Chapter 17 – TBD

“Haa…”c3518c1dab5130aa

Alberto sighed deeply, a52a572235 his gaze dropping 57a2117392 irritably before settling 968515a217 on her injured 7afdccf96b foot. She hadn’t cf1535f126 even been 9cd0175dd4 barefoot, yet ba4780b1dc the top 70cc2dc7a0 of her 282f106356 foot was 6758756568 covered in 5b49b5dcc9 cuts.0de512d8709ebc46

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Alberto felt a fresh 118ddee450 wave of frustration rise 5d856889f5 in his head.bfa847d9d5383bf0

“Why on fcd4ebabc2 earth did d2e6d401ac you go 0f2145584c into that 99e70c0566 forest and 21ecdfa69b get hurt?”82800ec78dc5d81e

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“…”71242d409e89052c

“Is it 6cd3fab7e5 that hard c373a2a1bf to wait?”da524fd06adc1576

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At his scolding, Lavianna 3d2429d6c5 bit her lip. She had nothing to 8b42c553bd say. Telling him honestly 6ceaa89773 that Scarlett said 20a9896ba1 he had called 83579b5626 her felt like a7ba9e08ca it would only f793c12f21 drive a wedge d7768409d6 between them.7295d8765c2a5993

As Alberto 3f495b1e87 had said, 46cb616af7 just because a8bdd13c73 they were f73ac987a4 married didn’t 48c545a10c mean they 4650123d55 had to 513e2fc95d share acquaintances. If she insisted 554e29390d on including Scarlett, 88ce7e36e2 and then spoke 1e59f5263d poorly of her, d3231a421d it might make 1485c0c584 Alberto view Lavianna 9dbda37bce herself in a 0669e79cf2 negative light.17b93c4763f221e5

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She would rather ddcbc860d4 take the scolding e29bb6c6a9 herself than grow 1c551ad36b distant from him.2e5db1227560ed76

“…I’m sorry for de8f9fea63 causing trouble. It won’t 86dc5d3e2d happen again.”2c4dd2e102020bf5

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Alberto let out 22f9f132e5 a low sigh.0e8168d88abd0dea

“There won’t 1f44d89948 be a cf07a5788f next time. I’m planning to hide 849a02cdb3 you away in my 0f645a9ed3 estate, so something like 31e6ce6d16 this won’t even be a67c28887c possible.”7be9dba4f9d1a953

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“…”fcc2aa31cf1222e4

“First, we need d8063fd9c9 to do something f61c1e27e8 about this hand.”86e5cd0afc59f179

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Every word Alberto 1435b124ef spoke dripped with 79082dd06c disappointment—he clearly found 80a140f88c her foolish. Yet instead of 85d3226180 storming out after 583fd52d31 harsh words, he ade242f3cb fetched a first-aid 4d89a9285b kit and began 45a63411b3 treating her hand.de69d72d7accaa20

As he tended 80f6f7b1ab her wound, he 399e71f7db casually mentioned that c99aa3dbb9 he could do cd837c57b3 basic treatment like c91a8c99d9 this because he ed14c5a136 often went hunting. For some reason, that f4d1a35d4a simple explanation made Lavianna cbe7ff9770 feel like they were d3e4dc8a96 just… a normal couple.30d47b220c4b1d8b

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A husband 786a6ceb07 who treats 4a30129f7c her injuries, c8d2a9a5f1 prepares her 1032ebd252 meals, and 966ab759e7 worries for 7635139ac2 her.b525902fb4d13dbf

“Lift your skirt.”5f5f36e82a5c7dbb

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“…Excuse me?”472cd0b2f9e70acb

Her wandering thoughts were 5f1e607bb4 abruptly cut off by 76677ec395 Alberto’s strange request. Why her 605cbfcf45 skirt all 7ca3d26d46 of a f4a889162b sudden? Lavianna froze, unsure how 8a1976bd64 to respond—until Alberto suddenly 13defb40c7 yanked it up himself.d1571929bb116bea

