Chapter 358

Neil gave Preston an eyeroll, then huffed out a sigh. “Okay, okay, I’ll go get the groceries. You two have your chit-chat.” With that, Neil grabbed his car keys and headed out the door of the Tyler family home.

“Leaving so soon?” Freya tried to watch Neil leave, but Preston stepped right into her line of sight, blocking her view.

“Where’s that ointment I gave you?” he asked.

“It’s been in my pocket the whole time,” she replied, pulling it out.

Preston took it and said, “Come here.”

Though Freya was puzzled, she followed Preston into the living room. He motioned for her to sit on the couch and began applying the ointment to the back of her hand.

“Ouch—” Freya winced and inhaled sharply. Preston was being a bit too heavy-handed.

Preston looked up, and his movements softened unconsciously. He had never applied ointment for someone else before and hadn’t realized his own strength at first. Girls seemed to be as delicate as cotton, easily hurt by the slightest touch.

“How’s that?”

Facing Preston’s question, Freya replied, “It doesn’t hurt anymore, but it feels a bit itchy.”

Saying so, Freya tried to pull her hand back. “I think I can manage on my own.”

But Preston didn’t let go of Freya’s wrist. He just shrugged. “Can you manage doing it with only one hand?”

“I suppose… It’s not that difficult.”

Back when Freya lived alone in her apartment, she always took care of her own wounds. The only tricky part was opening the caps of bottles.

Freya couldn’t help but admire Preston’s profile as he applied the ointment—perfect and flawless. Although Preston usually appeared aloof and reserved, his caring and gentle side was genuinely heartwarming.

Just as Freya was lost in thought, Preston suddenly released her hand, asking, “Do you have any other injuries?”

“Where you can see, there’s probably a bruise.” Freya intended her words to lighten the mood, but truthfully, she was covered in bruises from a scuffle at the police station. It looked like those female prisoners had really taken out all their pent-up anger on Freya, showing no mercy. Her arms, thighs, and cheeks were almost all bruised; even the corners of her mouth showed slight signs of bruising.

“Roll up your pants.”

Freya thought the request a bit much, but before she could react, Preston continued, “Are you waiting for me to do it?”

“No, I’ll do it.”

Freya obediently rolled up her pant leg, revealing wounds even more shocking than the rest. Preston merely glanced at them before beginning to apply ointment to the bruises, carefully covering each one.

Freya could tell Preston was trying to go easy, but the cool feel of the ointment gave her skin a tingle, making her cheeks turn rosy.

When Preston asked again if she had any more injuries, Freya quickly replied, “Actually, there are no more injuries!”