Chapter 288

Chapter 288

His voice was soft, yet every word carried tremendous weight, hitting Elaine's heart like a hammer.

"So, Elaine, could you... give me a chance? Let me try to stay by your side in a different way?"

The confession echoed clearly in her ears, so real, yet so sudden.

Elaine was completely stunned.

She stared blankly at the handsome face so close to hers, at the undisguised sincerity in his eyes, her mind in total chaos.

Words of rejection were almost on her lips.

She was used to refusing, used to drawing clear boundaries, especially when it came to emotions.

She had just crawled out of one mess, covered in wounds, instinctively wanting to retreat, wanting to protect herself from being hurt again.

But... but when those words of rejection were about to burst out, she found herself unable to make a sound.

She remembered his figure throwing himself over her without hesitation during the warehouse explosion, remembered his weak breathing as he lay in a pool of blood, remembered his silent support all these days...

Logic told her she should push him away immediately, should clearly refuse.

But emotionally, her heart was beating wildly because of his words.

Did she really only feel gratitude and friendship toward him?

She didn't know. She really didn't know.

She was at a loss for words, just staring at him blankly, forgetting to react, also forgetting their overly intimate position at that moment.

Her long silence and the obvious struggle in her eyes made the flame of hope in Bradley's eyes dim slightly.

Was he... too hasty?

Or had he misunderstood?

Was her care and attention for him really just out of gratitude?

A trace of bitterness rose in his heart, but he quickly pushed it down.

He took a light breath, didn't press further, and tried again to prop himself up.

This time, he succeeded.

Though his movements were still somewhat difficult, he finally moved away from her body, sitting at the other end of the sofa, putting some distance between them.

"It's okay."

He looked at Elaine, who was still somewhat dazed, his voice returning to its previous gentleness. "You don't have to answer me now. I know this is sudden, you need time."

He paused, his tone more serious than ever:

"Elaine, I won't force you. But I want you to know that my feelings are real, and they'll always be here. No matter how long you need to think about it, or... whatever your final answer is, I'll respect it. I'll keep waiting."

After speaking, he looked away toward the cup of water on the coffee table that was no longer steaming, and said nothing more.

The space on the sofa became more spacious after he moved away, but the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

Elaine's heartbeat was still racing like crazy.

Bradley's confession had completely thrown her off balance.

She could feel her cheeks burning hot, even the back of her neck was on fire.

She didn't even dare look into Bradley's eyes anymore—the emotion there was too intense, making her flustered and at a loss.

"I... I..."

She opened her mouth but could only make a few meaningless sounds.

Her mind was a complete mess. Refuse? Accept?

She couldn't think straight at all!

Finally, the instinct to escape took over.

She jumped up from the sofa as if she'd been burned.

Keeping her head down, her voice barely audible:

"Um... it's getting late... I... I should go! Vera... Vera's home alone... I... I need to get back!"

She stammered incoherently, not daring to look up at Bradley's expression.

After speaking, she grabbed her bag from the sofa, turned and rushed toward the door.

Her steps were chaotic, almost tripping on the smooth floor, not even bothering to put on her coat properly before pulling open the door and darting out.

"Bang!"

The door closed behind her, shutting out everything inside.

Bradley remained sitting on the sofa, maintaining his previous position.

He looked at the closed door, the disappointment in his eyes gradually replaced by something more complex.

The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve into a tiny arc.

This was the first time she hadn't rejected him.

She hadn't coldly drawn boundaries, hadn't even come up with any high-sounding reasons to brush him off.

She had just... run away.

Like a startled deer, fleeing in panic from a scene that left her at a loss.

It seemed he had already secured a place in her heart.

...

Elaine practically fled into the elevator, and only after the doors closed and it began descending did she dare to breathe heavily.

She leaned against the wall, covering her still-burning cheeks with her hands, her heart still pounding wildly.

Bradley's words, his breath when he leaned close, his gaze fixed on her, and the intimate contact when they fell onto the sofa together...

All the scenes replayed uncontrollably in her mind, over and over again.

She returned home in a daze.

Vera was already asleep, her little face peaceful.

Elaine tiptoed through her bedtime routine and lay down, but tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

In the darkness, everything that happened during the day, along with more distant memories, became especially clear.

She remembered those cold, desperate days before the divorce, remembered Arthur abandoning her time and again for Emily, remembered the helplessness of facing their sick child alone.

Then the scene shifted.

It was Bradley running around when she was under investigation, his helping hand extended whenever she needed it, his unhesitating investment in her research, his determination when accompanying her into danger to find clues about Kathy, his resolve in that instant at the warehouse explosion when he shielded her with his body...

These images intertwined, the contrast so stark.

At some point, she drifted off to sleep in a daze.

But her dreams were far from peaceful.

In her dream, she seemed to be back in that dark, dangerous warehouse, explosion flames shooting skyward, debris flying everywhere.

Bradley's figure blocked her view, so tall, yet so fragile.

He was covered in blood, yet still trying to smile at her...

The scene changed, as if in a dark alley, someone with a knife attacked her, Bradley rushing out from nowhere, bare-handedly deflecting the blade, his arm sliced open with a long gash, blood streaming, yet he kept her firmly protected behind him...

Again and again, in crisis after crisis, he always appeared, always stood in front of her, bearing the harm for her, keeping her completely safe.

In the dream, she could clearly feel that near-death terror, and also the sense of security when he protected her, as well as the heart-clenching pain when she saw him injured.

"Bradley!"

She cried out, waking from the dream with a start, sitting bolt upright, her forehead covered in cold sweat, her heart pounding in her chest, almost leaping out of her throat.