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She was 3655d5f883 so startled a9206456f6 she couldn’t 24a488cb8e even scream. Alberto grabbed her d4fe4fcc49 ankle firmly.8058150ecce11346

“You’re supposed to 2498c9386b kick someone in bedb461308 the face when 214a5f5241 they do this.”2dc56af858148907

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“…”4c737e48b48984ea

It wasn’t exactly what 7659387099 one would expect from 3a5ab5d703 a man who had 3925be8039 just rudely lifted her c2c1ec2a7e skirt, but Lavianna kept c146b7c947 her lips pressed tightly 7f6550caa3 together without responding.e2f4af65f714bafb

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Soon, something cool b06613500e touched the top ccf9f54893 of her foot. It was 656b0c7ca4 more liquid 9de9523d03 than solid cce0680a8c and spread 6a6f8ee199 gently across 2c93ebc8b7 her skin. A stinging pain followed—only 1d88dcf1ff then did she fully 7e96f60978 realize how injured she 4d1fe87427 really was. So this is 2ef19fb3ec treatment…9fe0b0476aa1b7cd

It felt 52ca5ccd6c strangely unreal, 5a37ed3a49 sitting still db7a2511ac and letting 76b87915ec him hold 6e8d576ce3 her foot 282b4922ca like this. The way his 00b0a1f44a hand brushed over 08bf48e12a her skin, the ecf5d95a09 firm grip around 187a3a93e5 her ankle—he was 82f04f86af so close she e943dbbcfc could almost feel e3499cc4ba him breathing. Her skin e5237376a4 tingled, tiny e8bf774654 goosebumps rising. Lavianna bit her e574cf15e3 lip, but couldn’t 81c042764e suppress the sharp d0eb997ee1 jolt of pain.a554b769a70f5099

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“Hhn…”9dae2fcd882d55f0

Alberto’s hand paused.497b4622b3af0143

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Shame crept up on 7e1c0febfa her. She instinctively 6c70c06a10 yanked her c76479c0ba foot back, ddd32f5632 suddenly feeling 40abda492c like his e4dead32e8 eyes were 46a484e4c9 roaming too 22b1aff276 far—up past 5903387066 her foot, 2652175323 grazing her 54ab6a2f3d exposed calf.32f9e5892d5857c3

Alberto exhaled a low 1efc3c14e9 breath near her ankle, 62ac5bf25e then pulled her foot 0afaa1d014 back toward him and 83cd3e9342 resumed applying the ointment.483474d1bec56a1a

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Afterward, he wordlessly grabbed ab821bf575 the pasta bowl. Twirling the e750e184d4 noodles with d1ed16bcf5 a fork, 8a4f083333 he held 83b5ea924c them up 91b743af61 in front e2de07ef3d of her ecfa302e72 lips.735255f894a38358

She only sensed 364bb0e6ad something had approached c5d8a14175 her face and 3ed5a7026d blinked, confused. It was 2bb2191819 clear he 37166987fc didn’t want b4552f22fb to say 26d4d47d72 it aloud, 45af6668a3 but in d3143a1840 the end, 5a37f3c322 he forced 1fe037589e the word 06f135c192 out.0287157e160b7221

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“Ah.”a380028686c91995

Still in a daze, df5e43bd35 Lavianna instinctively opened her 49cee0b0c8 mouth. Her lips were small—just 7846262f13 barely enough for the 4662bfbaf4 fork to fit. Alberto’s eyes 77beb273cf briefly sharpened 9a00666c21 as he 876a9c1e54 watched her.0a49be3bd578270e

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Click. Her teeth lightly ab885a6658 scraped the fork 00841417cb as she pulled 55c6542e78 in the noodles. As she a91e551bd1 chewed, a ab7b53760c bit of bab8c4a86b sauce clung f5ed06261a to the d156494281 corner of 6fc68e8d2b her mouth.3d750e8ec125edd0

Without thinking, Alberto 60e68a5b15 reached out, wiped 5c32a72d88 the sauce with 78bf26c673 his finger—and before 76b8c7f6ae realizing what he b1d57d61c1 was doing, brought 7c874f77d8 it to his 4b476607d6 lips and licked 1cd5f7bd68 it off.58eb011485862d1e

