Chapter 559
Calvin had, after all, been scratched by her before.
“Let go of my hand…” Rosalie’s voice wavered as she spoke to Jonathan while Levi changed the needle. “When the pain hits, I might hurt you.”
“So what?” Jonathan raised his free hand, gently wiping off the sweat on her forehead. “So only Calvin can get hurt on your behalf, but I can’t?”
A sudden tremor ran through Rosalie’s body. Before she could say anything, Levi resumed inserting the needles.
The pain was excruciating. Rosalie gritted her teeth, enduring the pain. Her forehead, wiped clean of sweat moments ago, now bore a fresh layer. Beads of sweat, the size of beans, relentlessly slid down her cheeks.
Jonathan just stared at Rosalie intently without uttering a word. Even with the back of his hands bearing the marks of her scratching, it was as if he felt no pain.
On one could say that at this moment, his entire focus was solely on Rosalie.
Pain etched her face, her struggle evident as she fought to suppress and endure the pain. She clenched her jaw, veins bulging on her forehead and the back of her hand.
At last, when Levi concluded the treatment, Rosalie felt as if her entire being was on the brink of collapsing.
“Done. We’ll proceed with the third treatment one week later,” Levi told Rosalie. “Remember not to expose the wound to water for 24 hours.”
“Thanks…” Rosalie, her face drained of color, let out an exhale and expressed be her gaze settled on her hand entwined with Jonathan’s.
gratitude. It was only at this moment that
His hand’s back bore the marks of her scratches, vivid evidence of her outburst. Rosalie could feel a throbbing pain in her fingertips, let alone Jonathan, the one who bore the brunt of her scratching.
At this moment, their hands were securely entwined and seemed to be glued together. Rosalie attempted to withdraw her fingers, but she found that she couldn’t muster any strength.
On the contrary, Jonathan carefully separated their hands, his complexion tinged with a hint of paleness, concern, and a touch of melancholy.
Then, he suddenly lifted her and instructed Carlos, who was waiting on the side. “Take Mr. Sabatini back.”
“Got it,” Carlos replied.
Jonathan carried Rosalie out of the room, heading toward the living room.
“Jonathan, you don’t have to carry me. I only had my hand treated; I can still walk,” Rosalie said.
But he continued to carry her to the couch, gently placing her down. “How about I find another way for you? I’ll look for a better doctor to treat your hand so you won’t be in so much pain.”
“No need. I trust Mr. Sabatini,” Rosalie insisted, “Besides, I can endure this pain. It’s not the worst I’ve experienced.” Furrowing his brows, Jonathan pondered, “What does she mean by the ‘worst’? Is it the pain she endured in prison? Did the torment she suffered back then surpass the pain she went through today?”
Jonathan felt a sudden pang in his heart. He had always known that she had suffered a lot in prison, but witnessing her pain today made it more real.
His heart ached, and it felt as if even breathing was painful for him.
Despite countless fegrets over his cold observation of her imprisonment and his silent acceptance of the torment she endured, the regret he felt now was unparalleled. It was a regret so profound that it engulfed him.
Squatting down, he cradled her hands and kissed her fingertips. “I wish I fell in love with you before you went to prison.”
His voice, like the night wind, seemed to be tinged with a touch of choking.
How much he wished time could go back, so he could appear in front of her before she went to prison, use all his strength to clear her name, and protect her from any pain.
But everything was too late.
Rosalie stared in astonishment at the man kissing her fingertips. The warmth from his lips lingered on her skin, and her body seemed to gradually warm up.
“Jonathan, you…”
“I was wrong,” he interrupted her with a murmur. Until now, he had never admitted his mistakes to anyone, but here he was before her, saying, “Rosie, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have broken up with you back then.”
And… I shouldn’t have been indifferent when she was framed by others.
Moreover, I considered her nothing more than a discarded pawn and an unlucky soul at that time. It was my momentary lapse that led to her pain, Jonathan thought.
Rosalie looked at Jonathan in disbelief, wondering, “Is he… admitting his mistake?”
“I shouldn’t have distrusted you, shouldn’t have betrayed you out of fear that you would betray me. I was too selfish, only thinking about avoiding being hurt myself, but forgetting to consider that you would be hurt,” he said while holding her hands with his, just like when he used to warm her hands before.
Her hands seemed to be getting warmer. Rosalie looked dazed. At this moment, Jonathan’s face showed guilt, regret, and pain, and they fused into a complex emotion she had never seen before.
With how he was kneeling in front of her, he even seemed somewhat humble.”
“Rosie…” Jonathan gently called her name. “From now on, I’ll believe and listen to every word you say. I won’t doubt you nor betray you. If I do that, will you still be willing to love me?”
His pitch-black eyes stared fixedly at her.
Rosalie felt like crying. She had always thought that her feelings had calmed down, that’ she could let him go even when facing him.
But now, his few words had stirred up waves in her heart again.
She found herself questioning, ‘Can I really love him again? Like before, can I pour my heart into him, strive to shield his occasional vulnerability, and offer more reassurance?
Is it possible to revive that once profound and unforgettable love after the heartbreak and my persistent efforts to move on?’
Her hand moved on its own, gently caressing his cheek.
In an instant, Jonathan’s eyes brightened. His large hand tenderly met the back of hers, and his face, filled with an endless fondness, softly brushed against her palm. “Rosie, if you decide to love me again, I promise not to let you down this time.”
