Chapter 17: Feeling Aggrieved

+8 Pearls

Meanwhile, Madelyn was deep in slumber, her head covered, and thus she didn’t hear the sound of the door opening. When Sebastian entered, he saw her wrapped up and found it somewhat amusing. He helped her by pulling the blanket away. What greeted him was the sight of Madelyn gently resting her hand on her stomach as she breathed softly, sleeping as peacefully as a child. The corner of Sebastian’s mouth curved into a smile.

Subsequently, his gaze fell upon her hand. Indeed, on her fair and slender arm, a patch of skin had been scalded to a noticeable red, and several conspicuous blisters had formed. Sebastian couldn’t help but frown. This foolish woman! Why didn’t she tend to her wounds? Is she stubbornly trying to prove a point to me?

A sudden pang of heartache seized Sebastian, his eyes flickering with a trace of self-reproach. He really shouldn’t have treated her this way. He wasn’t sure why, but every time he saw her with Christopher behind his back, he couldn’t help but lose his temper. In truth, if blame was to be assigned, it should fall on himself. It was his own fault for placing too much faith in Madelyn, believing she had changed. But in reality, she hadn’t, which only served to fuel his frustration. If he hadn’t trusted Madelyn, then there wouldn’t have been such anger. With this thought, Sebastian let out a soft sigh.

Seeing that Madelyn had slept for quite a while, Sebastian knew he had to act. If her injuries weren’t treated soon, they would surely worsen. With no other choice, he gently nudged her, rousing her from her sleep. Madelyn was in the midst of a dream when she felt a nudge. Groggily, she opened her eyes. Upon seeing her open her eyes, Sebastian instinctively took a step back, maintaining a certain distance from her.

Madelyn opened her eyes and was momentarily taken aback to find Sebastian right beside her. Soon after, a subtle sense of triumph began to swell within her. Sure enough, he couldn’t contain himself and came back. Madelyn was confident about one thing. She knew Sebastian didn’t have the heart to leave her to fend for herself. Despite her outward appearance, Madelyn feigned anger, her voice laced with indifference as she asked, “What are you doing back here?”

Unexpectedly, Sebastian’s demeanor remained icy. “I came back to get some documents.” She was still injured! How could Sebastian possibly miss such an obvious burn? She just couldn’t believe it. Fine then. Since he didn’t seem to notice, I’ll just have to give him a gentle reminder. “Oh, is that so? And here I thought someone had a sudden attack of conscience and came back to check on my injuries. Seems like it was just wishful thinking on my part. If that’s the case, why should I stay here? Nobody will pay any attention to me anyway, I would be wiser for me to leave.”

After speaking, Madelyn nonchalantly stood up, pretending to make a move to leave. This tactic indeed proved effective. Upon seeing her about to leave, Sebastian finally said in a cold tone, “Why haven’t you taken care of your injuries?” Madelyn let out a self-deprecating chuckle, deliberately saying, “What’s there to fuss about? They’re just a pair of worn-out hands. It’s better if they’re ruined. After all, no one cares anyway.”

With that, Madelyn headed straight for the bathroom. She was groggy from sleep and wanted to wash her face to wake herself up. Sebastian saw her heading to the bathroom and was immediately filled with concern. Her fair arm was already flushed red. Given her condition, was she really going to touch water? “Come over here!” he demanded. Suddenly, Sebastian forcefully pulled Madelyn toward him, assertively drawing her into his embrace.

Madelyn fell into his warm embrace and was momentarily stunned. As she realized what had happened, she struggled fiercely. “Sebastian, what are you doing? I thought you despise me? Don’t you find me repulsive? Then don’t touch me!” Sebastian coldly ignored her, but with a surge of strength, he yanked her onto the sofa. “Sit properly!” His tone left no room for argument. Even though Madelyn pouted in defiance, she obediently took a seat.

Then, Sebastian instructed the housekeeper to bring over the first-aid kit. Following that, he began to attentively tend to Madelyn’s wounds. Sebastian held a cotton swab in one hand, dabbing it in disinfectant to clean her wound. In his other hand, he gently squeezed out ointment, lightly applying it to the blistered areas. Throughout the process of tending to her wounds, his actions were extremely careful, not neglecting any detail. Madelyn initially wanted to vent a few harsh words, to provoke Sebastian and alleviate the frustration in her heart.

