Chapter 243

A long while had passed, but the man's gaze remained fixed on her.

Irritated, Roxanne frowned and raised her hand to pull the blanket over her face, attempting to reduce the oppression of his unrelenting stare. However, with her eyes closed, she missed the blanket and it fell to the floor.

Sensing the weight lift, Roxanne hesitated. Should she open her eyes and retrieve it? The thought of revealing her pretense made her fear an even more awkward atmosphere. Yet, without the blanket, his piercing gaze felt even more unsettling.

While she wavered, he moved, instantly tensing her. She had no idea what he would do.

Moments later, a familiar scent reached her nose. With all her might, she forced herself to remain still, preventing her eyelids from trembling.

Soon, the blanket was draped back over her. Lucian's movements were gentle, as if he feared waking her. He even arranged it neatly.

Roxanne expected him to withdraw, but he didn't. Even with her eyes closed, she felt his gaze lingering on her face. What was he looking at? Just as she was about to open her eyes, he averted his gaze.

The pressure lifted instantly. She sighed in relief, then a wave of gloominess washed over her. She recalled the day she had a fever. While fast asleep, Lucian had likely cared for her just as he had now.

This was unimaginable in the past, yet here it was. The man who once wouldn't spare her a glance now cared for her so thoughtfully.

Six years ago, she would have been overjoyed. But now, she felt no happiness, only trouble. Some things arrive too late, so late they're no longer needed.

Roxanne scoffed inwardly.

Lucian, sitting beside her, had been staring at her for a long time, his heart heavy. Six years ago, Roxanne disappeared, and he'd searched tirelessly to find her. Finally, he had, but she was different. He couldn't decipher his feelings upon their reunion—surprise, anger, but mostly regret. He regretted not stopping her then, causing her to avoid him.

Now, seated beside her, she pretended to sleep, avoiding his gaze. He frowned, looking at her with a complicated expression. She probably didn't know how she looked asleep, nor how different she was now. Even when he'd put the blanket on her, she'd stiffened momentarily. He'd noticed, but since she wanted to pretend, he wouldn't expose her.

Sensing his gaze again, Roxanne furrowed her brows and pulled the blanket over her head, no longer caring if he noticed her deception. Lucian's burning gaze was finally blocked.

The repeated promotional sentence has been removed as requested. The writing is improved through clearer sentence structure, improved word choice, and consistent tense.