Chapter 46 Why Are You Not Running Anymore
A single glance at the cheap phone was enough for Emilia to know that it belonged to Christina.
Walking over, she snagged the phone, planning to toss it into the trash can. Out of curiosity, she took a look at the screen. Surprisingly, she saw a message from Nathaniel, who asked whether Christina had arrived at the restaurant.
Didn’t Dad say that Christina and Nathaniel’s marriage is fake? Why would they have dinner together? Ah, she must have lied to Dad because she wasn’t willing to help the Steele family out!
She keyed in Christina’s birthday and unlocked the phone. When she was done replying to the message, she threw it away.
Meanwhile, Christina went to the hospital to visit her mother after leaving the Steele residence.
Recently, her mother suffered a relapse and had been hospitalized for a few days. It was not serious, but Christina still urged her to have a full-body checkup.
They both inquired after each other’s health, and Christina told her mother about the interesting things at work lately.
Subsequently, she went to the counter and paid the hospitalization fees. There was little money left on her bank card, and she would only receive her salary next month.
She had just returned to the hospital room and sat for a while when visitation hours ended. A nurse came and requested that she leave.
When she left the hospital, she abruptly remembered Nathaniel asking her out for dinner. It was only when she planned to return a call to him did she realize that her phone was gone.
She had no idea where she had lost it. Worried about making Nathaniel wait, she hailed a taxi and rushed to the restaurant,
Upon arrival, she gave the server Nathaniel’s name. The server led her to the private room before leaving.
The decoration in the private room was incredibly romantic. All the candles were arranged into heart shapes, and the tablecloth was red. Even the furnishings were very much unique.
It’s already eight-thirty. Could Nathaniel be late because he’s busy with work?
Christina waited for him on the couch. A wave of drowsiness suddenly assailed her after she had bustled around for the entire day, and she dozed off.
By the time the server woke her up, it was already ten o’clock, and the restaurant was closing for the day.
Hmm, Nathaniel probably couldn’t contact me since my phone is missing. Gah! Why did I have to misplace my phone? The mere thought of it irritated her.
The moment she stepped out of the restaurant, a gust of wind hit her, causing her to shiver in the cold.
She had little money on her then. Since she had used more than half of it to take a taxi there carlier,
e couldnly choose to board the bus.
L
the last bus, so there were only a few people. Christina found a seat and sat down. Leaning back against the chair, she gazed at the scenery outside.
As the silhouette of the scenery flashed past her eyes in a continuous stream, Nathaniel’s countenance inexplicably popped into her mind.
After alighting from the bus, she still had to walk a distance before arriving at her house. Down in the dumps, she trudged along like a tortoise,
Out of the blue, she sensed something amiss. Huh? It sounds as though someone is walking in sync with my footsteps.
She snapped her head back in bewilderment. But then, there was no one behind her. In fact, the entire street was empty.
However, that made her feel all the more uneasy. Everyone had their own auras. When two people’s auras appeared at the same time, the other party would undoubtedly sense it.
The quieter one’s surroundings were, the easier it was to sense it.
Realizing that danger was lurking behind her, Christina quickened her pace. At the thought that someone with nefarious intentions might pop out, her heart abruptly started pounding.
She had only trotted a few steps ahead when the figure hiding behind her stepped out of the darkness. “Ahh!” she shrieked at the top of her lungs even as she began running as fast as her legs could her.
carry
Along the terribly cold street in the dead of night, her screams were swallowed by the darkness. Practically no one heard her.
When she was finally about to reach her house, a sense of relief suffused her. However, just two seconds after that, her long hair was yanked by a brute force from behind.
She fell to the ground hard as a result, a stabbing pain shooting up her knees when they grazed the gravel road.
“D*mn, you’re pretty fair and bonny. Why’d you stop running?” The man’s face was obscured by the darkness, and only his malicious smile was visible.
Christina climbed to her feet. Her expression remained calm and unruffled, but inwardly, she was trembling in fear. “Don’t hurt me. I’ll give you all my money.”
“I want both your money and body. Be good, and I’ll be gentle with you.” The man stalked closer to her, step by step. It was a narrow path, and if she wanted to escape, she needed to run faster than a professional athlete.
Sheer terror swamped Christina. She had seen too many news reports of people encountering perverts while walking home alone late at night. All the hair on her body bristled with hostility.
Withou warning, the man grabbed her wrist. “This is more like it. Don’t fight me-”
fore the man could even finish his sentence, he was sent flying like a bowling pin by a single punch.
ried out in pain before spewing a mouthful of blood.
Frowning, Nathaniel scrutinized Christina, who had gone pale in fright. “Are you okay?”
At the sight of the familiar handsome countenance before her, Christina breathed a sigh of relief. Under the dim lights, Nathaniel’s jaw was clenched tightly, rendering his features exceptionally icy and flinty. His unfathomable eyes gave others a sense of a frigid mysteriousness.
After ascertaining that Christina was fine, he strode over to the man. With his eyes emanating frost, he kicked the man a few times. Snapping sounds echoed along the silent stretch of road.
Anyone with an ounce of knowledge of human anatomy would be able to tell that those were sounds of bones breaking.
Only when Nathaniel had made his way back to Christina did he notice her scraped knees and elbows. Blood dyed her shirt red, forming red floral patterns.
Unbidden, he recalled such a shade of red on the white bedsheet after a bout of passion on the night they met for the first time.
His Adam’s apple bobbed furtively. Scooping her up, he carried her to the car.
Without further ado, he floored the gas pedal and sped to a private hospital.
He said nothing throughout the entire drive. When Christina made to get out of the car, he had already circled over and scooped her up.
As he marched into the hospital, all the staff seemingly knew him, for their expressions changed drastically at the sight of him.
In the emergency room, Nathaniel impatiently ordered, “Have a female doctor come over.”
Murmuring an acquiescence, the nurse standing at the door promptly left.
Nathaniel had Christina sit on the hospital bed while he studied the injury on her knees. The skin had broken, with blood oozing out and sand sticking to the flesh. It made for a distressing sight.
Soon, the nurse returned with a doctor. “Mr. Hadley, all the female doctors have gone off work. There are only male doctors.” She spoke in a mere whisper as though afraid of being scolded.
Nathaniel threw the male doctor a glacial look. “Never mind. Bring me the necessary equipment.”
Not daring to tarry, the nurse hastily prepared everything and place them aside. Then, she went out and closed the door behind her.
Nathaniel carefully cleaned Christina’s wounds. His brows inexorably creased even deeper, likely because he found her wounds ghastly.
When he applied antiseptic to her wound, he blew on it to alleviate the stinging pain.
*Bear with it a while more. Ill be done in no time.”
kay”
For coc hrst time, Christina stared down at him. It would be a lie to claim that she was not moved when a tall and prideful man was willing to bend down and clean her wounds right then
Never had she seen him being so considerate. His motements were unbelievably gentle, as though caring for something precious
A wealth of warmth filled the softest part of her heart, melting her from the inside out
Attaching a Band Aid over her wound. Nathaniel casually asked. “I thought you were at home. Why were you only going back at euch an hour
At his question, Christina’s heart lurched. “Didn’t we agree on having dinner together at the testaurant”
