Chapter 41 Chapter 41
But she just kept crying. Just as he was about to lose his patience, she finally managed to choke out, "It's nothing. I'm just scared you'll abandon me someday."
He froze. Looking at her tear-streaked face, he felt exasperated and pitiful. He couldn't help but smack her bottom and scold her, "What on earth are you thinking all day?"
She couldn't answer, burying her face in his chest as tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Yet, inside, her heart felt utterly parched. Benjamin had already dragged her into hell, and Adrian was the only glimmer of light she could see when she looked up. Reason told her to slowly push him away, distance herself, and let him go. But she was so unwilling to do it.
She couldn't bear it. How could she ever crawl out of that hell alone if she let him go?
"Adrian..." She called his name and lifted her head to look at him. But when she met his eyes, the things Benjamin had done to her became impossible to voice. She could only call his name again, as if making a vow: "Adrian, I love you. You must remember this. No matter what happens, I love you."
Her abrupt words made Adrian frown slightly. Sensing something was off, he asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?”
"Nothing." She answered without hesitation. The moment the words left her mouth, her phone buzzed with a text notification. Seizing the opportunity, she scrambled to her feet and exclaimed, "Oh no! It must be the hospital administrators checking up on me again!" “
She frantically fumbled for her phone. When she pulled it out and saw the message, she froze. She quickly deleted the text and turned off her phone, then gathered her clothes from the floor. "My colleague is rushing me!" she told Adrian. “Hurry up and take me back!”
However, Adrian was perfectly calm. He deliberately came over to mess with her, tugging at her sweater and refusing to let go. She glared at him in frustration, grabbed his shirt, and tossed it at him. "Stop fooling around! Hurry up! I was already late this morning!"
He was only teasing her and didn't want her to get in trouble. Hearing this, he quickly pulled her into the bathroom for a quick shower and said, "I'll come back later to check out. I'll take you there first.”
They hurriedly threw on clothes. He drove her back and dropped her off right at the hotel entrance. As she got out, he called after her, smiling, "Grace, I'm staying there tonight. I'll come find you for breakfast tomorrow morning!"
She steeled herself to refuse him. "No, you can't stay out here. Go home right now!"
Adrian looked at her, about to say more, but she had already climbed back into the car. She planted a hard kiss on his lips and pleaded, "Adrian, please don't put me in this awkward position. So many people are watching me."
He smiled and finally nodded. "Alright!"
She stared at him for a moment, then lunged forward, grabbed his shoulder, and bit his lip fiercely before getting out of the car. She watched his car glide away and slowly fade into the distance until it vanished into the night. It felt as if the last shred of warmth in her chest had been carried away. She stood there in a daze until a colleague passed by and called out in surprise, "Ms. Hill?"
Only then did she snap back to reality. She heard her colleague add, "Hurry up. It's time to wrap up for the day. Oh, someone was looking for you earlier.”
"Oh, I see. Thank you,” she replied, smiling at her colleague before turning toward the hotel lobby. She had expected it to be Benjamin or someone he sent, but the person who approached the service desk was the young girl who had sought Benjamin's autograph earlier.
Grace glanced at her briefly while tidying items on the service counter. "I know who you are," she said. “Give me your phone number, and I'll contact you.”
The girl's eyes widened in surprise. "Ms. Hill? You—"
"Don't discuss anything here," Grace interrupted, glancing around nonchalantly before whispering, "Leave quickly. Don't try to approach him again. It's dangerous."
The girl was quick-witted, after all. She nodded, pulled her phone from her bag, and asked, "What's your number? I'll call you so you can write down mine.”
"No need." Grace refused outright and demanded that the girl recite her own number instead. Then she repeated it softly. "Got it. I'll call you. Now, go home—or wherever you need to be."
With that, Grace turned away from the girl, gathered her belongings from the service counter, and sought out the teacher who had led the group. She summarized the day's activities for the students gathered there, then declared the workday over. Everyone was to return to their accommodations and refrain from wandering off.
Her phone remained off. Grace didn't know if Benjamin had contacted her again after the commanding "Come over" text. She was testing his limits. Having decided to confront him head-on, she needed to gauge how much he would tolerate.
It was both a test and a gamble.
After attending to student matters, she returned to her room around ten and finally turned her phone back on. The first message that popped up was from Adrian, saying that he had arrived home safely and that she could rest easy. However, Benjamin remained silent; no further messages came through. Truthfully, she felt uneasy. Benjamin wasn't one to easily let things go.
Grace sat on her bed, staring blankly at her phone. At 10:30, it suddenly vibrated. Though she was mentally prepared, her hand still flinched before she glanced at the caller ID. It was Benjamin's number. His last message had come an hour and a half ago, which was the full extent of his patience toward her at that moment.
"I told you, I don't like waiting," he said.
With her roommates present, she stepped into the hallway, phone in hand. Unlike her usual cold, rigid demeanor, she softened her tone and explained in a low voice, "I've been tied up with work. Plus, our supervisor emphasized last night that we're not allowed to wander off. My roommate is a colleague, and I couldn't leave."
Benjamin remained silent, not uttering a word.
She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “Benjamin, could you please be a little more understanding?”
"Who's sharing your room?" he suddenly asked.
She froze for a moment before naming her colleague. Then she couldn't help asking, "What are you going to do?"