”“For what?”“For everything. For always protecting me, for keeping everything to yourself so I wouldn’t be hurt. That must’ve been hard for you…”He sigh
The young nurse burst into laughter. “Alright, I’ll get going then!”With that, she breezed out of the room.Annabelle couldn’t tell if the nurse was laughing because she genuinely found her funny—or if she had caught on to the hidden meaning behind her words.Whatever it was, once the nurse was gone, Annabelle put down the apple and fixed her gaze on Kendrick.Kendrick smiled. “Was the knife sharp?”Annabelle tested the blade with her fingertip and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “So, you and this young lady know each other?”From the tone of their conversation earlier, she could tell they were definitely not strangers.Kendrick didn’t deny it. He nodded. “Yeah, I know her.”“Know her *well*?”“Well enough,” Kendrick said, reaching for her wrist. “Come on, let’s put the knife down before we talk. It’s dangerous.”As he spoke, he gently took the fruit knife from her hand and placed it on the bedside table.“I didn’t say anything. Why are you acting guilty?” she asked.Kend