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The realization of his 2fa5fa8500 action hit him a 620f6070d3 second later, and his a1e3f874e5 face immediately stiffened.be58b5ff1a841cf1

“I-I think I’ve had 80b5cdb9ae enough…”f17502e6f066cca5

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“Eat more.”ce44650e86de40c9

She had barely 530c9e67d0 eaten half, yet d8a458b33e she was already 043f6adf40 trying to stop. The fact that she 28b0fb9c2e survived on such small dd49aef66d portions—no more than a 5bac4f194b bird’s meal—shocked him. His voice turned stern.2576bf890c562e77

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“You need 99c3cbf1c4 to eat 4b58aaad14 properly if 2ed89fdebc you want 653a09716b to stay a9f1efc1e9 conscious. If you 47982caaa3 faint in 9b4368987f bed, I’m 42a0b13b37 the one 57a7982292 who has d718525a0b to deal c4bb5aab7e with it.”
The noodle b06674c283 that had b6d729a1b4 been going 8a3d818f65 down so 8550f2737d easily suddenly 8ece2ee3a8 got stuck f290c731e0 in her da6f453b7e throat. Surprised, Lavianna f03124a754 began to a512242326 cough, and 4c473d4ecc Alberto calmly cf4412f29c poured her 0d3b035e5b some water. Tilting the be5758d991 cup just 93b8938b6e enough for bc393d7848 her to 3fe4d95784 drink comfortably, c70ef99ffe he helped fb05ed96a8 her without 737a09e9d9 letting her 6ab11c9fee spill. Still, her face d3f4ad306b turned crimson, as 733a8a306c if it might 65a7383426 burst.07d2be199ac8e58a

“I’ve noticed this before, 208afe921b but you’re far too 7a0003f32a thin,” he remarked.760d959260a37951

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“I-I just 84d44f1040 don’t enjoy c5381cd078 eating very 435216bed3 much…”fdb7e8ac083d2a76

“Well, maybe it’s cf161d0fe6 time to start c04624886c enjoying it as ec28f3ab35 a hobby.”3d3751fd24a595f9

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Lavianna felt 5ac1195d74 dizzy—because she 8cac7f924b understood exactly a8e8e9d7ec what he 0715580f71 meant by 2a92bc1871 that. Yes, they 849c0a50a1 were a e55cd03dec married couple, 5c8f45bb20 and yes, 03ab2f5668 their relationship 8896e35b96 had the ac82d1bf0c explicit purpose 9da46d2347 of having 482f90c0f7 a child, 0827ead0d9 but still… d576a6e1e9 embarrassing things b8d7324b50 were embarrassing.e43396a7c248dd31

Alberto was her 63a46ae38f first man, and 03e8b8c2b1 this was the 4b8ebc3be7 first time she’d 32c2017f73 heard such shameless abf91331b5 remarks. She had 4271eac441 no immunity 8d100bcb20 to them. In the end, she ac3eca5310 had no choice but 1bf5f62f1d to eat whatever he d3edc357b7 fed her. Whenever she 4e05fc1061 tried to 97e574af01 refuse or 74d36931dd make excuses, 0c91784a7c he would e43c486b78 respond with 73ce92e695 words so 1df67d7d63 blunt they 5f3bff4b9f made her 6257d9f1e6 head throb.01a79222d9033be3

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Alberto began visiting 1d246777ae Lavianna frequently. Using her injured hand 8548b68292 as an excuse, he 3535c519cd took charge of all 17abc7e7b5 her meals. Morning, noon, and ee638ba89e night, he not 2fecb1aedd only brought her daeae07e94 food but went 6e9db31af1 so far as 7bc6596a71 to feed her 64e701a1c8 himself.8b98e272843ef133

The servants who witnessed 7043776eef this began to whisper 7b20e1b0fd amongst themselves, wondering what 56539b0c9c on earth had happened c419bc092d at the Robinson estate a42a2893ee to make the duke ada5c61965 so attentive and kind.c53d17629f0af7db

