After putting on the ointment, he took my hand in his and raised it to his lips, blowing on it softly. “I don’t think it’ll scar,” he reassured in a gentle tone. “I’ll put some more after we get back tonight. It should heal properly after a few days, but to be on the safe side, don’t touch any water tonight and ask me if you need help with anything, okay?”
His words made it sound like we were much closer than we actually were. I felt Ashton’s sharp gaze focus on us from afar.
“Mr. Murphy, are you living together with Ms. Stovall?” Rachel asked suggestively.
Armond simply murmured in acknowledgement.
For some reason, the two employees from the Fuller Corporation decided to add fuel to the fire, perking up and added, “You treat Ms. Stovall with such kindness, Mr. Murphy. Anyone would be able to tell that the two of you are very close. It’s so admirable that you can work together and take care of each other.”
I was at a loss for words for a good moment. I opened my mouth, wanting to defend myself, but was worried that it would seem as if I was taking the chance to explain and show off my relationship with Armond on purpose.
So, I kept silent. At that moment, a waiter arrived with our food and that was the end of the topic.
While eating, the two Fuller Corporation employees had somehow jumped to the conclusion that Ashton and Rachel were a couple.
After the meal was finally over, Ashton instructed Joseph to send Rachel home, but the man in question had some other things to tend to.
Without a beat of hesitation, Linda offered to let me take Rachel home.
I didn’t even have a chance to retort with anything before Linda shoved me into the driver’s seat of my car.
Rachel didn’t speak for a long time during the drive. Naturally, I didn’t attempt to make conversation with her either.
Suddenly, she spoke up. “Did you leave Mr. Fuller because of me?”
I paused, then shook my head. “No. It has nothing to do with anyone else.”
She rubbed at her knee, possibly due to the low temperature of the car’s air-conditioning. I reached down and turned the air-conditioner to a warmer setting.
“So you do have some self-awareness and left him because you know that you don’t deserve him. In that case, you’re not as despicable as I thought you were.” She watched as I turned up the heating in the car. “Thanks.”
I let out a light, casual laugh, deciding not to argue with her on the subject. “I’ll send you to the hospital to get your injury checked out. You’ve hurt your leg two times already, and it might be much more severe than expected.”
She nodded but didn’t sound grateful at all as she said, “Sure. You have nothing else to do, anyway.”
At the hospital, the doctor asserted that she’d pulled a ligament in her leg and needed to rest at home for a few days. He prescribed her some pills and an ointment for her injury.
“Send me home, too. It’s hard to hail a taxi out here,” she insisted as we exited the hospital.
It was true that taxis rarely came by the hospital area. Internally sighing, I nodded silently in agreement.
While on the way to Rachel’s place, Linda called my phone. “Why are you still out? What happened?”
“Nothing, I just brought Rachel to the hospital. Tell Armond that I’ll be back soon.”
“Holy crap! Are you out of your mind, Scarlett? That woman is trying to steal your man! Why are you going to such lengths for her!”
The speaker on my phone wasn’t particularly loud, but anyone sitting near me could still be able to hear Linda’s raised voice.
I gave Rachel an anxious sidelong glance. She was staring at the passing scenery outside, seemingly letting her mind wander.
“Whatever. I’m driving right now, so I’ll call you back later!” I hung up the phone and went back to keeping my eyes on the road.
“If it weren’t for Ashton, maybe we could have become good friends.”
The words that came out of Rachel’s mouth surprised me, and I glanced over at her in bewilderment.
“Two people fighting over someone else’s affections can never become friends, anyway.” The corners of her lips quirked up slightly.
There was a pause before she went on, “I’m curious as to why you left Ashton. From my point of view, he was really serious about you.”
“Everyone has their own troubles to deal with. You need a certain amount of fate and luck in a relationship, and when those run out, the relationship naturally falls apart.” I slowed the car to a stop at a red traffic light.
She pursed her lips, silent for a moment. “That is why I will be happier with him than you were, Scarlett. I will never leave him, no matter what.”
I merely smiled and didn’t reply.
I headed straight for the office after sending Rachel home. Linda gave me a glass of cold water as soon as she saw me, saying, “So? Did anything transpire from two love rivals sitting in a car together?”
“Not at all.” I gulped down the water, immediately feeling cooling relief spread throughout my body. It was already August, and yet the weather was still so hot and humid.
She clicked her tongue, sitting down opposite me. “Seriously, what happened?” She sounded uncharacteristically solemn as she stressed, “Are you really ending things with Ashton like this?”
I was already fed up with the topic and was in no mood to discuss it further. “Isn’t Magpie Festival two days from now?” I hummed. “Want to call up Nora and grab lunch together with her?”
She nodded, suddenly widening her eyes as if recalling something. “Sure. By the way, the burn ointment I gave you earlier was from Mr. Campbell!”
“Mr. Campbell?”
“I bumped into him on my way out. Apparently, Ashton had instructed him to buy it for you and also buy medicine for Rachel while he was at it. When he saw me, he figured I was going out to purchase ointment for you, so he just gave this one to me.”
The little knot bothering me in my chest tightened even further. I inhaled sharply but kept my mouth shut.
Seeing that I wasn’t offering any sort of response, Linda sighed. “Scarlett, you and Ashton still care for each other, don’t you? If so, then why put yourselves through so much torture? Did you see the look on Ashton’s face when you and Armond were acting all intimate with each other today?”
