Chapter 331

As time passed, Nathan and the others set the table with the dishes. Nathan said warmly, “Zinnia, dinner’s ready!”

Zinnia was swinging in the yard, with Fiona gently pushing her from behind. Sunny ran back and forth beside the swing, wagging his tail in delight.

“Okay!” Zinnia called back cheerfully when she heard Nathan’s reminder.

“Fiona, let’s eat,” Zinnia said, dragging her feet to slow the swing.

Seeing Zinnia hurriedly trying to stop the swing with her feet, Fiona quickly reached out to steady it. “Take it easy,” she said softly. “No need to rush. Careful not to hurt yourself.”

Seeing Zinnia’s hurried movements, Sunny anxiously circled around her, grabbing the swing with his mouth and tugging at it in an attempt to help.

“Well, don’t worry,” Zinnia said soothingly as the swing came to a stop. Then she reached out to gently stroke Sunny’s head.

After washing their hands, Zinnia and Fiona entered the living room, where dinner was already set on the table.

Nathan picked up some of Zinnia’s favorite buffalo wings and placed them on her plate. With a gentle smile, he said, “Come on. Have some more."

“Okay,” Zinnia mumbled through a mouthful of buffalo wings, her head lowered.

Zinnia had promised Nathan that, no matter what, she wouldn’t worry about anything else during Christmas.

Fiona gently placed some deboned salmon on Zinnia’s plate and smiled, saying, “Here, have some fish. Good for your brain.”

“Fiona, I can do it myself,” Zinnia still mumbled through a mouthful of buffalo wings. Her cheeks bulged as she glanced at the deboned salmon.

“Go ahead and eat. Don’t worry about her. I’ll take care of Zinnia,” Nathan said while peeling a shrimp.

Fiona raised an eyebrow playfully. “Why? Only you get to dote on Zee? The rest of us can’t, huh?”

With a helpless sigh, Nathan’s gaze instinctively fell on Zinnia, who was sitting beside him. His eyes were clouded with a tangle of unspoken emotions.

“What’s wrong?” Sensing Nathan’s gaze, Zinnia turned to look at him with concern in her eyes. “Are you not feeling well?”

“I’m okay. Keep eating,” Nathan said, smiling gently at her.

“You should eat more, too,” Zinnia said, picking up her fork and serving Nathan some of his favorite black pepper beef.

“Sure.” Nathan dropped the peeled shrimp into Zinnia’s bowl and wiped his hands clean with a napkin. Then he picked up his fork to eat.

Even though the black pepper beef was spicy, Nathan’s expression remained completely unchanged.

Zinnia studied Nathan’s calm expression, her fingers tightening slightly around her fork. “Nathan, isn’t it too spicy for you?” she asked.

Nathan liked black pepper beef, but he couldn’t handle too much spice. After every bite, he always took a sip of milk.

The black pepper beef was unusually spicy this time. Even Zinnia found it too hot after just two bites. But surprisingly, Nathan hadn’t touched his milk at all.

The moment Zinnia finished speaking, Nathan reached for the milk and took a sip.

Nathan swallowed the milk. “A little spicy,” he admitted.

Zinnia watched him, her long, curled lashes fluttering down. In the end, she said nothing.

Chapter 331

Zinnia stepped into the yard, instinctively wanting to call out, but when she spotted Nathan sleeping outside, her voice softened to a whisper. “Nathan…”

Zinnia’s soft whisper went unheard. She didn’t call out again, but instead, she approached him with careful, measured steps.

Nathan reclined in a lounge chair, bathed in warm sunlight that outlined his slender frame.

He wore a simple black crewneck sweater and comfortable black trousers. His broad, straight shoulders and narrow waist set off his lean frame. Even in such understated clothes, his natural charisma was unmistakable.

Soft strands of hair fell across his forehead, framing a refined face with an aloof expression. Thick, long lashes cast delicate shadows beneath his eyes and his lips were pale.

Perhaps exhausted, Nathan rested with his eyes closed.

Since Quincey and Fiona rarely got the chance to come back, they naturally wanted to visit the townspeople who had cared for them since childhood. After lunch, the two of them left to pay their respects.

“What’s wrong?” Sensing Zinnia’s familiar scent, Nathan opened his eyes. For a moment, his gaze was unfocused as he saw her standing nearby.

Backlit by streaming sunlight, her slender, petite frame stood out in the red dress Nathan had prepared for her, topped with a delicate white embroidered jacket.

The fishtail braid Fiona had styled for her that morning had loosened after hours of running and playing. Now, a few playful strands brushed against her cheeks.

Her features were so exquisitely delicate. Her eyes were deep, and her pupils shimmered with a hint of blue, like precious gemstones that made one want to cradle and cherish her. Her lips were naturally rosy, and her brows and eyes were refined.

Now, Zinnia had grown into a radiant beauty, vibrant and graceful. Nathan had watched her grow from a tiny girl into the elegant young woman she was today.

When Nathan first found Zinnia, she was a premature baby, and her face was already turning blue from lack of oxygen.

At that moment, he happened to be passing outside the hospital when he caught the faintest whisper of a sound. It was so weak that it nearly escaped detection.

At that time, Nathan was lost in a daze. Somehow, his gaze drifted over, and there she was, in the dumpster, her face already deathly pale. Not even sure what drove him, he reached in and gently scooped her up.

Her tiny chest barely moved. Each of her breaths was so faint that it was almost imperceptible. She had just entered this world and hadn’t even had a chance to see it for herself, and she was already struggling with all her might to live.

Even though he was exhausted to the bone, Nathan still managed to find a safe spot for her and reached for the only thing he still carried with him: a set of acupuncture needles his father had hand-forged for him as a child.

Nathan had been fleeing in haste, having lost nearly all his belongings along the way. His body was already at its breaking point; still, he chose to save her.

When he heard her faint whimpers, a spark slowly returned to the hollowness in Nathan’s eyes. She had been abandoned, and he had lost his parents.

On the day his whole world fell apart, a ray of light pierced through, helping him rebuild from the barren ruins. From that moment on, Nathan’s world revolved around two things: taking revenge and raising Zinnia right.

He had witnessed every step of her life. Quincey’s question from that morning resurfaced in his mind. He thought, ‘What exactly are my feelings for Zinnia? What could they possibly be? I’m not some kind of pervert, after all.’

Nathan raised a hand to shield his eyes. He felt the sunlight was too harsh.

Chapter 331

Seeing his movement, Zinnia quickly crouched down beside him and asked, “Nathan, are you feeling okay?” Her eyes were clouded with worry that she couldn’t hide.

Hearing Zinnia’s voice, Nathan looked momentarily dazed. Slowly, his mind cleared. He realized this wasn’t a dream.

Lately, Nathan had been plagued by constant fatigue. His sleep was often haunted by disjointed dreams, and memories of his and Zinnia’s childhood would frequently resurface.

So when he saw Zinnia, it took Nathan a moment to realize this wasn’t just another vision. Still a bit dazed, he murmured, “Zinnia, what’s up?”

Nathan sat up and patted the spot beside him, inviting her to sit down.

“Nathan, is your sense of taste fading?” Zinnia asked softly as she settled beside him, her eyes searching Nathan’s face with quiet concern.

She should have noticed it sooner. Nathan’s weight loss was normal, but when things got this severe, even his senses began to deteriorate.

Nathan wasn’t ill. He was poisoned, and not with any ordinary toxin, but with an incurable one. By the time it was discovered, it had already seeped into his very bones, wreaking havoc on his body.

Nathan’s lips stiffened briefly, but knowing she was medically trained, he gave up the pretense. “Zinnia, you’re so observant,” he said.