Chapter 14 The Most Beautiful Starry Sky

Evelyn fell asleep on the way to the hospital. When she woke up in the hospital bed, it was already bright outside. She looked at William by her bedside and for a moment, she almost didn't recognize him.
He looked much more haggard, and his once sharply defined face had become thinner within just a month. Looking closely, there were dark circles under his eyes and a stubble growing quietly. Was this still the lively and cheerful young man she knew?
When William woke up, the first thing he saw was Evelyn's concerned gaze. He reached out and held Evelyn's hand.
He ran his hand down her long hair, brought close to the nose, sniffed lightly, it smelled so good. Evelyn looked up and smiled, "Did you rest well?" Evelyn nodded.
The swelling on the right side of her face had not yet subsided, and William felt extreme heartache. He wished he could kill Clint, the person he cherished and hadn't even had a chance to show his love and care to, was treated like this.
Moreover, he was her father. Although his relationship with his own father was not as affectionate and harmonious like in ordinary families, it shouldn't be like this.
Thinking about how Evelyn had always borne these hardships alone, he couldn't fathom how she had endured them.
"You've lost weight."
"Really? Am I more handsome now?" William touched his chin.
Seeing him in his usual manner, Evelyn felt that the person in front of her was genuine. "Is work finished?"
"Not yet. I'm going back tomorrow. Come with me. I came back this time to take you away." William looked at Evelyn on the hospital bed with utmost seriousness. Indeed, he couldn't let her stay here alone.
This return was quite timely, but Evelyn was still injured. If it was delayed even a bit, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Evelyn remained silent, just shook her head firmly. William was helpless too. Although he had long expressed his feelings for her, Evelyn had never shown much interest in him. He didn't even know if she only saw him as a friend.
The sun gradually grew hot. It was August, the hottest time in the city. Antonio went to the villa but didn't see Evelyn. Her phone was switched off when he called.
It was only after seeing William's bodyguard that he found out Evelyn was in the hospital, but the well-trained security personnel naturally wouldn't divulge more information to him.
He hurried to the hospital at the fastest speed. Seeing the room number, he barged in without knocking. Inside the room, two people were chatting away. Evelyn had a smile on her face the whole time, and what surprised Antonio even more was the presence of William sitting by the bedside. When did he return? And when did he become so close to Evelyn?
Evelyn, who had always been cold to people, didn't seem to have any guards up with William. Antonio's heart was filled with an uneasy feeling.
Almost simultaneously; both William and Evelyn noticed someone walk in. Evelyn inexplicably felt a bit embarrassed. She shook her head, feeling that she had overthought things.
"What happened? You ended up in the hospital." Antonio saw Evelyn's injured lip and the swollen face. "What happened to your face? Weren't you fine when I left last night?"
"I'm okay. Why did you come?"
Antonio ignored Evelyn's attempt to change the topic and simply walked over to sit on the other side of the bed. "Let me see, what exactly happened? Did he hit you?!" Antonio's imagination impressed Evelyn.
"No. It was that person."
"Clint?! He..."
"How come you showed up again? Look at him, he needs medical attention! We should call the police when we see him!"
"He's been caught. You talk too much."
Antonio reluctantly closed his mouth. After a while, he glanced at William, who happened to be staring at him. In that moment of eye contact, they seemed to understand each other's hidden intentions.
"I'll go buy some food."
"What do you want to eat?"
Both of them spoke at the same time, leaving Evelyn feeling helpless. "Anything, just go together. I'll rest for a while."
As the two of them left, Evelyn felt relieved and lay down for a while.
Walking side by side outside, Antonio spoke first, "So the situation at home has been resolved. Did you save Evelyn last night?"
"It's close enough." William thought about what Antonio said earlier about leaving last night, which ignited an inexplicable anger in him. Why was Antonio still at Evelyn's house so late at night? What did he want?
But considering their many years of acquaintance, Evelyn cared a lot about Antonio in her heart, even though she didn't say it out loud. William just didn't know what kind of emotions were mixed in with this caring bond.
Although he knew all this, he couldn't act recklessly now, or else Evelyn would never spare him.
The two of them didn't say much along the way, each keeping their own thoughts hidden.
Evelyn looked at the breakfast they brought back with disbelief. "Excuse me, am I a pig? Even a pig can't eat this much."
"Take your time, just try a little bit of each." William smiled as he placed the breakfast on the table, and Antonio also set down what he was holding.
"Alright, that's enough. You can leave now."
