Chapter 355

Zinnia gently pushed open the door to Nathan’s room.

He was still asleep. In just a few days, his face had sunken, and his lips were pale. His thin body was wrapped in a light blanket.

The hand sticking out from under the blanket looked like just skin and bones, with bluish veins clearly visible.

Zinnia watched him for a while, and her eyes turned red. She pressed her lips together tightly, trying not to cry out loud, afraid it would worry Nathan if he heard her.

She walked to the side of the bed, crouched down, and placed her fingers on his wrist to check his pulse. Her fingertips were shaking uncontrollably.

She felt completely useless. All she could do was watch as Nathan grew weaker by the day. Now, he spent most of his time unconscious, and she still couldn’t help him.

She had no cure for the poison. All she could do was ease his pain a little with each round of needles.

A hot tear dropped onto his bony wrist. Nathan’s long fingers twitched slightly, then he opened his eyes and saw her crying silently.

His breath grew heavier. His voice was weak and broken. “Zinnia, d–don’t be scared. I’ll wait for you…”

Nathan was still just as gentle as always. He struggled to lift his hand to wipe her tears, but he was too weak–he couldn’t even raise his arm. The sleepiness in his eyes faded, replaced by frustration.

Seeing he couldn’t even lift his hand, Zinnia bit her lip and grabbed it.

“Master, I’m useless. I can’t find a way to save you,” she said between sobs. “The Florivive didn’t sprout.”

She buried her face in his palm, tears falling nonstop. Soon, his hand was soaked.

Zinnia couldn’t hold it in. Her slender body trembled. She looked completely helpless.

Ever since Nathan got sick, she’d tried not to show her feelings in front of him. But today, she couldn’t hold it anymore. She was scared. She needed to cry.

Hearing her sobs, Nathan felt like a heavy rock had slammed into his chest. His pale face filled with worry. He raised a finger and gently wiped the tears on her cheek. “Zinnia, don’t cry.”

But by accident, his fingertip brushed against her pulse. At once, he forgot about wiping her tears. He turned his hand and pressed it firmly to her wrist, checking her pulse.

“Z–Zinnia, what did you do? How could this happen?” His words were broken, but his voice was sharp. His eyes turned cold.

Feeling his fingers on her wrist, Zinnia panicked. She raised her tear-streaked face and tried to pull her hand away.

But Nathan gripped it tightly. His gaze was icy. Zinnia had never seen him so serious.

“Master…” Her voice was hoarse.

“Zinnia, what did you do to yourself?” Nathan used all his strength to hold her wrist. As Zinnia pulled back, he fell forward with her.

Seeing his chest heave from the pain, Zinnia panicked. “Master…”

There was a commotion in Nathan’s room. Jackson and Yannis, who were heading upstairs, quickened their pace when they heard it.

Nathan had started coughing again, uncontrollably. Bright red blood spilled from the corner of his lips as he reached out weakly, trying to grab a tissue.

“Master!” Zinnia didn’t bother hiding her hand anymore. Her eyes were red, and she frantically pulled tissues from the nightstand, pressing them to his mouth.

“I’ve got it.” Nathan’s trembling hand took the tissue from her and held it to his mouth.

“Master…” Zinnia froze in panic.

It was clear–Nathan was mad.

Yannis and Jackson pushed the door open. They were both shocked by what they saw inside.

Yannis looked at Zinnia. She was clearly panicking, eyes red and filled with fear, completely lost.

Jackson walked up and gently patted Nathan’s back to help him breathe.

“Zinnia…” Yannis came to her side, looked down, and gently held her shaking hand.

“Yannis, I…” Zinnia clutched his hand tightly, her voice a mess. “Master’s mad at me.”

Yannis felt a bitter ache rise in his chest. “Nathan…”

“You… you were both hiding it from me, weren’t you?” Nathan finally stopped coughing and looked up at them. His bloodshot eyes burned with anger. Then he turned his cold gaze on Jackson and pushed his hand away.

“What? What’s going on?” Jackson realized something was off. He turned and stared at Zinnia and Yannis, confused and suspicious. He had no idea what they’d been hiding from Nathan and him.

“Tell me the truth. Now.” Nathan leaned against the wall, his thin face filled with anger he couldn’t hide. His usually gentle eyes had turned cold.

Zinnia looked at his icy expression, so nervous her fists clenched tightly.

“Nathan, this was my fault,” Yannis said. “If you want to blame someone, blame me. I was the one who told Zinnia not to tell you.”

“Zinnia was raised by me. I know her better than anyone. You don’t need to cover for her. I want her to tell me honestly–how long has she been doing this?” Nathan glanced at Zinnia as he spoke.

“Master, I–I just wanted to save you…” Zinnia’s voice trembled, thick with tears.

She wasn’t afraid of anything–except Nathan being mad at her. Growing up, he had never gotten this angry, never looked at her like this.

“Nathan, Zinnia just wanted to help you,” Yannis said seriously.

Zinnia really did. Watching Nathan get weaker every day had eaten her up inside. She couldn’t sleep at night. She felt like a trapped animal, clawing at anything that might save him. She had to try everything.

If she couldn’t save Nathan, she wouldn’t have peace. Fear and guilt would eat her alive.

Yannis had agreed to keep her secret, knowing Nathan would be furious if he ever found out.

“Yannis, do you even realize keeping this secret could’ve killed her?” Nathan’s voice cracked with rage. His chest heaved with every breath.

Then he said something that stunned them all. “You think I didn’t know Zinnia’s blood could cure me?”

Zinnia’s body swayed. She looked up at him, her voice shaky. “Master… you knew? Then why didn’t you…”

But as soon as she asked, she realized the answer. Of course he didn’t want to hurt her.

Even knowing her blood could save him, he’d stayed quiet. He let her run herself ragged, let himself waste away, just so she wouldn’t suffer.

A sharp pain bloomed in her chest. Zinnia clutched at her heart, trying to breathe.

“Zinnia!” Yannis called out, his voice full of worry.