Chapter 476
Chapter 476
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That day felt distant now.
Winter knew Chris was looking into something. Whatever stood between them was personal, but Fabian wasn’t her problem alone. He was tied to the Xander family, the Scott family, and countless innocent people.
She tried to remember what had happened.
It had only been a few days, but it felt much longer.
“That day, after I had dinner with Professor Freeman, I was going to find you… to find Roy. I wanted to ask him in person where his name came from because I realized Roy Toye came from my old motto p>
Chris stared at her with dark, unreadable eyes. His throat moved slightly before he gave a low hum.
Winter continued, “At first, I was driving toward Roy’s place. But by the time I came back to myself, I was already at the docks. I don’t even know when I changed direction. You may not believe me p>
“I believe you,” Chris said.
After a pause, he repeated, “I do p>
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Winter pulled her hand out of his again. His belief didn’t seem to move her.
Chris’s palm was empty. He slowly curled his fingers into a loose fist.
“I checked your call records. After you finished dinner with Professor Freeman, he called you while you were on the road. Did he say anything p>
Winter paused.
She pressed her lips together and searched her memory. After a while, she said, “Yes. Professor Freeman called me. During dinner, I mentioned that I wanted to become a freelance journalist. He called to tell me to think it through carefully, and to call him again once I had made up my mind p>
The words freelance journalist made Chris’s fingers tighten.
She still wanted to become a war correspondent.
He lowered his head and let out a quiet sigh.
“Did he say anything else p>
Winter shook her head. “No p>
“Do you suspect Professor Freeman?” she asked.
Chris didn’t answer directly.
“Fabian was able to get Skyla out that night because he lured you to the docks and used you as a distraction. That gave him the opening he needed. I questioned Skyla. She only contacted Fabian. She didn’t know anything else. Whoever led you to the docks has to be someone close to you. And it isn’t just Professor Freeman. Other than me, everyone around you is a suspect p>
Winter blurted out, “Not William p>
In the quiet room, Chris’s clenched knuckles cracked sharply.
Winter lifted her eyes and looked at Chris, who had, at some point, sat down on the edge of her hospital bed.
His expression remained perfectly calm.
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“I didn’t say I suspected hift p>
Silence fell between them again.
Chris frowned slightly, as if annoyed with himself. Then he said in a low voice, “Fine. Not William p>
Winter’s brow twitched faintly.
She glanced at him, then gave a quiet hum.
“If there’s nothing else, I’m going to sleep. You should go back, Mr. Xander p>
The words Mr. Xander made every wound on Chris’s body seem to ache at once.
He stared at Winter, but she slowly lay down right in front of him and tugged at the blanket he was sitting off.
Chris had no choice but to stand.
He pulled the blanket up and covered her with it, then sat back down beside her, his eyes lowered to her closed face.
She was asking him to leave.
Thinking of what she had said earlier, he reached out almost without realizing it and touched her face.
In the next second, her brows drew together slightly, and her lashes trembled a few times.
But she didn’t resist.
That made Chris bolder. His touch shifted from a light caress to gently cradling the side of her face.
In a low voice, he said, “Once Richie’s bone marrow transplant is done and his condition stabilizes, let’s go stay on the island for a few days. All right p>
Winter did not answer. She simply turned onto her side, avoiding his hand.
Chris looked at her profile and said, “If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes p>
Outside the window, the rain showed no sign of stopping. It beat steadily against the glass.
The lights in the hospital room went out.
The door opened and closed again.
In the darkness, Winter slowly opened her eyes.
The next morning, Winter went to the ICU on the top floor.
Five minutes earlier, Dr. Lucas had called to tell her that Richie had woken up. His condition was stable for now, so she could go in and keep him company.
The moment she entered the isolation room, she saw Richie leaning weakly against the small sofa, holding a baby bottle in both hands as he drank his milk.
When she left yesterday, he had still been asleep.
Now, he looked a little better than he had the night before last.
But he was still weak. Even drinking milk seemed to take effort. The nurse beside him tried to help, but Richie hugged the bottle tightly and turned his head away with difficulty. Afraid he might choke if he kept dodging, the nurse didn’t force him.
Seeing this, Winter quickly walked over.
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“Baby p>
Her voice came through the face shield, slightly muffled.
When Richie saw her, he hugged the bottle even tighter. A drop of milk still clung to the corner of his mouth. He stared at her with his round eyes, and then his little mouth turned down.
“Mama p>
That soft, babyish voice went straight to the tenderest part of Winter’s heart.
Her chest ached.
She crouched down in front of him and took the bottle he held out to her.
Was he asking her to feed him?
Winter carefully brought the bottle to his lips.
Richie opened his mouth and latched on right away. As he drank, he kept his eyes fixed on her.
For him to trust her this completely, to be this naturally close to her with no hesitation at all, it couldn’t have been only because of the photos by his bed.
Someone must have taught him patiently, carefully, through countless days and nights.
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Florence
A passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.