Chapter 286
“Zinnia, dinner’s ready.” Nathan and Quincey spent nearly two hours in the kitchen before finally getting dinner ready.
Zinnia walked over, but instead of looking at the food, her searching gaze remained fixed on Nathan. Concerned, Zinnia asked, “Nathan, are you hurt?”
This made Nathan and Quincey, who had just come out with the dishes, look tense. “Hmm?” Nathan feigned ignorance.
“There’s a spot of blood here,” Zinnia said, reaching out and touching just below Nathan’s collarbone. There was just a tiny spot of blood there.
The spot was barely noticeable, especially against Nathan’s black shirt, so neither he nor Quincey had spotted it. It likely came from when Nathan coughed up blood. Both of them quickly turned to look where she was pointing.
Quincey reassured her, “Don’t worry, Nathan isn’t hurt. I just accidentally cut my hand with a knife in the kitchen. The wound’s still fresh right here.” He hurried over and showed Zinnia the fresh cut.
Zinnia examined the wound in his hand. It was so fresh that beads of blood were still welling up.
Zinnia fell silent, then asked suspiciously, “Quincey, how could the blood from your hand drip to that spot?”
Quincey hurriedly explained, “I just cut my hand and instinctively flicked the blood off. Nathan was right next to me, carrying dishes. I might have splashed some on him. Zinnia, quick, get the first-aid kit and bandage me up.”
Zinnia looked at Nathan, whose expression was gentle. She nodded softly and replied, “Okay.” She then turned to fetch the first-aid kit.
Quincey let out a quiet sigh of relief and remarked, “Zinnia’s becoming more observant, isn’t she?”
Nathan placed the dishes on the table, then quietly grabbed a tissue and wiped away the bloodstain beneath his collarbone. He thought, ‘I’ll need to be more discreet next time.’
Nathan’s skin was deathly pale, a stark white that contrasted chillingly with his pitch-black shirt. A single smear of crimson blood caught between them was strikingly noticeable.
Quincey said, “Nathan, I can’t help all the time. Zinnia’s already onto us.” He glanced at the fresh cut, then casually tore off a piece of tissue and wiped it clean. He’d made the wound by scraping his finger against the bowl’s edge.
“Quincey,” Zinnia called, her voice gentle.
Quincey walked to the sofa and sat down. Zinnia dressed his wound.
The three of them sat down to eat at the dining table. Nathan had prepared a lot of dishes, with more than ten on the table.
Nathan said, “Here you go, the vegetable soup you prefer.” He gently served Zinnia a portion.
“Thank you, I’ll help myself,” Zinnia said quietly. She seemed quieter than usual.
Quincey and Nathan exchanged a glance, helplessness in their eyes.
Zinnia tended to go quiet when she was unhappy. She sensed something was off. But she knew that if Nathan and Quincey were determined to keep something from her, she’d never find out, no matter what she tried.
“Quincey, are you still leaving?” Zinnia turned to look at Quincey.
“Yeah, I’ll stay and have a meal with you. My flight’s this afternoon,” Quincey replied.
Nathan’s medicine still hadn’t been found. Quincey was determined to search for it, no matter what it took. Time was running out for them.
Nathan thought he might have about half a year left, but his condition was already critical. The medication he was taking to control his symptoms would only continue to weaken him. No one knew how much longer Nathan could hold on.
“Why are you in such a hurry? I was hoping to show you around Jinston when I’m off work,” Zinnia said, a little disappointed. She frowned and thought, “All this way just for one meal?”
Quincey smiled, “Next time, once I’ve sorted things out, I’ll come and play with you.”
“Help yourself. Nothing out there tastes as good as home cooking,” Zinnia said warmly, serving him more food.
“Of course. Who knows when I’ll get another chance to enjoy a meal like this?” Quincey happily ate everything Zinnia served him.
Zinnia frowned and thought, “What does Quincey mean?”
“What I meant was, this trip might keep me away for quite a while.” Feeling Zinnia’s piercing gaze, Quincey realized something was off and cleared his throat.
“I’ve got some fried food for you. I’ll vacuum-seal it for you to take along,” Zinnia said casually, as if she suspected nothing.
“Thank you,” Quincey smiled.
After lunch that afternoon, Quincey left.
“What’s up? Stuck on something? Let me take a look.” Nathan settled beside Zinnia as she worked on her homework.
Zinnia sat in the study, working on her homework. A test paper was spread out on the table, but she barely answered a question.
“Yes,” Zinnia responded absently. Feeling Nathan settled beside her, Zinnia pushed the test paper toward him.
“For this part, you can try using this method,” Nathan suggested. Lowering his gaze, he carefully studied her test paper and then explained the simplest method for solving the problems.
Zinnia was too distracted to focus, her gaze drifting to Nathan’s hand as he held the test paper. She pressed her lips together, then swiftly and precisely checked his pulse.
Nathan stopped speaking and lowered his gaze to look at her. “Afraid I’m lying to you?” Nathan asked gently, a hint of helplessness in his tone.
“Nothing,” Zinnia said. Finding nothing unusual, she let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s just a simple cough, that’s all. Nothing to worry about. Don’t you trust my medical skills?” Nathan said nothing more.
Zinnia said softly, “I feel like you and Quincey are hiding something from me.” She let go of his hand. Honestly, Zinnia still felt uneasy.
“When you talk, it sounds like you’re arranging something. It makes me feel uneasy,” Zinnia muttered. Sometimes, when Nathan spoke, she felt a twinge of panic.
“Now that you’re grown up, I want you to understand these things. If I’m not around someday, you’ll know what to do.” Nathan’s eyes softened as he lowered his gaze.
“Why would you be gone? You swore you’d never leave me again. Are you planning to leave me behind once more? If you dare disappear without a word again, I’ll never forgive you,” Zinnia said, her voice trembling with anger.
Nathan smiled and said, “I was just kidding.”
Zinnia shook her head. “I hate that kind of talk. You promised me. You can’t go back on your word.” She couldn’t stand it when Nathan made those jokes.
“Alright, I promise I won’t say that again,” Nathan agreed, finally giving in.
“That’s more like it,” Zinnia said.
Nathan asked, “Zinnia, what if I’m keeping something from you? Would you be mad?”
Nathan gazed at Zinnia’s sulking face and gently pinched her cheek. She’d just heard something that upset her, her cheeks puffed out in a cute little pout. Nathan had raised Zinnia himself. His gaze softened with tenderness.
“Yes,” Zinnia replied.