Chapter 310

A moment of silence hung in the air. Richard abruptly raised his head. "What did you say?"

"You still don't know, do you?" Sidney explained. "A few days ago, Tiffany was seriously injured when those assassins attacked her. And just now, she was injured again while saving a child…"

Before Sidney could finish, he saw something whoosh past. He blinked. Richard was gone. He rubbed his chin with a smug look.

"Ah!" Sidney silently applauded himself.

Tiffany returned to her room, removed her clothes, and examined herself in the mirror. A long, bleeding wound marred her back—a few days old, scabbed over, but reopened by today's fall. The wound's location made self-treatment difficult. She could only ask Zoe for help.

A few minutes later, there was a knock. Tiffany, lying on her stomach, called out, "The door's unlocked. Remember to lock it when you come in."

She heard footsteps. Without turning, she instructed, "Zoe, help me disinfect and bandage the wound. I've prepared the medicine and hot water; they're beside you."

Oddly, there was no reply, but she felt hands on her back, gently treating the wound. Burying her face in the pillow, she teased, "I didn't expect you to be so skilled." She'd expected Zoe to be terrified, but she was remarkably calm. As time passed, Zoe's silence grew puzzling, especially for such a chatterbox. Had the injuries frightened her?

Baulked, Tiffany turned, nearly falling off the bed. "Ri… Ri… Richard!"

The person tending her wound wasn't Zoe Stevens, but Richard Hampton. Panic-stricken, Tiffany instinctively pulled the blanket over herself, but the movement pulled on her wound! She flinched, grimacing in pain, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Don't move!" the man barked sternly, frowning.

"Why are you here?" Tiffany cried out in alarm. Her tank top had been pulled up to reveal the wound. Regret washed over her. She should have treated it herself. Why had she called for help?

She pummeled the bed, wishing she could disappear. Richard ignored her, focusing on the wound—clearly caused by a sharp weapon. The injury marred her smooth, alluring back.

He looked concerned. "Does it hurt?" His calloused palms moved gently across her back.

Tiffany shrank back, her face reddening. "It doesn't hurt." Since things had progressed this far, she might as well let Richard finish. "Just… just help me bandage it quickly. It's very cold."

"Okay." Richard expertly, yet gently, bandaged the wound, as if handling fragile treasure. Tiffany kept her face buried in the pillow.

She suddenly remembered the saying: a person's pain is magnified manyfold in the heart of someone who loves them. Was this how Richard felt? Conflicting emotions surged within her.

Soon, the wound was bandaged. Richard carefully lowered her tank top, his movements restrained and respectful.

Tiffany mumbled into the pillow, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He pulled the blanket over her. "This looks familiar. Is it the same design?"

"What's familiar?" Tiffany was puzzled.

"Your clothes."

Chapter 310

"Huh?" Tiffany stared blankly. Then, a memory struck her—the first time she met Richard. His abdomen was injured, he was unconscious in a small forest, and she'd used her tank top as a bandage because she had none.

Shame washed over her. She groaned, burrowing deeper into the blanket, vowing never to emerge.

Richard was amused by her reaction; a faint smile played on his lips. In the small room, silence fell, the tension remaining, yet the earlier harshness gone, replaced by something almost heartwarming. Tiffany inwardly urged him to leave, but he stayed.

After a long while, his deep voice broke the silence. "I never considered using you. I sent those men that night to protect you."

"Protect me?" Tiffany pretended not to hear. It wasn't disbelief or blame; she blamed herself most of all. Ged Moody had died because of her. A heavy sense of self-reproach weighed on her heart, a permanent scar.

Tears fell silently. Only the slight trembling of her shoulders betrayed her grief. Richard pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair. "Don't cry."

Between sobs, Tiffany confessed, "I caused his death… I'm the one on the list, but Ged died instead. I can't shirk responsibility."

Richard didn't offer comfort, but said, "Then I will atone with you." That single sentence meant more than a thousand words.

Surprised, Tiffany looked at him, her eyes red-rimmed. His handsome face was no longer frosty, but exuded gentleness. She remembered something. "Are your injuries serious?"

"They're not that bad." An understatement, considering their injuries.

Chapter 310

Tiffany felt even guiltier. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault. I didn't protect you well." Richard brushed away her tears. "I've captured those people. I'll hand them to you."

"Who are they?" Tiffany asked.

"The assassins who attacked you, and one of my subordinates, Yvonne Shaw."

Tiffany's suspicion was correct. The sniper who tried to kill her was Yvonne Shaw, from Royal Bay.

"Then how did you get injured? Who—"