Chapter 37

Verena sent a message, saying, "Just a gentle reminder. Don't forget you have treatment tomorrow morning."

At that moment, Isaac was tending to the plants on his balcony when the message came through.

Placing the watering can aside, he reached for his phone and answered, "Alright. I'll remember."

From experience, Verena knew he was the type tocut conversations short. Perched on the edge of her bed with a towel in hand, she rubbed her damp hair and asked, "Still awake? What are you doing right now?"

Without giving it much thought, Isaac opened his camera, took a quick photo, and sent it with the note:"Watering plants."

She had expected no more than a curt reply, so the photo caught her off guard, giving her the odd impression of a husband reporting to his wife.

Opening the picture, she saw rows of neatly kept plants on the balcony, evidence of the attention he had given them. The shot was simple and unplanned, yet it showed his legs and one arm draped over the armrest of his wheelchair.

Even with nothing fancy about it, the photo carried a quiet charm that was hard to explain.

Reading the short explanation beneath the photo,Verena suddenly pictured him standing in front of her,giving his answer in that plain, steady way of his.

A mischievous thought crossed her mind, and she began typing a teasing reply on her screen.

After pressing send, Isaac found himself unexpectedly unsettled.

To his surprise, he caught himself waiting for her response with unusual anticipation.

From a reasonable standpoint, it was nothing more than an ordinary conversation.

What he failed to notice was how the firm and unshakable man he was in business had turned hesitant,second-guessing himself.

At that moment, his phone buzzed, and any thought of pulling back his message vanished as he hurried to open it. What arrived was a voice message from Verena,saying,"I was only asking casually. What, do you think I won't believe you? You even sent a picture.Honestly,it feels like a husband reporting to his wife, worried she won't trust him, so he has to send proof."

When the voice note finished playing, Isaac pressed his lips together. The casual way she spoke of "husband" and "wife" set his ears burning.

A second voice message soon arrived. "In that case,I enjoy it. I hope you'll keep this little habit, Mr. Bennett."

Hearing her playful tone, Isaac's fingers clenched tighter around the phone, and a faint glimmer of a smile lit his deep eyes.

Because her voice carried such softness and teasing closeness, Isaac found himself at a loss for words.His fingers lingered above the screen, unable to type a reply.

As nearly five minutes slipped by with no answer,Verena realized he was most likely retreating into silence once again.

Letting out a soft sigh, she chose to stop pressing him.

She tapped out a short message and sent it. "Alright then. I was only teasing. Don't feel pressured.Sleep well.Goodnight."

Once the message was delivered, Verena set her phone aside and slipped into bed.

As Isaac read her words, he could almost picture her smiling,full of warmth and patience.

His mind drifted back to the bridal shop,where he had turned down her request, and she had smiled then too,saying it was fine.

It struck himn that she seemed to hold limitless patience when it came to him.

All at once, Isaac's chest tightened. He pressed a hand against his heart, sensing a peculiar wave of emotion rising inside.

He struggled to name it, for the feeling was both heavy and suffocating yet oddly filled with joy.

The swirl of emotions consumed him until they fused into a single, vivid memory.

He remembered their first meeting,when Verena had crouched down, lifted her eyes to his, and whispered,"Don't turn me away."

Pulling himself out of the memory, Isaac finally typed out a message to her.

Yet no answer came to him immediately. By the next morning, Verena opened her eyes and found Isaac's message waiting.

His reply was brief. "I'll do my best. Goodnight."

Reading those words, Verena's lips curved into a gentle smile.

To her, it felt as though he was making an effort to bridge the distance between them.

Her playful remarks the night before had not gone wasted.

Rising from bed, Verena drew open the curtains,allowing warm sunlight to pour into the room.

The brilliance outside told her it would be a lovely day.

Once she had freshened up, Verena got into her car and headed out.

This particular day marked Isaac's scheduled treatment.

Upon reaching the hospital, she found Isaac waiting for her.

Placing her medical kit aside, Verena glanced around and noticed Isaac was the only one there.

She tilted her head slightly and asked, "Wasn't Dr. Moore supposed to be here today?"

Even though Cayden had stopped resisting her involvement, he had still attended every session until now.

That was why his absence caught Verena off guard

Isaac massaged his temples and said, "He's occupied with an important surgery today."

Noticing the faint crease in his brows and the tiredness in his face, Verena knelt before him and asked, "What's wrong? Did you not sleep properly last night?"

At the mention of the night before, Isaac lowered his gaze, stole a quick look at her, and then turned aside,murmuring uneasily, "About last night... I'm sorry."

With her brows lifting in puzzlement, she asked,"What do you mean by that? Why would you apologize?"

At her words, Isaac turned his eyes toward her.

Sounding both surprised and careful, he asked, "You're really not angry?"

After thinking it over, Verena realized he must have believed she was upset because she hadn't answered his message the night before. Finding his concern a little amusing, she said, "I was already asleep by that time. I only noticed your message when I woke up this morning."

Tilting her head with a sparkle in her gaze, she added,"So that's the reason you couldn't sleep properly?"

While she talked, Verena studied him closely,catching every subtle change in his expression.

Isaac shifted his eyes away from her piercing stare,uncertain of how to reply.

Deep down, he knew she had hit the mark.

He had no explanation for why it mattered so much to him whether she was upset.

If he thought about it logically, he should have known that someone as patient as her wouldn't grow angry over a slow reply.

When his silence stretched on, Verena laughed lightly."Alright then. Let's get started with the treatment."

Saying this, she stepped forward, ready to help him onto the bed.

Using his hands to roll the wheelchair back,Isaac said,"No,that won't be necessary. My assistant will help me."

During earlier sessions, when Cayden was there,it had always been him who helped Isaac onto the bed.

Verena reached out and brought the wheelchair to a stop,cutting off his movements.

Looking straight at him, she said, "Isaac, since we're about to be married, helping you onto the bed is something I'll be doing sooner or later. You don't have to push me away."

Helping him onto the bed...

Color rose slowly across Isaac's face.

He understood her words carried no hidden meaning,spoken simply and sincerely.

Still,his thoughts ran wild against his will.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Verena caught his hesitation and smiled, believing he questioned her strength. "I can handle it. Just trust me."

For Verena, such a task was hardly worth mentioning.

Back in Clokron, she had once hauled an injured Isaac on her back through two entire streets.

Determination glimmered softly in her dark eyes.

For a moment, Isaac's mind emptied, and he simply nodded his consent. Once he gave in, Verena lifted his arm, draped it around her neck, and steadied it on her shoulder.

Using both hands, she braced his upper body and gathered her strength to raise him.

Once on his feet, Isaac loomed above her slight frame.Guiding him toward the bed, Verena strained with effort, and faint veins surfaced across her forehead.

Seeing her struggle, Isaac felt a sharp ache pierce his chest.

What if...

If he never regained his strength,would she be forced to carry his weight like this forever?

As his thoughts slowly cleared, Isaac realized he was already lyingon the hospital bed.