When Ariel woke up, her body felt weak and limp. As she stirred slightly, Freya’s delighted voice rang out beside

her.

“Ms. Walker, you’re awake! Are you still feeling unwell?”

Ariel turned. “Why are you…”

Freya helped her up and explained, “Perry and I brought you to the hospital, and he left to print your test results. We were worried something might have happened to you, so we decided to check everything just in case.”

“What floor is he on?” Ariel’s expression shifted slightly as she lifted the covers and got out of bed.”

Freya seemed startled. “This floor.”

Ariel didn’t have time to care about her discomfort as she rushed out and headed straight for the self–service printing station on the same floor.

Sure enough, Perry was standing in front of the machine as it printed out a stack of reports.

Ariel ran up and snatched the papers from him before gripping them tightly in her hand.

He seemed taken aback. “You’re awake? Why did you leave your ward?”

Ariel’s heart was still pounding. Her lips pressed into a tight line as she asked, “Where’s my ID card?”

He froze at the cold, guarded look in her eyes before handing it over. “Sorry. It was an emergency, so I went through your bag to get it without asking for permission.”

Seeing that he didn’t seem to act weird, she let out a quiet breath of relief. It seemed he hadn’t noticed the issue on the report, and she couldn’t afford to let him.

If Perry found out about her condition, it was only a matter of time before Jayson did too. She couldn’t afford to bear the series of consequences coming out of that.

If Jayson knew the truth, he’d never let her go with dignity. He might even use her cancer and bring it to Katie and Leonard like leverage, and she could never let that happen.

“Thank you. How much were the medical fees? I’ll transfer it to you,” she calmly said, knowing that this was the right thing to do.

Sensing the emotional distance, Perry said, “No need. It’s just a small expense. You don’t look well, though. Since the reports are out, shall we consult the doctor?”

“It’s just a fever. It’s no big deal,” she flatly replied.

He regarded her with a conflicted gaze. “But even while you were unconscious, you were crying out in pain.”

She was so thin and fragile. Even while unconscious, she’d curled up like she was in self–defense mode and whispered faint cries. 19

Just how much pain must she have been in to do that?

Ariel didn’t explain and simply said, “Thanks for today, but please tally up the expenses and send me the total.”

Perry understood that she didn’t want to owe him anything and offered, “Alright. Since you’re fine now, let me take you home. It’s getting late.”

Ariel gave him a cold glance. “No need. I’ll grab a cab.”

Faced with her unyielding resolve to establish boundaries, Perry felt a lump in his throat. A strange feeling of defeat crept over him as he said, “Okay. Be careful.”

He didn’t insist.

Ariel said a quick goodbye to Freya and left.

That was so close! Thank goodness he hadn’t found out, or she wouldn’t have known how to deal with it all.

=

a

Perry watched her as she left. Beside him, Freya nudged his arm. “You’re acting weird, Perry. Do you like Ms. Walker?”

Perry instinctively frowned and ruffled her hair. “Kids like you know nothing. Don’t say nonsense. She wouldn’t like that.”

Freya sighed dramatically. “Yeah. I can totally tell she’s not into you.”

Perry wasn’t sure how to reply. Soon after, he received a notification on his phone showing the 2,000 dollars Ariel had sent him.

She’d given extra; she wanted to ensure she owed him absolutely nothing.

A frown settled on Perry’s face, his mind clearly occupied.