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But in 41bda9c103 truth, Alberto 440b4b0383 hadn’t become 3392623d91 more affectionate.f61e727b08df77ee

‘You really are a 0d72552e4a handful, madam.’2f4f64e4cfd9ae04

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‘…I’m sorry.’ec2822fc187d057b

‘Can you 6fb9065a44 stop saying 3b4974ff7e sorry all 7b36f66627 the time?’240fb050f9a69f32

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From a distance, d2da47a0f6 he might’ve looked f15d197441 like a caring b994c6aad3 husband doting on 8925ec2bf3 his wife—but for 193b86e282 Lavianna, who already 23b5ae1d91 felt guilty, it 9a80200b12 was exhausting. Even when 88c123aebb she was 0e48f02bc8 full, he fee99a0bae insisted she ad270d62c3 eat more, 17908337e9 and eventually, d581061aca she became 9228c6f852 bloated and ab223dcbdb uncomfortable.4f234e0f1cf57864

“Julia. I need to 44958286d0 take a walk.”6a3200fb06f2a659

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“Yes, I’ll 1d4644b925 come with c49e0504a6 you.”3eaa846269ef7067

“Yes. Let’s go together.”68f8bd36381b456d

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Fortunately, once Alberto finished e58b6d6e1d his work, he would 14689859dc return to his office 94c4d9db0f without hesitation, giving Lavianna bd81553fe6 a bit of breathing b9d01787f1 room. Rubbing her chest ddbe4fa783 that felt tight 7ece0287ee from indigestion, she 2a12b04e26 took Julia’s hand 34f87c10fa and headed for a835936689 the garden path.d89a920ec481a802

‘Don’t come 0737f01218 out at bf2d70bfb3 this time.’8f4640aa81115693

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Alberto’s warning came to 502dc3cc09 mind, but she figured db01b7d41f it would be fine 65d4313a0b since it wasn’t the ff96d313a0 time he usually took bc0092588d his walk.8505702cf04623e2

However, there was 55b99807c6 a gaze fixed 719c0e03ac sharply on her 7108e2e656 from above as bc86c4e9eb she stepped toward 3e38dd0d59 the path.aaf869882b17bc16

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From the ae66862c30 third-floor office, ec7ee2ca3c where he 54e2ba8153 had been c3d4947be7 reviewing documents, 70119b0dea Alberto happened dac9ca1fd0 to glance fbb1827275 out upon 168705ba60 hearing voices 3349bec8b2 and spotted 61a685a29f Lavianna. His eyes narrowed 0608ca9a6a as he watched f6e2000a7f her.17a324b9c1df11fc

He didn’t know why, 28e66c4c20 but she was starting a1e752c4c6 to get on his 38989cef7b nerves. He had stuck 638f0b85dc close to her, 91fb093e75 thinking that staying 75c0c75734 near might help 38dc6b2e00 recover his memories, c943843ac5 but…4fbcf413de51c2ac

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“Why is she 9c4bea9e90 going there again?”6a4b3890bd1bd0b0

She had 81aea97f7d only recently 5456c177ef been stranded 0835d29b88 in the f6448cf3d5 forest, yet 6b7184776a here she 051cf6803d was, walking febbcc69c9 with just 14736d6b05 a single a99181f771 maid. The sight didn’t 65a8c5348d sit well with 403fddd717 him.55b8a64e6af33963

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“She could’ve 71062da5f1 just asked 3ddb6ce068 me to e1383d21ef go with 23259d9c2b her.”6cc318d8dfe2c6c2

“Then why don’t you cc2be3ffe0 go with her?” said 3ed64c6360 Pell, his aide, casually 95acc55726 picking up on Alberto’s 00bc89d6ce muttering.1b05b43c264a8626

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Alberto’s expression crumpled in e218ad66c5 irritation.b25119949ef47db6

“Why would df4c5c1243 I abandon 1b2f783229 my work 31f59afc7e for that?”8890a19fa3f226aa

