CHAPTER 14
1261 Words
SETH'S POV
“What the hell happened to you?”
I had planned to ask calmly. That was the intention. But the moment I saw Jade limping down the stairs, her ankle swollen and every step causing her visible pain, all my restraint disappeared. The anger that surged through me wasn’t directed at her—it was for whoever had hurt her.
Earlier that morning, her father had pulled me aside.
“Jade was attacked yesterday while coming back from dinner with her friend. She says she’s fine, but her leg is injured. We tried to stop her from going to work today, but she refused. Please take good care of my daughter.”
“I will, sir,” I had promised. “Don’t worry.”
Now, watching her descend the stairs, wincing every time her injured foot touched the ground, my chest tightened painfully. Before she could stumble, I rushed forward and wrapped an arm around her waist, helping her the rest of the way.
She looked up at me and smiled.
She knew I was upset. Usually that smile was enough to calm me down.
Not today.
“Come on, Seth. I’m fine,” she said softly.
“You call this fine, Jade?” I pointed at her swollen ankle.
“She isn’t fine, Seth,” her mother interrupted, worry written all over her face. “She refused to go to the hospital yesterday and wouldn’t even let us look at the injury properly.”
“Don’t worry, ma’am,” I said firmly. “I’ll take her to a doctor.”
Her mother smiled gratefully.
“Take her to the hospital first,” her father added.
“I will, sir.”
“Why is everyone making such a big deal out of this?” Jade protested. “I said I’m fine.”
Without warning, I lightly tapped her injured ankle.
She immediately flinched, tears springing to her eyes.
“You call that fine?” I asked. “You’re clearly in pain. Stop being stubborn. We’re going to the hospital.”
“But—”
“Can you even walk properly?”
She hesitated before grinning mischievously.
“Well, you could carry me.”
The challenge was obvious.
She thought I wouldn’t dare.
Without another word, I scooped her into my arms.
Her eyes widened.
“Wait—Seth!”
I ignored her protests and carried her toward the car.
“Are you going to carry me at the hospital too?” she teased.
“You think I wouldn’t?”
The surprise on her face was worth it.
Carrying her wasn’t difficult. If it meant she wouldn’t have to feel pain, I’d carry her all day.
At the hospital, I insisted on getting her a wheelchair despite her objections. We argued until I won.
Naturally.
I still carried her from the entrance to the car afterward while the driver loaded the wheelchair.
“Come on, I have a wheelchair now,” she complained.
“Can the wheelchair put itself in the car?”
That shut her up.
The drive to work passed in silence.
When we arrived, I carried her again while Lance followed with the wheelchair.
“What’s the point of the wheelchair if you’re going to carry me everywhere?” Jade asked.
“I never said I’d carry you everywhere.”
Everyone in the building stared as we entered, but I couldn’t have cared less.
Inside the elevator, I finally lowered her gently into the wheelchair.
She simply smiled.
Whatever was going through her head, I was almost afraid to ask.
The moment the elevator doors closed, I turned to her.
“How did you get hurt?”
“Finally, you asked.” She leaned back dramatically. “I thought you’d never ask because you were too busy worrying about me. It’s nice discovering you care this much.”
“How did you get hurt, Jade?”
The sharpness in my voice erased her teasing smile.
“Okay, okay.” She sighed. “I was leaving the restaurant with Grace when we were attacked by knife-wielding men. I managed to dodge the attack and sent Grace away.”
“Why would you do that alone?” I demanded. “Grace could have helped.”
“I didn’t want her getting hurt because of me.”
Her voice softened before she continued.
“So I fought them myself. I missed a step and twisted my ankle during the fight. Luckily, it was a full moon.”
The excitement instantly returned to her expression.
“You should have seen it, Seth. I transformed and took them down in seconds. I didn’t even realize how much stronger I’d become after training. They never stood a chance.”
She spent the next several minutes enthusiastically describing every detail of the fight and exactly how inferior her opponents had been.
By the time she finished, my frustration had reached its limit.
“Why didn’t you call for help?” I snapped. “What if it hadn’t been a full moon? What if you’d lost control of your transformation? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?”
She blinked.
“What?”
I was shouting again without realizing it.
The thought of what could have happened made my blood run cold.
She was strong. I knew that.
I had trained her myself.
But strength didn’t make her invincible.
“You could have asked for help,” I said more quietly. “You didn’t have to fight alone.”
She studied me for a moment.
“But I won.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Isn’t it?” she asked. “You’re the one who trained me. If you trust your training, shouldn’t you trust me too?”
I frowned.
“You taught me everything I know,” she continued. “You told me yourself that my training was complete and that I was ready. So trust me, Seth. I can take care of myself.”
I sighed.
“I do trust you.”
“Then stop worrying.”
“That’s impossible.”
She rolled her eyes.
“But if you can’t handle something alone,” I added, “ask for help. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
For once, she didn’t argue.
Instead, she tilted her head thoughtfully.
“So I really did connect my mind to yours. How is that even possible?”
“I also don’t know,” I said quickly. “And don’t change the subject.”
“Have you heard a single thing I’ve said?”
“Yes, Jade.”
She huffed dramatically before turning back to her computer.
A few seconds later, she absentmindedly touched her ankle and immediately winced.
My irritation vanished.
Before lunch, I returned with a bag of ice and knelt beside her chair.
“Hold still.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’ve lost the right to use that sentence.”
She tried not to laugh as I gently pressed the ice against her ankle.
The moment the cold touched her skin, she sucked in a sharp breath and fought back tears.
Seeing her in pain hurt more than I wanted to admit.
I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her everything would be okay.
Jade was powerful. Stronger than most people could ever imagine.
But strength didn’t mean she had to carry every burden alone.
As I carefully held the ice against her ankle, only one thought lingered in my mind:
No matter how strong she became, I never wanted to see her hurt again.
- Writer
