Adam had given all his affection to Carly. Celine lowered her gaze in sadness, but she still wanted to get up. "Let me go!"

His smile widened slightly. "Are you angry?"

Celine was battling his words. "Am I in a position to be angry?"

"I was too rough today. Did you get hurt?" he asked. He touched her waist gently and asked softly, "Is it this spot?"

Celine had examined it during her shower. Her waist had a nasty bruise, and it would take time to heal completely. His warm palm gently covered her bruise, but Celine resisted. She disliked his comforting her after inflicting the pain; most importantly, she hated his pity. She would rather he continued mistreating her; after all, her bruise would heal even without his concern.

Celine pried his fingers away. "No. Please let me go, Mr. Alvarez!"

It was Adam's first time seeing her angry. He had witnessed other women's anger—Carly, for instance, would throw a tantrum and demand consolation. However, Celine was like a quiet, obedient stray cat. She would fall silent when angry. And now, she was forcefully removing his hand. Adam studied her face, still flushed from the shower. "Since you're not telling me, I'm going to have to see it. Let me have a look."

His slender fingers moved to the hem of her shirt and pulled it up. Feeling the chill air on her thighs, Celine yelped and grabbed her shirt. She looked at him like a scared animal. "What are you doing, you pervert? I'm not wearing any pants!"

Adam was speechless; he hadn't realized. All he wanted was to see her bruise. He didn't realize anything was amiss until he pulled up her shirt.

The sight of her slender legs as she sat on his lap was alluring. His mind instantly recalled how she'd clutched her shirt in shock when he'd pulled it up.

Adam was speechless. It was his first time being called a pervert. Feeling the need to explain, he said, "I didn't do it on purpose."

Celine wouldn't listen. "That's just an excuse; you knew what you were doing!"

There was nothing Adam could say to convince her. Just then, his phone rang. He had placed it on the bedside table when he entered the room.

Celine saw the familiar name on the display—Carly. Carly, having waited a long time, had called Adam, hoping he would return to the hospital to keep her company.

Celine immediately pushed Adam away and stood up, wondering if he would fulfill Carly's wish.