Chapter 87
After Robert left, I sat down by the hospital bed to check on Oscar's back.
He was shirtless, and the burned area had been treated with fresh medicine and properly wrapped in gauze. I could only see the faint brownish-red fluid seeping through, which looked much better than the exposed raw flesh from before.
But his originally smooth skin had been fitted with an expander that, once filled with water, formed a huge bulge. It looked strange and frightening, and even lying on his stomach, he was uncomfortable all over.
My eyes welled up with tears. He shouldn't have had to suffer like this.
"Did they give you another painkiller shot today?" I sniffled and held back all my tears.
Oscar smiled. "What painkiller? This little bit of pain is totally bearable. What's with that expression? You've already brought me the most famous plastic surgeon in the world. This small injury will heal quickly. Don't cry—I'm not good at comforting girls."
Seeing his teasing expression, I smiled at him, hiding the sadness in my eyes. I reached out to touch the skin on both sides of his body that had been stretched almost transparent, but in the end, I pulled my hand back, not daring to touch it. I could only change the subject and briefly tell him about my work today. "I fired both Charles and Jasper today. I wonder if they're busy with their own stuff now, or trying to bail Sophia out."
Oscar's eyes showed concern. "You should keep a couple of people around you. You're pushing them so hard right now, I'm afraid they'll retaliate."
I gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm actually hoping they'll make a move. If they really do something, wouldn't it be nice for them to go in and keep Sophia company?"
Oscar didn't relax. "I'm not joking. They're no match for you, but your safety is more important than anything. Don't think they won't dare—when people are pushed to the edge, human nature can be more evil than you can imagine."
I lowered my head, hiding a trace of hatred in my eyes. "How do you know I don't know that? Haven't I been pushed to the edge before?"
Oscar pulled my hand into his palm, looking at me with eyes full of deep tenderness. "But you're doing well now. They're not worth the risk. Like this time, if Sophia had really disfigured you again, it would have broken my heart."
His eyes were filled with an indescribable love that made me instinctively want to avoid it. I was afraid I didn't have the capacity to love others, and even more afraid that when I opened my heart again, I would end up bruised and broken just like before.
They were all members of the Lopez family, but Oscar seemed different.
So after instinctively pulling away, I didn't withdraw my hand. Instead, I held his hand in return and smiled at him. "You were really too foolish. You could have just pulled me away then. Why did you block it yourself?"
"I didn't have time to think about all that. I just thought I couldn't let you get hurt. I'm really fine—men's bodies are tougher. If your face got hurt again, nothing and no one could undo it. I didn't really understand why you hated your family so much before—after all, you lived together for many years. Now I really get it. They treat you worse than strangers." Oscar sighed.
"Let's not talk about that." I sat back down on the stool by his bed and picked up an apple to peel carefully. The round apple spun quickly in my hand, and a long peel hung down, getting longer and longer. "Even a small surgery is still surgery. You'll have to lie like this and rest for these days. If there's anything work-related you need to tell me, just let me know."
Oscar looked up at me while lying down, his eyes full of appreciation. "How come I feel like you, as a business partner, are more professional than my fiancée?"
"Well, what else? We're partners to begin with. Of course, I have to show my value and not make you feel like you picked the wrong person." I avoided his somewhat intense gaze and spoke casually.
I could feel Oscar's gaze on me, not moving away for a long time. Being watched like this, I paused in my movements, and the sharp knife slipped toward my left thumb. Before I could feel the pain, I heard Oscar's panicked warning.
"Watch out." He instinctively tried to get up to check on me.
I quickly went over and held him down. "Don't move."
"Your hand," he reminded me.
I quickly grabbed a tissue and pressed it against my bleeding thumb, trying to look relaxed. "It's nothing, just a small cut. It'll be fine in a minute. You'd better not move around."
He held my injured hand, pressing on my wound through the tissue, his eyes full of tenderness, like sunlight falling on me. "Emily, you need to learn to say it hurts when you're injured. Sometimes you don't need to be so strong."
He gently rubbed my wound, trying to help it heal faster. "I hope I can be your shield, that you can trust me to watch your back. I like this kind of relationship. Emily, if possible, after you've dealt with all your issues and I've done what I want to do, let's... really be together. Whether we stay in Lumaria or go back to Solstice."
Such direct words left me unsure how to dodge.
Right now, we each have things we want to do, but I've never thought about what I'd do with my future after finishing what I want to do.
My goal seemed to only go as far as destroying the Brown Family, destroying Gregory, and that was it. What about after that?
"Is that okay?" Oscar looked seriously into my eyes, not giving me any chance to escape.
His pale complexion lent a fragile beauty to his handsome features. His eyes mixed anticipation with fear as he stared at me without blinking, as if afraid to read rejection on my face.
I could hear my heart beating strongly. Each time he tested the waters, my heartbeat would speed up. Toward him, I seemed to have some feelings. Between us, there was destined to be a different kind of bond.
If there really needed to be someone to spend the rest of my life with, if that person was Oscar, I actually wasn't opposed to it.
Under his burning gaze, I gently nodded. "If you still feel this way and want to be with me, then let's... give it a try."
Try a different kind of life, give him a chance, and give myself a chance too.
The smile on Oscar's face gradually spread, like sunlight slowly breaking through clouds, lighting up the whole world. "Emily, you said it. No taking it back."
In this moment, he smiled brilliantly.
I nodded slowly. He tried hard to pull me into his embrace, but touched his wound and grimaced in pain.
I rushed over in alarm to check, and he grimaced and gasped in pain while grinning foolishly, his arms wrapping around my slender waist. "Emily, you need to hurry up and deal with your stuff. I need to pick up the pace too."
Speaking of what he wanted to do, I now had a moment of hesitation. "Oscar, do you... want to think about it more carefully?"
I was afraid that when Robert left, he might regret it one day.