Chapter 178

Rachel saw Cecilia off and lay on the bed to try to get some rest, but her mind was in chaos. She got changed to head out for a stroll. If it weren’t for her wound, she really wanted to take a shower.

The mere thought of Howard’s hands on her made her stomach churn. She took a deep breath and suppressed the discomfort she felt and headed outdoors. After a couple of twists and turns, she chanced upon a courtyard.

It was covered in well-landscaped greenery, which relaxed her at once. The paths in the garden were paved with stones. There was a swing right in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by beautiful flowers. Rachel enjoyed spending time in an environment like this, which never failed to relax her tense nerves.

She walked closer to the swing and slowly sat down on it, grabbing the rope on both sides. She swung her legs and started swinging back and forth.

She thought about how hard William pushed her, and the disappointment and rage she saw in his eyes. Over the years, William had never laid a finger on her. He had once made a promise to her–that he would never lay a finger on her, no matter what. Pushing her was out of the question. Otherwise, he would get struck by lightning and suffer a painful death.

Evidently, if oaths were effective, there wouldn’t be so many women losing themselves in love and allowing that love to make their lives a living hell. Even Cecilia could tell that she didn’t fight with Samantha, but that she was probably hurt by someone else. William, on the other hand, chose to turn a blind eye to her state.

Rachel looked down at the stones below the swing, subconsciously tightening her grip on the ropes. She almost forgot about her wound until the pain from rubbing against the coarse rope made her wince and release her grip.

“Can’t even take that bit of pain?”

Those bitingly cold words made all the emotions that Rachel was holding back gush forth like water out of a broken dam. Hot tears trickled down her cheeks, showing no signs of stopping. Her eyes were bloodshot as huge drops of tears crashed onto the ground. She said nothing and wept in silence.

“You didn’t shed a tear when William treated you so unfairly, yet here you are, crying me a river when I said one sentence. Ms. Lloyd!”

Rachel’s body shook. She looked up, desperate for an answer and not caring how miserable she looked right now.

“You really were there just now.”

Tyler stuck both hands in his pockets and unabashedly admitted it without shying away from the truth. “Yeah, I was.”

“Why? Why didn’t you help me? I can understand that you don’t want to offend Howard, but you could have just shouted, and he would have stopped.”

Tyler simply said, “I can’t possibly be around you all the time. You should learn how to protect yourself. Take this as a lesson. You need to learn that you can’t just trust everyone around you.”

Tyler’s words crashed like a hammer on Rachel’s heart. His words were always so piercing and merciless. He spoke his mind without regard for others.

That was the kind of person Tyler Hunt was. Even though Rachel had long gotten used to his sharp tongue, she couldn’t hold back a shudder upon hearing his words. It was a tough pill to swallow. Logically speaking, she could understand why Tyler did what he did. Emotionally speaking, she disapproved of how heartless he was in leaving her in the lurch.

She turned her face away and fell silent, her lips pursed in a straight line. Her long hair draped over her shoulders, her tear-stained cheeks somehow looking fairer than before. Her red-rimmed eyes made her look like a little rabbit, trying her best to stop crying. Despite her best efforts, tears continued rolling down her cheeks.

Tyler pulled out a bag from somewhere, from which he produced some warm cocoa in a disposable cup. He stuck a straw in the cup and gently pinched both her cheeks. The straw was then forced into her mouth.

She looked at Tyler, confused. “You…”

Tyler grabbed her other hand and guided her to hold the bottom part of the cup before he let go of it.

“Drink some warm cocoa, and you won’t feel so bad anymore.”

The sweetness of the chocolate spread in Rachel’s mouth. She could taste the fragrant cream. Her eyes were still wet with tears, but she could feel the melancholy in her heart fading away. She didn’t feel as bad as she did before.

“This tastes pretty good, but where did you get it from?” she asked.