CHAPTER 137: CHAPTER 137: INTIMATE ENCOUNTER

Hector’s voice was magnetic and rich.

But he deliberately slowed his speech and lowered his volume, making his voice exceedingly gentle.

In Tiana Linden’s ears, it felt like a cat’s paw lightly grazed her eardrum.

Over the years, not to mention empathy when her ears were festering, even when she was in the late stages of cancer, her closest and dearest never showed her an ounce of compassion.

Not even willing to give her a box of life-saving medicine.

Let alone care for and inquire about her well-being.

In recent days, it seemed she was the one asking Hector for help.

In fact, Hector cared for her more attentively than family.

Her heart suddenly filled with mixed emotions — sour, bitter, astringent, sweet, all intertwined.

When she was little, she always thought.

Her brothers, her father, and Aiden would surely protect her for a lifetime.

But in the end, the person caring for her was Hector.

She thought complexly, wanting to cry.

Turning away, she secretly wiped away her tears.

Turning back, she took the iodine from Hector’s hand, "It’s nothing, just a small wound, festering tip, I’m not that fragile, I can handle it myself."

She got up, intending to head to the bathroom to apply ointment in front of the mirror.

Her wrist was caught by Hector.

Under the warm yellow light, Hector’s brow slightly furrowed, "Tiana, in front of me, you don’t have to pretend to be so strong."

Tiana couldn’t help but mutter, "Where did I pretend? When I was giving birth in prison, it hurt a lot more than now."

Hector couldn’t imagine how she, always the pampered young lady of The Linden Family, could have endured those tough years in prison?

He looked at her.

Her brows and eyes held seemingly strong smiles.

But her slender and frail frame hinted at a sense of fragile vulnerability.

Back then, he took the blame for The Chaucer Family, and entered prison before her by half a month, unable to protect her thoroughly.

How could Aiden, James, and Daniel bear to send someone so fragile into prison?

How could they bear to leave her without salvation?

"Come here."

Hector tugged her wrist, pulling her closer.

"In the future, you will never be uncared for."

"If you’re not comfortable, just consider me as the brother you’ve grown up with."

"Just like Daniel used to look after you."

Talking like this with her, could dispel her inner wariness, right?

He picked up the iodine again, wiping her earlobe.

Feeling the coolness, Tiana slightly furrowed her brows — turns out Hector really regarded her as a neighborhood sister.

Without thinking much else, she asked Hector, "Is it really festering?"

"Let me take your ear stud off first."

Hector carefully removed Tiana’s ear stud.

In fact, Tiana has gone through a lot of hardship, suffered many woes.

These years she got used to being a strong mother.

Alone, she carried Daisy through storms, without support.

In front of Daisy, she was always strong like wearing armor.

Actually, her heart is also soft.

Just like Hector said before, she was like a shell, the harder the exterior looked, the softer the inner heart was.

Suddenly she found out, she could actually relax in Hector’s presence.

"I will first help you squeeze out the pus, don’t worry, it won’t hurt."

At the moment she fully trusted Hector.

Hector squeezed hard.

Hiss...

"Hector, you liar, you said you would be gentle."

"Don’t move, just a little more."

"Hiss, Hector, you’re really using force!"

Tiana forcefully slapped Hector.

When she retrieved her arm, she accidentally knocked over the opened iodine on the edge of the table.

Slosh!

The whole bottle of iodine spilled over.

The splashed iodine made Tiana step back.

In that moment of losing balance, she instinctively grabbed onto the corner of Hector’s robe.

"Careful!"

The man stretched his long arm, embracing Tiana’s thin and fragile waist.

In that instant of close breathing, Tiana realized that they both ended up falling into the soft sofa.

Her soft lips brushed against Hector’s muscular neck.

Just a slight move, she could kiss his seductive throat.

Time seemed to have been paused.

The softness in his arms stunned Hector.

He looked at the startled woman on the couch.

She dared not move.

Her long black hair, like seaweed, spread out, making her oval face look even more exquisite and fair.

Hector’s breath seemed noticeably hotter.

Until he felt her body tense tightly, he realized he had lost decorum.

Quickly rising up, "Sorry! Are you okay?"

Tiana quickly got up too, burying her head, tucking the loose hair by her ear, "I’m okay, I, I’ll rinse again."

In the bathroom.

Even after the iodine completely washed off her body, Tiana still stood before the showerhead.

Water flowed down her delicate skin slowly.

But she stood under the stream, motionless, silently dazing.

...

That night, Tiana on the bed and Hector on the sofa, both lost sleep.

Outside the door.

Aiden leaned against the wall in the corridor.

The cigarette between his fingers flickered on and off.

One after another.

The ashtray on the corridor’s trash can, extinguished cigarette butts, one after another.

The spreading smoke clouded Aiden’s sullen face.

Pain seemed to seep out of his eyes.

Even the entire corridor’s air pressure became very low.

He stayed outside Tiana and Hector’s room, smoking one cigarette after another.

Until the trash can’s ashtray was packed full.

Inside the room, was the woman he loved most, and his best buddy.

One gave birth for him.

One took a knife for him.

They were together now.

When the last cigarette butt was tossed into the ashtray, dawn arrived.

This agonizing figure had to leave from Tiana’s door.

Morning.

Tiana and Hector walked out of the room.

To the right of the room door, there was a delicate trash can.

The ashtray on the trash can was a cute cartoon shape.

Filled with cigarette butts.

The brand marked on the cigarette butts, Tiana immediately recognized.

Aiden only smokes this brand.

Last night, outside her room, the man who smoked all night was Aiden.

But Tiana no longer felt heartache.

She only sighed at the changes of time and things.

Those she once vowed to love for a lifetime, ultimately, she dug out of her heart painfully.

Knowing Aiden, he must be nearby.

She took Hector’s arm, looked sweetly and warmly at him, "Hector, let’s go have breakfast first, I’m hungry."

In the hallway, beyond a door crack, Aiden watched them walk away hand in hand, then quietly came out.

...

In the buffet restaurant.

Tiana poured herself a cup of kumquat lemon.

Her wrist suddenly got caught, leading her to an empty corner.

"Aiden, let go."

Despite the empty surroundings, Aiden still didn’t let go.

He held Tiana’s arms, full of pleading eyes, "Tiana, won’t you come back to me? I don’t care if you’ve had a real relationship with Hector. Just come back, I’ll love you and care for you like before. The three of us, as a family, can live well together, okay?"

Now, tables have turned.

The Tiana who once begged Aiden desperately, refused to hear another word from him.

She held her water cup, forcefully swung away Aiden.

The water in the cup splashed all over Aiden...