Never Late, Never Away Chapter 2061
The presidential suite was fitted with two bedrooms and a living room. Joan and Nancy could each have a room, while Caiden and Jaden comfortably occupied the living room.
“I apologize in advance, Joan,” Caiden said easily before gently rolling up her shirt.
He was horrified by the sight that greeted his eyes. Joan’s entire back was swollen and red, with blood still oozing from several gashes. Caiden felt as if his heart had been caught in his throat. What sort of cold-blooded people are they? How could they have abused her like this!
He was livid. It made Caiden wonder at the amount of inner strength and courage that Joan possessed. No ordinary person could have endured such agony being inflicted upon them.
How fortunate that I happened to pass by! Caiden thought, shuddering. The odds were far too slim for his liking. What if I hadn’t? Would Joan have died?
“What’s wrong, Caiden?” Joan asked meekly, sensing his hesitation.
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing… I’m fine. This might sting a little, so bear with me,” Caiden hurriedly replied. He picked up the medicine and gently applied it onto Joan’s back.
The sheer number of wounds on her back made rubbing it in little by little impossible and would have taken far too long. Caiden thus smeared a large amount onto Joan’s back all at once and evenly spread it.
A groan escaped from Joan’s lips. Caiden felt her stiffen almost instantly beneath his fingers.
“Does it hurt?” Caiden immediately paused and looked at Joan anxiously. He heart ached in sympathy.
“I’m fine! Please go ahead. I’m sorry to trouble you,” Joan replied. She shut her eyes tightly and clenched her jaw in resolve to endure the pain.
This was Gabriella’s lesson to Joan, which she would have no choice but to bear the consequences of. Joan was determined to remember every bit of this humiliation and the cruelty that Gabriella had shown her.
Every bit of raw flesh that Caiden’s fingertips gingerly touched, however, weighed immeasurably upon him. He felt laden with a mixed feeling of anguish and remorse.
Caiden blamed himself for not having arrived earlier to defend Joan from her assailant. He felt guilty for not confessing his feelings for her all those years ago, choosing to leave the country altogether instead. Caiden believed that Joan’s suffering today was indirectly a result of his absence. I should have been by her side protecting her! Caiden fumed, gnashing his teeth in frustration.
“Joan, can you tell me how you got injured?” Caiden abruptly asked.
What should I tell him? Joan fretted. She hung her head for a moment, then answered slowly, “It was from the abduction.”
That’s impossible! Caiden reflected. Kidnappers usually held their victims hostage for money. From the looks of it, the vicious manner with which Joan’s abductor had treated Joan clearly displayed a personal vendetta.
“Joan, I think she was out to kill you,” Caiden muttered in a low voice.
At his words, Joan froze.
She hadn’t expected this charming, kindhearted, but clearly naive youth to be quite so perceptive.
Indeed, after Gabriella had discovered that Joan was in a relationship with Larry, she had set out on her bloodthirsty mission to root Joan out and destroy her.
“You can’t make baseless claims like that. There’s no evidence,” Joan informed Caiden hastily.
“Aren’t these wounds evidence enough?” Caiden retorted hotly, righteous indignation rising within him.
Joan knew, however, that she couldn’t prove that this was the work of Gabriella. There were no audio files or visual recordings of the events that had occurred.
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s continue,” Joan replied evenly, then lapsed back into silence.
Even though Joan had not expressly revealed her feelings, Caiden could discern from her troubled expression that she, too, had her suspicions.
“I’ll handle the wounds on my leg,” Joan said feebly after a moment.
Caiden marveled at her obstinacy. He’d already been exposed to Joan’s entire bareback. Why is she suddenly so being so bashful about her legs?
“It’s fine. Just rest for now. Don’t worry, I won’t dare take advantage of you,” Caiden reassured her in a slightly teasing tone.
There was nothing much Caiden to do to Joan now, even if he wanted to, given the extent of her wounds. Besides, the thought of harming a woman, especially when she couldn’t fend for herself, would never even have crossed the mind of a gentleman like Caiden.
“It wouldn’t be proper. I’ll just…” Joan trailed off, her voice faltering. She stood up and hurried away to fetch the medicine.
“Joan, there’s no one else here! Besides, who cares?” Caiden argued, feeling slightly annoyed.
Joan’s sudden show of modesty seemed both illogical and impractical to Caiden. He couldn’t fathom how Joan would rather inconvenience herself than allow Caiden to help her. In this aspect, Caiden preferred the frankness of the people he’d met overseas. Instead of worrying about superficial things such as their image and reputation, they were more concerned with sorting out their feelings and achieving peace of mind. Caiden found his own countrymen’s preoccupation with preserving an untarnished image, at the expense of their own wellbeing, both frustrating and foolish.
“All right.” Unable to counter Caiden’s reasoning, Joan finally gave in. She reluctantly sat back down again.
