Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Don’t Let Me Die in Bed

She stood by the bed, watching him lie unconscious.

He looked so fragile right now.

The sharp, proud aura about him was gone. He couldn’t do anything to hurt her now.

She clutched the pillow in her hands.

’He deserves to die.’

’Making me love him so much, only to hate him this intensely now.’

’All my joy and all my pain come from him.’

Chloe Reed’s emotions churned, but in the end, she let go.

’I can’t do it.’

’I just want a divorce. I just want to get away from him, not for him to die.’

After all, this was the man she had loved for eight years!

She backed away slowly and sat down in a chair.

The unconscious man was completely oblivious.

At three in the morning, Walker Grant was jolted awake by a surge of pain. He opened his eyes and instinctively glanced beside him.

She hadn’t been back when he had returned.

But now, he saw a figure curled up in the corner.

She was hugging herself, like an insecure child.

Walker Grant’s eyes were bloodshot. His breathing was still labored, and though his fever had subsided, the pain in his back was as sharp as ever.

In the dim light, he gazed at her sleeping face, as if he could never get enough of the sight.

「The next day.」

Chloe Reed was woken by a searing heat.

She opened her eyes to find herself being held in an embrace.

Her body was comfortable, but her heart seized.

She immediately pushed the person away.

Walker Grant had been lying on his side, but her push sent him flat on his back. His handsome face instantly contorted, and cold sweat beaded on his temples.

"Chloe..."

Walker Grant’s voice was incredibly hoarse. "It hurts so much."

A sharp pang shot through Chloe Reed’s heart.

She was suddenly reminded of the time they went skiing years ago. She’d been a poor skier and had lost control of her board, careening down the slope. To save her, Walker Grant had grabbed her, and the two of them had tumbled down the hill together. His leg had smashed against a sharp rock, fracturing it.

During his hospital stay, he had been so clingy, always telling her how much it hurt and coaxing her into doing all sorts of things that made her blush and her heart race.

A wave of sweetness washed over her, followed instantly by a sharp, piercing pain.

Her face paled. She looked at him. "Now that all you think about is that mother and her son, isn’t it only right you suffer a little for them?"

Walker Grant’s brows knitted together tightly as he saw the mockery in her eyes.

Her old gentleness and charm were gone.

All that remained were icy daggers.

He wasn’t used to this.

Chloe Reed, on the other hand, got out of bed and went to wash up.

When she came out, she said, "Don’t play pitiful to cover up the fact that you lied to me, Walker Grant. As long as you can still move, you’re coming with me to the Civil Affairs Bureau today."

A suffocating pain tightened in Walker Grant’s chest. Seeing that she felt no sympathy for him whatsoever, the corners of his eyes reddened slightly. He stared at her for a long moment.

Then he said abruptly, "Today’s Saturday. The Civil Affairs Bureau is closed."

Chloe Reed: "..."

Her face turned thunderous.

Walker Grant continued, "I’ll go with you on Monday. On one condition: you don’t let me die in this bed before then."

Just saying those few words seemed to take a monumental effort. He closed his eyes, the cold sweat on his temples multiplying.

Chloe Reed’s fingers curled into tight fists. After a long moment, she finally walked over to help him turn over.

She immediately saw that his wound had split open again.

Blood was seeping through the gauze, a horrifying sight.

Her heart clenched again, but her expression remained largely unchanged.

Following the family doctor’s instructions, she cleaned and re-bandaged the wound.

However, he needed to sit up for her to wrap the gauze, and she didn’t have the doctor’s strength.

Her tone was clipped. "You need to make an effort, too. Sit up."

Walker Grant looked at her, his eyes dark. "Then help me."

Without thinking, Chloe Reed reached out and supported his shoulder.

But in the next second, his heavy body pressed her down, and his scorching breath enveloped her in an instant.