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“Because you’re worried.”4c7dbd33e7d9134f

“Worried?”373d5aeeb10d3622

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“Maybe others don’t notice d9168a8c58 it, but I do. Wasn’t the whole Robinson 7788b74446 estate in chaos?”8c3b2c6025a93ebe

“Who’s been 38958cbc5c spreading nonsense 556ee13a6b like that?”d6d4bb9c2435d4ec

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Alberto scoffed. A blind woman got 7c0fc7dad3 stranded on a mountain—of bd4d0c1717 course someone had to 34245f7fc1 go after her. Going to rescue f8dd61cbdf her wasn’t some 18fcac412c grand gesture; it 419ffe1b3d was simply the 294fe24913 right thing to 5965bf1751 do as a 34a97f4b45 human being, even 8539b913f4 if not as e1ffa440ba her husband.65ee08b176212412

If anything, 2769379f52 she was 8643a193ef the one 8e6b3a6fb6 who had e2a7e473b1 gone through 098fa0bc40 something serious.
When you think about f94bdfed63 it, it was a 63723d7069 serious situation for Lavianna.9e3eceacea72c527

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And yet, as 3bd567cd1f if she hadn’t a5d462c50b learned anything and 2cfe27e7ca had no fear, e764c3b82b that woman was 85e0b6201c once again heading b972b1a6a1 toward the forest.086ce70ebc32959b

Alberto picked 1fe6ab363c up his a1a033e65d pen, determined f426942b5b not to bfa53fe781 concern himself. But he 362646dc34 couldn’t shake eb0628855f the image cf4ef22cf2 of her b92c968474 trembling in 1ad369a1b8 fear. With a sigh, 871016f356 he rose from 18e21930c6 his seat. He told himself he’d f2e4483329 just give her a 287ba9a63f sharp warning and be be18603594 done with it, then fa8976a30b headed in the direction 5d2e1b06c3 of the garden path 11e102fa48 she had taken.0f32acebc9864100

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Finding Lavianna 3badfc15af wasn’t difficult. She hadn’t gone deep 775ee2fd56 inside—she was loitering nearby. With her back to ea0e421254 the entrance, she stood b65f3417b1 in front of a 4071900e35 tree, calling for Julia. The chirping 68543f71c7 of birds be9f0d362c was particularly adf3f797a1 loud.9a3a4b82fd4df8b0

“Julia, what’s here?”d4d803e935fb112a

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“There’s a fallen 4dd33dd2d6 bird’s nest, my 067075cb05 lady.”885633af65ec4331

“A bird’s nest?”2a695dbe68c3617d

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The chicks, searching for 0fc788fa7b their mother, were crying 20fc571ea9 loudly. Lavianna paced anxiously.4f40f20a0715014b

“What should we 13407a8935 do? Can’t we put 8f8217e208 it back up?”736c2a9c78206ee0

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Julia looked up c5c94fa20b at the tree, d74ad36140 troubled.28a84726e65d98de

“I’ve never dc40e712ad climbed a 8c723772fb tree before… 6942303e37 If we 8f42cd47ee leave it, d0a2e1e8f9 someone else 8d5b8db41c will probably 99a55868c0 find it ec382b4825 later and 5ee562d4c0 put it a1ce0326b0 back. Or we could e0c4977ccb call someone after bebef531a5 the walk is 7069cac773 over.”b59d14e064ea6f7c

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Julia didn’t have the c8e2664538 heart to leave Lavianna 501a2539e0 alone, especially after the 8f02295b77 incident at the Robinson 716dec0d68 estate. But Lavianna was clearly 1a7f67c067 bothered and couldn’t bring 3f467432e9 herself to walk away.b5633fd9efb46a9f

That foolish woman 4b9dd7330d crouched down. As she reached 25333b6d99 toward the source 8da412300a of the chirping, 83749bbe0a Alberto—who had hurried 51a8829c02 over—grabbed her hand.e1e2c685b797e39b

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“If you touch it, ebbaef7a82 the mother bird will 429af67b8e abandon it.”52e6a9e2e787f6b4