Chapter 8

“Don’t be so timid, Yarrick. You can be bolder. If you want to, you can even kiss her. After all, you two are legally married now.”

As Selena finished speaking, she couldn’t help but wish for Yarrick to be braver. That way, Hailey would at least be able to experience a man’s warmth in her last months. Even if she passed away, at least that would be one less regret. Yarrick being an exceptionally handsome young man was a bonus that would hopefully make it easier for Hailey to accept him.

Hearing that, Yarrick nodded awkwardly. “Got it, Selena.”

No matter how bold he was, there was a limit, wasn’t there? After all, Hailey was on the verge of death.

Kissing her face was no problem, but what else could he do? It seemed like there really wasn’t much else he could do unless she recovered, in which case he could dedicate himself and help alleviate her decades of loneliness.

But was that even remotely possible? The doctor had already given a critical diagnosis, so the chances of that were very slim.

“Alright, I appreciate all you’re doing, Yarrick. I won’t disturb you any longer.”

At the sight of the earnest manner in which Yarrick responded, a pleased and relieved look flashed through Selena’s eyes. With that, she turned to leave.

It had only been ten minutes since they entered. Very quickly, there were only Yarrick and Hailey left in the room.

Reaching out, Yarrick once again grabbed Hailey’s hand and started to talk gently. “Honey, Selena isn’t your biological sister, is she? Her surname is Lyse while yours is Jardon. That’s different.”

Since talking to her was effective, he naturally had to be as professional as he could. It didn’t matter whether he had feelings for her or not; all he had to do now was play the part perfectly and pretend that Hailey was the woman he loved most. He had to feign his “love” for her, as this was possibly the only way to speed up Hailey’s recovery process.

“Honey, can I call you sweetheart? I really want to because you’re my wife!”

As he spoke, Yarrick couldn’t help but scratch the back of his head. To him, even he felt like cringing when he spoke those words. It just felt so strange and corny.

“Hah?”

Once again, Yarrick distinctly felt Hailey squeezing his hand, her temperature increasing just a bit more. Clearly, Hailey’s vital signs were slowly but surely strengthening.

“Sweetheart, I can sense you’re about to wake up. Come on, you can do it!”

Yarrick leaned closer to Hailey’s ear and deliberately uttered corny words in hopes that she would be able to better hear them.

“Good girl. You’re so beautiful.”

While speaking, Yarrick started caressing her face again.

Her face was warming up, and there was even a slight twitch to it. Was she getting agitated?

She had never had a boyfriend before, so was she actually getting emotional over such corny words? Was this actually her first time experiencing a man’s gentle side? Yarrick was genuinely stunned.

Nonetheless, this was also Yarrick’s first time uttering such words to a woman, and he couldn’t help but feel like squirming uncomfortably each time.

“Honey, don’t you think it’d be so wonderful if you could wake up? I really want to hug you in my arms and kiss you properly.”

Yarrick’s fingers trailed from her cheeks to her lips, then her slender neck. At this point, he could clearly feel the way Hailey’s temperature was climbing. The flush on her cheeks had also deepened.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Hearing that, Yarrick quickly removed his hand from Hailey’s neck. It was best that he only acted so intimately when in private; otherwise, the other person might feel embarrassed and awkward as well.

A nurse, different from the one before, entered the room.

“Hello, sir. You’re Yarrick Sutton, right?”

“Hello. Yes, that’s right. Good afternoon.” Yarrick nodded at the nurse with a smile before pointing at Hailey’s hand, which was gripping his. “The patient’s holding your hand? Her heartbeat is noticeably faster than before. Let me take her temperature.”

This nurse was more professional than the earlier one and remained calm after observing the improved vital signs on the monitoring equipment. She immediately went to grab a thermometer. Shortly after, she returned and took Hailey’s temperature.

“There’s no mistake, her vital signs are growing stronger!”

“Oh, miss, is there a way for my wife to get more nutrients? Would getting more nutritious food aid in her recovery?”

“Yes. Logically speaking, that’s correct. I’ll ask Dr. Waller later. If you could get her to wake up and ingest the food herself, that would be even better.”

“Okay, I’ll try my best.”

Even till now, Hailey was still holding Yarrick’s hand. Though her grip was weak, she was undeniably holding his hand.

After checking Hailey over, the nurse left the room.

Once the nurse was gone, Yarrick leaned closer and resumed his gentle nothings. Though these words were incredibly mushy, they seemed to work effectively on Hailey. The sappier the words, the stronger her reactions. However, the greatest response he got from her was when he caressed her face, lips, and neck.

Naturally, Yarrick didn’t take things too far and kept his hand above her neckline. He felt too embarrassed to move beyond that.

Hailey’s responses were getting stronger and stranger, though Yarrick wasn’t sure if that was because she was growing frustrated. After all, she now had a 22-year-old calling her his wife and touching her. There was no denying that it was a strange situation. Some women might actually enjoy it, while others might be exceptionally disgusted.

As for Hailey, Yarrick couldn’t help but wonder if the reason she didn’t have a boyfriend all these years was because she didn’t actually like men. Maybe that was why she was having such… Yarrick honestly couldn’t tell if she was excited or annoyed.

“Honey, the doctor said to talk to you more as that would help with your recovery, but I really don’t know what to say. If I’ve said anything that has upset you, please don’t hold it against me. All that I’ve said is actually true and comes from the bottom of my heart. I’ve never gotten into a serious relationship before, but now, I’m married! I genuinely wish you’d wake up. I really want to hug and kiss you.”

Yarrick was an old hand at saying such words now. It didn’t matter whether they were true or not as long as they sounded sincere.

Chapter 9

Time slipped away gradually, and before long, it was already 5:00 pm.

“Honey, it’s already 5:00 pm, and I’m getting ready to head back to campus now. I’ll come keep you company again tomorrow morning, alright? Sweetheart, make sure you take care of yourself too, okay? When I see you again tomorrow, I hope you’ll already be awake.”

Yarrick gently stroked Hailey’s cheek as he spoke gently.

It was getting late and time for him to leave. He had an hour’s ride from the hospital back to his university, but he would return the next day after breakfast.

As the days unfolded, Yarrick visited the hospital whenever he could. Each time, he would softly take Hailey’s delicate hand in his and murmur affectionate, playful, sweet nothings to her. Hailey’s vital signs were visibly improving day by day. As long as Yarrick held her hand and spoke to her gently, a soft blush would appear on her cheeks. If his words took on a teasing, corny edge, her reaction would intensify. She would clutch his hand even more firmly.

In the blink of an eye, graduation day at university had arrived, and all the students were busily preparing to pack up their belongings.

That afternoon, Yarrick had just returned to the dorm after a visit to the hospital.

“Yarrick, where do you intend to rent an apartment? Are you interested in being roommates?” Michael and Yarrick were going to work at the same company, so sharing an apartment made sense.

“Sure. Let’s start looking for a place soon. Since it’s graduation season, finding a rental might be challenging, and the prices will probably be higher than usual. How about we search for something near the company for an easier commute?”

“Our company’s in the business district. Rent over there is crazy expensive!” Michael shook his head in rejection. The area was filled with office buildings, and nearby housing was expensive. The two had just started their jobs and couldn’t afford anything pricey.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll look around and see what I can find.”

Yarrick picked up his phone and began searching for rental listings in the vicinity of the hospital and their workplace.