However, witnessing Sebastian, a grown man who usually exuded an air of superiority and authority, meticulously and gently tending to her wounds, her nose tingled, and she found herself unable to utter a single harsh word. Reflecting on the events of today, there really wasn’t any misunderstanding. An explanation would have sufficed, yet neither of them was willing to back down. Even though they could have reconciled, they continued to let their pride get in the way.

Suddenly, Madelyn felt upset, and to her surprise, she found herself breaking down into tears. A tear fell, landing on Sebastian’s hand as he carefully applied the medicine. Stunned, Sebastian then noticed her tear-streaked face. He thought he had been too rough, causing her pain, so he asked, “Does it hurt a lot? I’ll be gentler.”

Madelyn cried, feeling wronged in her heart, when she burst out in a fit of pique, “Yes, it hurts so much! It’s all your fault, you big jerk! You were so mean to me at noon. You almost scared me to death.” Sebastian paused for a moment, but just as he was about to say something, Madelyn started crying again, this time even more intensely.

“Do you know that I went out of my way at noon to buy you lunch? And guess what? I ran into that creep, Christopher. He asked me to lunch and then for a drive. I declined, of course. But then, he touched my hand and took liberties with me. I was so disgusted, I felt like throwing up. I ran to the washroom to scrub my hands, nearly scrubbing them raw. Finally, when the takeout was ready, I came to your office to find you. And what do you do? You mistook me for sneaking around with a lover! You even wasted the lunch I got for you! Sebastian, you jerk! Do you have any idea how upset I am? You’re such a jerk!”

Madelyn herself wasn’t even sure what she had said. All she knew was that she had poured out her heart in a jumbled mess of words, punctuated by her fists pounding against Sebastian’s body. Only then did she manage to release the knot of emotions she had been harboring inside. After hearing her outpouring of grievances, Sebastian was finally able to discern the truth. As it turned out, Madelyn had encountered Christopher by chance. He had intended to make a move on her, but she had rejected him, even finding his advances repulsive. With that said, what he had witnessed was merely a scene taken out of context by others.

Despite that, Sebastian was still somewhat skeptical. “Didn’t you want to marry Christopher? How come you’re suddenly repulsed now?” This one sentence left Madelyn speechless. In the end, all she could do was grumble, “Can’t you just pretend I was blind before?” Does she really plan on blaming it all on her being blind? Sebastian frowned slightly. However, since Madelyn didn’t want to discuss it, he decided not to press further.

Once the wounds were properly treated, he stood up and said, “Done.” Madelyn glanced at her wounds, feeling the pain had lessened somewhat, and decided it was manageable. She chose not to pay it any more attention. Sebastian returned the first-aid kit to the housekeeper before his gaze shifted to Madelyn. She was still lounging on the sofa, showing no signs of wanting to move. He recalled what the housekeeper had mentioned earlier, that she hadn’t left the upstairs since she returned at noon. Unable to resist, he asked with concern, “Have you eaten?” Madelyn honestly confessed, “No.” “Then get up to eat,” Sebastian said.

Madelyn mentally mocked him for even remembering to eat. After all, he had wasted so much food at noon. With that, she acted stubborn, saying, “I won’t eat. I’m not hungry.” No sooner had she finished speaking than her stomach growled twice. Madelyn was so embarrassed that she wished she could find a hole to crawl into. Sebastian looked at her, amused, and asked again, “Are you really not hungry?” Madelyn was instantly flustered and annoyed. She retorted, “Why is it any of your business?”

Upon hearing this, Sebastian was slightly taken aback. He suddenly let out a snort of laughter, tinged with a hint of self-mockery. “You’re right. I really shouldn’t interfere with your affairs.” Suddenly, Madelyn realized that she had misspoken! Because in her previous life, the phrase she most often said to Sebastian was, “You have no right to meddle in my affairs!” Every time he heard those words, Sebastian would become so infuriated that he would turn around and leave, not concerning himself with her affairs anymore. Madelyn was suddenly consumed by regret. She wanted to make amends, but it was too late. Sebastian had already responded to her words and directly turned around to leave.

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