Naturally, neither of them wanted to go. Antonio's phone rang, and it was the company urging him to come back and discuss a new contract with a recruit.
Immediately, Evelyn said, "Go ahead, we'll meet another day."
Reluctantly, Antonio gave repeated instructions, so Evelyn had to say, "The doctor will explain, go on now."
After Antonio left, William felt much more at ease. However, he still had a small plan in mind. Now he couldn't leave Evelyn alone here anymore, but how could he persuade her if she didn't want to go?
Still, he wanted to give it a try. "Come to France with me. You keep encountering strange things here, so why not take a break until things settle down? Even if it's just a temporary rest over there."
"You must have seen the news. I don't want to go. I can't go now, as Antonio said, I can't run away. Only those who have done wrong need to hide."
Antonio again! This guy, really. Jovan's matter has been resolved, although William didn't know how, and it wasn't the time to ask now, so he held back and said,
"But I can't feel at ease when you're facing all this alone. The situation over there has just begun, and I can't be by your side. It really won't work. Come with me."
"William, before I knew you, I was already in this state." Upon hearing these words, William's enthusiasm was stifled.
The pouring cold water extinguished it instantly. The underlying meaning of this statement is probably that he really doesn't matter at all.
Seeing William hanging his head down, Evelyn realized that her words were too harsh, so she continued, "I can't always rely on others, I have to solve my own problems. Escaping won't make the problem go away; it won't be resolved at all."
This statement was like an eye-opener. For a long time, she had been like this, thinking that procrastination would make things easier to solve later on.
But Evelyn's words awakened William. Why should a woman make things difficult for herself? Isn't it easier to rely on others appropriately? In that instant, William became even more certain of his feelings for Evelyn.
"You can actually try depending on others," William said with great conviction. He only hoped that one day Evelyn would trust and rely on him.
After dinner, William applied ointment to Evelyn's face. The swelling had subsided, but there were still some red marks.
Recently, there were many stars visible at night. It had been a long time since Evelyn had seen stars. Standing by the window, she gazed at the sparkling stars. Seeing her lost in thought, William took a piece of clothing and said, "Do you like it? Then wait for me."
And then he left.
When he returned, Evelyn was still in the same spot. "Let me take you somewhere," he said.
Without hesitation, Evelyn let William lead her outside. They went up to the rooftop, where a long bench was already placed. William held Evelyn's hand and they sat down. "It's more beautiful to see the stars from here."
Evelyn looked up, and indeed, it was beautiful. "Did we come out just for this bench?"
"Yes, because you deserve it."
Evelyn didn't speak but continued to look at the stars. The cool summer breeze gently brushed her face as the stars twinkled in the pitch-black night sky. The scenery was so beautiful that it was hard to describe.
People often think that stars become fewer as they grow up, but it's actually because they have less time to enjoy the beauty of nature.
And the most beautiful starry sky is the one accompanied by someone. At least that's how Evelyn felt at this moment.
'The city's hypocritical brightness obscures your eyes.' The sentence came to mind for no reason. So, who says a city that shines too brightly is not suitable for stargazing? It's simply absurd.
Perhaps some people don't need many words to interact; they have a mysterious understanding, and just by being close, they can sense each other's feelings. Evelyn, in her cheesy thoughts, thought that maybe she had fallen in love.
"I guess you're leaving tomorrow morning. Will you come back?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I? Since my charm isn't enough for you to come with me, then I'll have to come back on my own."
"That sounds painful." Unable to resist teasing him, she looked at William's distressed face.
"Because, because we are destined to be together."
A long time later, after experiencing so much, when she thought of this sentence again, Evelyn couldn't help but doubt, in this vast world of separations and reunions, is there really someone you are destined to be with?
Late that night, William left the hospital and Evelyn was already asleep before he left. He quietly left a simple note. "I'll be back soon."
After arranging Clint's matters and ensuring that the accompanying bodyguards were stationed outside Evelyn's room, being cautious not to let Evelyn discover them, only then did he leave the country.
When Evelyn woke up and reached out to take the sticky note, holding it in her hand, she was left feeling warm inside. Someone once said that the happiest thing in life is to meet a warm person and be with them. And right now, Evelyn felt that William was that warm person.
Just as he got off the plane, he saw Odile. The two grew up together, and Odile accompanied William during his most clueless days. William always treated her as a close friend, practically telling her everything.
Odile's family had great influence, but this girl, who should have been spoiled growing up, never had a haughty temperament and always got along well with William.