Chapter 344 I Only Have One Family Member
Neither of them spoke as Nathan lay down on the bed after undressing.
Katniss focused intently on treating him.
As she packed up her tools after the treatment, Nathan broke the silence. "I didn't think you'd want to treat me. I figured you were mad about what happened before."
Katniss raised an eyebrow while putting away the tools. "What are you talking about?"
Nathan hesitated, thinking she had forgotten. "They took Clara back to the Manners family. I didn't expect it either, and it wasn't what we agreed on, but I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry."
Katniss frowned. "Didn't they send her away later?"
She knew about Clara being taken back.
Elodie had even argued with her about it, but she hadn't given in.
In the end, Clara was sent away from the Manners family again.
Nathan paused, realizing that Katniss hadn't forgotten but had been kept in the dark.
She didn't know that Clara had been taken back to the Manners family again.
Lucas and Dylan had hidden it well.
He hadn't known either until he went home to grab some things before leaving and noticed Clara's room being cleaned again.
Even though Clara was in Starhaven, the Manners family still thought about her, especially Oliver, who often mentioned Clara and said she would bring Katniss back to Luminous City.
No one in the Manners family, except for Oliver, believed Clara could bring Katniss back to Luminous City.
That was why Nathan was in Starhaven.
Dylan and Lucas had agreed to send Clara to Starhaven mainly because she had become infamous again, with her affair making the front page of the Luminous City newspaper. She needed to lie low in Starhaven.
Dylan decided to transfer to Starhaven and brought Nathan and Elodie along for medical treatment.
"What about them?" Katniss sensed something was off and gestured for him to lie down for the treatment to continue, pressing for more information.
Nathan slowly lay back down, and he couldn't hold it in any longer. "Clara's back home again."
"Is that so?" Katniss responded, her face expressionless.
Before leaving Luminous City, she hadn't paid much attention to the Manners family's drama, being too busy preparing for her training.
She hadn't expected Dylan and Lucas to be so persistent, bringing Clara back to the Manners family again.
"Yeah," Nathan confirmed, feeling guilty and avoiding Katniss's gaze. "If you're upset, you don't have to treat me."
Katniss's treatments had genuinely helped him, and he was grateful.
So, when Dylan and Lucas did something like this again, he couldn't ignore it or feel guiltless.
"I don't leave things unfinished." Despite her frustration, Katniss didn't stop her treatment.
Nathan was taken aback by her response.
"But now that you know, you can choose to let me be," he said firmly, despite lying still.
Katniss repeated, "I said I don't leave things unfinished. Besides, even if you told me to leave, Dylan would bother me."
She didn't have the time or energy for back-and-forth.
If Nathan weren't in Starhaven, she would have refused outright, but since Dylan had brought him here, she saw no reason to refuse.
She had lived two lives.
In her past life, she hadn't followed her heart.
In this life, she wanted to live freely, without resisting or forcing herself.
"I see," Nathan sighed softly. "I'll talk to Dylan and make sure he doesn't bother you again."
Katniss glanced at him, catching his gaze.
But Nathan's eyes lacked any will to live.
Katniss noticed his emotions and asked, slightly shocked, "Why are you thinking like this all of a sudden?"
Nathan's resignation and expression were something she had never seen before, in either of her lives.
She felt like she was missing something.
"It's nothing. I just feel like I've been a lousy brother. From the moment you returned to the Manners family until now, we haven't done right by you. So, I feel bad."
Katniss guessed what was bothering Nathan and showed no extra emotion.
Nathan's change hadn't started one day.
She had noticed his softer attitude towards her back in Luminous City but hadn't paid it much mind, thinking it was her imagination.
Now, hearing Nathan's words, she realized it wasn't an illusion. It was real.
Nathan had changed, but they were only now realizing it.
She said, "You feel bad? Then live well."
Among the four Manners brothers, she had the least animosity towards Nathan.
He had done the least to disgust her.
If she had to choose one of the Manners brothers to live, it would likely be Nathan.
"But I..." Nathan looked at her in surprise, wanting to say something but ultimately staying silent.
"Enough. I need to focus." Katniss dismissed his hesitation and continued the treatment.
Shadow Acupuncture was miraculous but draining, and she didn't want to be distracted by talking to Nathan.
Nathan remained silent until the treatment ended, unable to find the right words.
As Katniss packed up her needles and prepared to leave the room, Nathan suddenly spoke. "Katniss, Lucas, and the others just haven't seen things yet."
Katniss paused but didn't turn around.
"One day, they'll understand. I'll help you, and then you can come home. We've always been a family," Nathan continued softly, his voice no longer as weak but still lacking confidence.
Katniss glanced back at him, frowning. "You're mistaken. I've never thought about returning to the Manners family."
To her, the Manners family was never a good place. It was a trap, a cage, but never her home.
She saw Nathan's expression change.
Though his complexion was better after the treatment, his expression was pained.
"But..." Nathan started to say more.
Katniss cut him off. "No buts. You're not my family. I only have one family member."
She had guessed what Nathan wanted to emphasize, the concept of family.
But she didn't give him the chance.
With that, Katniss left the ward without looking back.
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