Chapter 171 Yvette Couldn't Wait to Get a Divorce
The temperature wasn't too bad. Even after falling into the water at night, Yvette didn't feel all that cold.
But the second Albert spoke, it was like the water on her body turned to ice. It felt like she'd just been pulled out of a frozen wasteland, her whole body wrapped in a bone-chilling cold that went straight to her core.
Drawing a clear line was something she had always wanted to do.
Yvette lowered her gaze, hiding the disappointment in her eyes. She grabbed the medical kit with her uninjured hand.
Opening the kit, Yvette started looking for the tools she needed. As she searched, she said softly, "I will. And please, make sure none of the Valdemars come looking for me, okay?"
Albert furrowed his brows, seeing her stubborn expression. He reached out to help but then pulled back. "You don't have to come."
"Don't come?" Yvette paused, looking at Albert helplessly. "But Mr. Hayden Valdemar is your grandpa and said he had something to talk to me about. I'm not you; I can't just refuse."
"Stay away from the Valdemars," Albert said in a deep voice. "You wouldn't want to meet these people."
"I know, you don't need to keep reminding me." Yvette's voice was cold. She looked up at him, her eyes empty. "Don't worry, I said that once we're divorced, I'll repay everything I owe you, and I won't see anyone from the Valdemar family again."
Albert's expressionless face finally showed a hint of pain. "Yvette, are you that eager to get divorced?"
Yvette was puzzled. "Of course."
Albert's jaw tightened, his gaze turning cold. "Don't forget what you said."
Albert stood up, looking down at her. Under the bright moonlight, they stared at each other, speaking without thinking.
Yvette couldn't handle his cold gaze any longer. She looked away first, silently opening the medical kit and finding the necessary medicine.
"Can you leave now?" Yvette said. "Your presence here makes me very uncomfortable."
"Sure." Albert's voice was icy. After speaking, he turned and left without hesitation.
The moment Albert left, the people who had been watching from a distance, too afraid to come closer, gathered around again, gossiping as they watched Yvette apply medicine to herself.
"Are you okay?"
"Why did Albert leave? Is he leaving you here alone?"
"Are you two okay? Did you just have a fight?"
The questions from these strangers, who seemed concerned but were actually just gossiping, made Yvette feel stifled, unable to say a word.
At that moment, a hand reached out, gently taking the cotton swab and iodine from Yvette's hand.
David squatted beside Yvette, lowering his head as he carefully began to treat the wound on her wrist.
Yvette stared at him. The row of lights by the pool illuminated them from above. Yvette could clearly see the shadows cast by his long eyelashes on his lower eyelids.
Yvette was momentarily dazed, feeling as if she had returned to her childhood, back to that year in the countryside.
Back then, Yvette and Albert were always at each other's throats. Yvette was competitive and always wanted to beat Albert.
Albert, being a teenage boy, was taller and stronger. Yvette was no match for him.
In the end, Yvette always ended up bruised and battered, either scraped or bruised, both angry and miserable.
During those times, David would always bring iodine and cotton swabs from home, dragging Yvette to sit on a large rock by the roadside to treat her wounds.
David would always tease, "Albert always says you can't beat him but still provoke him. Can't you just ignore him?"
"He always provokes me," Yvette would say angrily. "You two are twins, but your personalities are like night and day. If only he were like you, how great would that be!"
Back then, Yvette would just hold her head high, her mind filled with Albert's arrogant demeanor, feeling very angry and starting another round of complaints.
She never seriously looked down at David, who was squatting in front of her, treating her wounds and comforting her.
Yvette pressed her lips together. Perhaps everything was destined from that time.
Destined that even though there was a gentle David who would clean up the mess for her, her eyes and mind were still filled with the Albert who truly held her heart.
Yvette blinked, feeling a surge of soreness around her eyes.
Sensing Yvette's gaze, David looked up, just in time to see her slightly red eyes.
David's hand retracted slightly. He asked worriedly, "Did I hurt you?"
"No," Yvette shook her head. "It doesn't hurt that much, it's okay."
David paused, his lips pressed together. "Are you upset because of Albert?"
Yvette was stunned, neither confirming nor denying it.
David's lips curved slightly, his eyes full of understanding. He let out a slow breath.
He glanced around at the people nearby. Noticing his unfriendly expression and realizing there was no more gossip to hear, they reluctantly left.
The moment everyone left, Yvette couldn't hold back the surge of emotions.
She lowered her head, her long hair wet and dripping. Yvette's expression was hidden behind her hair, making it hard to see her face. She wasn't crying, but David could clearly feel her sadness.
David packed up the medical kit, still holding her hand, looking at the scraped skin with concern. Her delicate skin, illuminated by the light, made the treated wound look particularly striking.
David gently blew on the wound a few times. "Does it still hurt?"
Yvette shook her head but kept her eyes fixed on the floor. In the motion of shaking her head, a drop of water, whether from her hair or her tears, fell onto David's shirt, disappearing into the damp fabric.
David looked at Yvette with restraint, but no matter how tightly he clenched his fists, he couldn't resist the urge to hug her.
David leaned in, about to wrap his arms around Yvette, but she suddenly stepped back.
Yvette looked up, her slightly red eyes meeting David's.
She shook her head again, her voice hoarse and tinged with a sob. "Thank you."
It was a thank you, but also a refusal.
