Chapter 792:
That night, Dylan tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. A sinking unease gnawed at him, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. After several failed attempts to rest, he finally got out of bed. As if pulled by some invisible force, he walked straight to the door and opened it without a second thought.
And there, collapsed right in front of him, was Christina.
For a split second, his heart stopped. He couldn’t even breathe. Before he could even process it, his body was already bending down toward her.
He quickly checked for signs of life, letting out a sharp breath of relief when he confirmed she was still breathing. The worst had flashed through his mind. He didn’t dare think any further. Gently, he called her name, “Christina.”
All he got in response was a soft, unconscious groan. Her face was contorted in pain, like she was trapped in a nightmare she couldn’t escape.
“Christina,” Dylan called again, reaching out to touch her forehead.
Her skin was searing hot—she was burning up.
A wave of panic crashed through him. He scooped her into his arms without hesitation and rushed out of the villa. With a fever this high, the hospital was the only option.
When it came to Christina’s safety, Dylan wouldn’t take any risks. After all, even the smallest mistake could have devastating consequences.
Nestled in his embrace, Christina instinctively curled into him. “Don’t… Don’t abandon me…” she murmured, followed by a faint, desperate whimper.
“This… This place is terrifying…” Christina’s unconscious sobs tore through Dylan like a thousand tiny blades, each cut sharper than the last.
He remembered the way she shone when fully composed—always confident and in control. Now, he saw how deeply she buried her fears beneath that perfect exterior. If she weren’t so out of it, she’d never let anyone see this side of her—so openly broken.
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That very thought made his chest tighten with unbearable sorrow. She wasn’t as untouchable as the world believed. She just masked her pain so well that people never saw the cracks beneath the surface.
Dylan pulled Christina closer and murmured, his voice steady and gentle, “Don’t be afraid. I’m right here. Nothing’s going to hurt you. From now on, I’ll protect you. Don’t be scared—I’m here.”
With Dylan’s calm, unwavering comfort, the tremors in Christina’s body began to settle. Still, she clung to him even harder, as if he were the only thing anchoring her in the middle of a waking nightmare.
Dylan’s eyes turned glassy with emotion, his heart aching as he held her tighter. Maybe, just maybe, her mind had wandered back to that awful time when her adoptive parents had sent her off to that brutal survival camp in another country. She had been just a child—how much strength had it taken for her to survive something like that?
Dylan couldn’t even begin to fathom the nightmares she must’ve endured—ones that still haunted her even now.
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.
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