22

As the cotton swab with the anesthetic approached, Aileen moved her body backward instinctively.

Knowing that she was distant from him because of the incident at the hotel, he stared at the blood continuously oozing out and said urgently, "We can talk about what happened earlier later. The most important thing now is to stop the bleeding."

Seeing him trying to calm things down, Aileen firmly resisted this time.

"Why can't we talk about it now? What's your relationship with the man in the compartment?" Is Angie's scandal related to him, and what about that mysterious photo? Countless thoughts crowded her mind, leaving her in a mess.

Avoiding the question, he moved the cotton swab closer, saying, "It might hurt a bit, bear with me..."

"Don't touch me, ahh..."

The stinging sensation on her leg made Aileen instinctively move her legs up, accidentally knocking into the edge of the bed, causing more blood to flow out. After the journey, her legs had gone numb.

"Okay, don't move, I won't touch you." Seeing her resistance, his blue eyes sank bit by bit.

He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, their noses touched, her pupils reflected his blue eyes, with a distressed and serious expression, "Aileen, you are my wife, and I don't want to hide anything from you. There is only one thing you have to know, I want to protect you and never hurt you. So listen to me, okay?"

"Why is Aileen so badly injured?"

Suddenly, the arrival of an elderly man startled them. Seeing Geoffrey squatting on the floor, the man scolded, "What are you still standing there for? Stop the bleeding quickly."

"Mr. Dirk, can you call in other doctors?"

Dirk, dressed in a white coat, looked at Aileen and then at Geoffrey. "This is ridiculous. With such injuries on her legs, do you think this is the time to pick a fight?"

Seeing Aileen curling up her legs, showing a stubborn look, he sensed some doubts and sighed, "Let me do it. You young people never cease to worry me!"

Giving way to Dirk, Geoffrey stood beside the bed, watching him closely. After applying a stopper, Dirk seemed to have discovered something, and his expression turned serious.

The treatment ended after fifteen minutes. While half-asleep, they checked her body once more.

"Geoffrey, come with me."

Seeing the meaningful look in Dirk's eyes, the man nodded without surprise.

"Mr. Dirk, can't you say whatever you want to say in front of me?"
Lying down, Aileen wasn't completely asleep. When she heard movement, she cautiously propped herself up. She had noticed Dirk's change in expression while applying medicine.

"This..."

Noticing Dirk's odd behavior, she continued, "Are you going to talk about my health? There's no need to avoid me..."

"Let's talk outside."

Geoffrey interrupted her, his hand already on the doorknob. Aileen's rebellious spirit surged again, and she mumbled to him.

"My body, I have the right to know."

"Geoffrey, you're not the only doctor in the world. Since when can you stop me?"

After these two sentences, perhaps stirred by emotions, she started to pant a little. Dirk glanced at her, then at Geoffrey. Neither of them yielded, and he secretly sighed, feeling that he shouldn't interfere in young people's affairs.

"It's nothing, Aileen, you should focus on recovering..."

"Is my condition deteriorating?"

Faced with her straightforward question, Dirk hesitated, unsure of how to answer.

"You should go back and rest. I'll take care of the rest," said the person who spoke, not beating around the bush, intending to ask Dirk to leave.

Aileen became anxious, her eyes reddening. "Geoffrey, do you treat me like a wife? Why do you always avoid me, treating everything as if I were a ferocious beast, keeping things from me?"

Geoffrey, who was about to leave, froze, seemingly struck by her questioning.

Seeing this, Dirk sighed and finally understood the whole situation. He turned to the person next to him and earnestly said, "As a couple, you should be open and honest with each other."

"Sometimes, excessive protection can also be a form of harm. In that case, you should have a good talk with Aileen."

Geoffrey was his proudest student, but also the one he worried about the most. Over the years, he knew that Geoffrey had gone through difficulties, wasn't good at expressing himself, had a stubborn personality, and tended to distance himself from the people closest to him.

After the door closed, only the two silent figures remained in the room. The man's blue eyes struggled with emotions, as if he was considering Mr. Dirk's words. After a while, he squatted down and met Aileen on the bed at eye level. "Alright, I'll talk to you."