30 minutes later, David, finally in fresh clothes, held a steaming bowl of soup the housekeeper had prepared and made his way to Celina's room alone.
He was about to knock, but the door was slightly open. Knocking lightly out of courtesy, he stepped inside.
Celina was a shadow of herself, propped up by pillows at the head of the bed.
"You came."
Her eyes were empty, her gaze lowered, hiding her thoughts.
David's heart twisted at the sight of the brace around her neck and the healing wounds on her body. A lump of pain lodged in his throat. He tried to speak but no words came out.
The moment he got his phone back and powered it on, he was greeted by a barrage of missed calls. Each one felt like a weight dragging him down.
He owed Celina an apology.
"Say what you need to—I need to rest." Celina's voice was detached as she adjusted the blanket.
The moment she got that endless busy tone when she needed him most, she promised herself that her life would no longer include David.
"I'm sorry..." David's voice was tentative, his eyes brimming with regret.
"However, it wasn't on purpose, I really had an emergency!"
Walter, his boss, had dumped that huge task on him out of the blue. How could he have refused?
"I know what you were up to. No need to explain."
Celina learned the truth from Evangeline.
Apparently, when he was an assistant and an emergency hit, he could not just say no. However, what good did that knowledge do her then?
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