Chased by my Ex Husband novel Chapter 22

Grace

“ What happened to your feet? ”

Surprised, I look down, and my nose scrunches. My feet don’t seem to be in a good condition.

“ I spilled coffee on— ”

I pick up my head and get stunned into silence. Tristin is already halfway across the office, approaching me with long strides.

I close my hanging jaw and swallow. He rolls his sleeves up, displaying his veiny arms and blank ink peeking from underneath the white shirt.

My gaze lowers to his forearms before I quickly lift my eyes to his face again. He stops one step away, his eyes narrowed on my feet.

“ Who did it? ” He inquires in a grave voice.

My shoulders stiffen. “ I spilled coffee on my feet accidentally. ”

“ And you are walking around instead of applying ointment on the burns? ” Slowly, his eyes find mine, and a strange emotion flashes across them.

“ I…didn’t get…the time. ” I whisper, uneasy about how he is investigating the whole situation.

“ You didn’t get the time for what? ” He asks and grabs my arm without warning.

“ Tristin. ” I gasp in shock.

He turns around and drags me to the couch. “ Sit. ”

With a heavy heart, I take my seat and look up again. “ I was about to apply the— ”

“ Did it not hurt? ” Tristin asks, turning away from me to walk to his desk.

“ It did but I can bear it. ” I reply softly.

“ You can bear it? ” He sounds like he finds my excuse ridiculous.

“ Of course. It’s not like I got cut in half. It’s just some burns and they will heal in some time. ” I assure him, not knowing why I am even doing it.

Maybe, his sudden reaction caught me off guard. No one has ever inquired about my pain like this before. Even Ethan always told me that fever is just fever, cuts are just cuts, and burns are just burns—they heal and we don’t need to make a fuss over them.

I remember…when I spilled oil all over my hands once and showed it to Ethan. He was annoyed about it. He asked me what he could do if I was stupid enough to spill oil over me. He was not a doctor, and I didn’t need to show the burns to him.

I sigh. I don’t know why I am even remembering those memories right now.

“ So just because you can bear it, you don’t mind if it continues to hurt? ” Tristin’s deep voice sounds close.

I shake off the thoughts and focus on the man who is in front of me again. Our eyes meet, and my head goes blank.

The lifeless look in his eyes is so profound that it hides every other emotion, making him appear more dead than alive. And somehow…It bothers me a little, somehow it tells me that I should be wary of what he is hiding behind this facade.

I start with a frown between my brows, “ Mr. Roberto— ”

“ Tristin. ” He interrupts and shifts his focus to his arms.

I follow his gaze, noticing how he rolls his sleeves further up and ignores me completely.

Suddenly, a knock sounds on the office’s door, and Luca enters a moment later. I glance towards him curiously, only to see him holding an ointment.

“ Boss. ” He approaches us and hands the ointment to Tristin.

“ Go have lunch, Luca. ” Tristin says, dismissing him coldly.

“ Yes, Boss. ” The other man strolls out as fast as he came and leaves me alone with this strange man.

Sighing, I direct my gaze towards him. “ Give it to me. I will apply it and be on my way. ”

Tristin hands me the tube without much protest. My shoulders lose some of the tension.

I take my eyes off him, remove my heels, and try to bend down or pull my legs up so I can apply the ointment but the skirt is too tight around my waist.

My cheeks warm at the struggle as I twist and turn to reach my feet. Alma is a sweetheart indeed for getting me these clothes, but she doesn’t know my size.

From the corner of my eyes, I see Tristin looming over my head, his sharp stare fixed on me. Blinking, I avert my gaze and curse at myself in my head.