Chapter 364: So Much Blood

Like a bolt from the blue, Claire felt her world shatter. The knife slipped from her fingers with a loud clang. She couldn’t believe that Arthur had grabbed the blade with his bare hands just to keep her from hurting herself.

Even now, Arthur was looking at her with a gentle gaze. “I told you, Claire, there’s no need to threaten your own life. If you want to leave, I won’t stop you or force you to stay.”

“Come on!” After speaking, Arthur glanced down at his bleeding hand before calling for help.

“Mr. Hawthorne! Your hand… it’s bleeding so much. Are you alright?” The servant rushed forward upon seeing the amount of blood flowing from Arthur’s wound.

“It’s nothing. Just bring the first aid kit to bandage it. And make sure someone cleans up the blood near Ms. Prescott.”

Arthur seemed utterly unfazed by his injury, calmly instructing the servant to bring the first aid kit and even remembering to have the blood near Claire’s feet cleaned up.

Claire was stunned once again by his words.

“Oh! Right away!” Even the servant was taken aback for a moment before turning to fetch the first aid kit.

Fortunately, since Claire hadn’t struggled or pressed too hard, Arthur’s wound wasn’t deep. After the servant brought the medical kit, simple disinfection and some anti-inflammatory medicines were enough to bandage the wound without needing a hospital visit. By now, the bloodstains near Claire’s feet had been thoroughly cleaned up.

Claire reflected on everything that had just happened, suppressing her desperate urge to run away. She lifted her foot to walk toward Arthur on the sofa, but after just two steps, her vision went black, and she fainted.

“Claire!” Seeing Claire collapse, Arthur rushed over immediately, disregarding his injured hand as he scooped her up and carried her back to the bedroom.

“Get the doctor here right away!” Arthur commanded after laying Claire on the bed.

“Yes, Mr. Hawthorne.” The servant didn’t dare delay, rushing off without pause to fetch the family doctor.

One hour later, the family doctor said, “Mr. Hawthorne, don’t worry, Ms. Prescott is fine. She likely fainted due to physical weakness from just waking up, combined with emotional distress, causing temporary insufficient blood flow to her brain. She should regain consciousness soon.” He came to examine Claire, and only after confirming she was fine did Arthur finally feel relieved.

Arthur said, “Thank you, Doctor.” After the doctor left, Arthur kept watch in Claire’s room, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, waiting for her to wake up again.

Time ticked by slowly, and Arthur’s legs grew sore from standing, but Claire still hadn’t stirred. It wasn’t until his phone rang with a call from Shawn that he glanced back at Claire before stepping out to take the call.

“Alright, I’ll handle it right away. Hey, I need more people watching Ms. Prescott. Remember, the moment she wakes up, come get me in the study immediately.”

After hanging up, Arthur gave these instructions to the servants before heading to his study.

At six in the evening, Claire regained consciousness. Before she even opened her eyes, she could hear people talking nearby.

“Man, have you ever seen Mr. Hawthorne treat any woman like this before?”

“No kidding, I’ve worked for Mr. Hawthorne for years and never once saw him bring a woman home, let alone bend over backward for one like this.”

“Geez, who knows what happened today, but Mr. Hawthorne even got hurt. That woman doesn’t know how good she’s got it.”

“You can say that again…”

Claire wanted to keep listening, but a sudden tickle in her throat from the cold air made her cough twice, causing the two servants to turn around and notice she was awake.

“Ms. Prescott is awake! Quick, someone informs Mr. Hawthorne!” One servant urgently prompted another to fetch Arthur.

“Mr. Hawthorne! Ms. Prescott is awake! She’s awake!” The servant ran out excitedly while the other hurried to Claire’s side.

“Ms. Prescott, you’re awake. How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?” the servant asked with genuine concern.

Claire shook her head silently, her mind fixated on the servants’ earlier conversation.

Moments later, Arthur rushed in. “You’re awake, Claire! How are you? Are you feeling any discomfort? I had a doctor check on you earlier. He said you’d be fine, just a bit weak from waking up and the emotional stress.”

“It’s all my fault for not better managing your emotional state. Thank goodness you’re okay. If you feel any discomfort at all, tell me right away, and I’ll call the doctor back.”

Arthur barely gave Claire a chance to speak, rambling on with concern. Claire’s eyes welled up with tears as she watched Arthur show such genuine concern for her. She had loved Frederick for so many years, yet he had never shown her this level of care.

And Arthur… Hah, what a stark contrast!

She said, “Arthur, let’s talk.”