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Chapter 136: The Golden Canary in the Cage
When they returned from the hospital, Martina couldn’t hide her worry on her face.
Even though Benjamin was the one who got injured, he seemed completely unaffected,
appearing as if nothing had happened at all. Right now, his main concern was Martina’s attitude towards him, and nothing else mattered.
In this strange twist of fate, it seemed like Martina had finally shown some glimpses of her past feelings for him, even if it was just a tiny bit.
The two of them returned to their hotel room. Martina had brought back some
medication from the hospital, including bandages for dressing wounds and oral medication mainly for anti–inflammatory and antibacterial purposes.
Martina immediately boiled some hot water for Benjamin and kept on fussing over him.
“Why are you so impulsive? Back then, even without you, I would’ve just had a minor arm scrape, but you got injured in the back,” she scolded, worry evident in her voice.
The doctor said at the time that if Benjamin hadn’t been lucky, he might have punctured his lung, and that would have been much harder to treat. If the lungs get infected, it could
lead to a dangerous condition.
Just the thought of that possibility made Martina’s heart broken, and she couldn’t calm
down for a long time.
“Please don’t do such impulsive things again. Regardless of the situation, people need to be a bit selfish and consider themselves more. You’ve done well before, right?” she continued. “I don’t want to see anything like this happen again. Please promise me that you
won’t do it anymore.”
“For the next few days, maybe you should take a break from work and focus on healing!” she suggested.
Listening to Martina’s words, Benjamin’s smile on his face became even more
pronounced. He couldn’t hide the evident sense of care and concern he felt from her words.
“Martina, are you caring about me?” Benjamin asked, already knowing the answer but perhaps seeking some reassurance for his own peace of mind, which was why he intentionally posed the question this way. Because he wasn’t entirely certain about Martina’s true intentions. At least that was how he currently felt.
Martina paused, and in that moment, she unwittingly realized that she had exposed her caring demeanor quite clearly. However, she stubbornly refused to admit it.
Even though they had already decided to part ways, they were just forced to be together for now. If they continued like this, when would it end?
“I’m not caring about you. I’m just worried that if something happened to me, your family wouldn’t forgive me,” Martina replied.
Benjamin was speechless. A hint of desolation appeared on his face, indicating that
Martina’s words had hurt him.
But quickly, he composed himself again and said in a soft tone, “Actions speak louder
than words.”
Although Martina tried to avoid making eye contact with Benjamin, she found it hard to
control her gaze, still involuntarily falling on him. She felt uneasy especially when she
thought about the wounds on Benjamin’s back.
“I don’t,” Martina said, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Benjamin.
However, her actions didn’t stop at all. She directly picked up the not–so–hot water and
handed it to Benjamin, saying in a slightly firm tone, “Take your medicine quickly, don’t think
about anything else.”
Benjamin could only sigh and lower his gaze again, realizing that no matter how he
asked now, it wouldn’t make a difference, so he gradually gave up.
Whether it was an illusion or something else, Martina could always clearly feel that
Benjamin’s aura was dim, as if he was genuinely upset.
In the past, he was always inscrutable in his emotions, and even Martina had to ponder deeply to perceive his feelings. Now, he was unexpectedly exposing his emotions so easily,
which was truly astonishing.
Perhaps Benjamin’s current state was truly heartbreaking, and in the end, Martina
couldn’t bring herself to say the tough words.
“Benjamin, remember what I’m telling you, don’t be this foolish again,” Martina carefully chose her words. “If you act like this, I won’t be able to repay you any favors.”
Initially, Benjamin was just feeling a little upset, but after hearing Martina’s words, he couldn’t hold back anymore.
He thought Martina cared about him now because she still had some feelings for him, even if it was just a tiny bit. But now, with those words, it was clear she wanted to intentionally distance herself from him.
“You don’t want to be close to me that badly? I don’t need you to repay any favors not in the past, not at present, and not in the future,” Benjamin said, his gaze firmly staring
at Martina.
Benjamin fully understood his own thoughts every day, every second.
Martina didn’t know what to say, so she could only express her current feelings with
silence.
Benjamin’s graceful fingers softly intertwined with one of Martina’s, creating a su connection between them. In this tender moment, he appeared to have descended fro
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once unattainable god–like pedestal, now embracing the simplicity of being a mere mortal, grounded in the dust of reality.
He then softly said, “You said you wouldn’t leave me.”
Martina didn’t know exactly when Benjamin was referring to, but if it was in the past, she had indeed said that, not just once. However, people inevitably change; it’s impossible to hold on to those past thoughts forever, right?
What Martina didn’t realize was that in her confused state, she had already told.
Benjamin that she wouldn’t leave him. Unfortunately, at that time, her consciousness was
muddled, so how could she remember those things?
Martina remained silent, feeling Benjamin’s breath becoming heavier. Finally, she gently
patted his hand back.
“Martina” Benjamin hesitated with his words.
“It’s getting late, you should rest properly.” After uttering these words, Martina walked into the bathroom, planning to calm herself before coming out again.
She splashed cold water on her face, looking at her reflection in the mirror, feeling like she was becoming more and more unfamiliar to herself.
She found herself starting to fear Benjamin’s closeness, even though she knew he seemed to have genuine feelings for her. However, she couldn’t go back to how things were
before.
What Benjamin had done for her this time was something she couldn’t forget. If it wasn’t for him, she would have been in danger, and she didn’t even want to imagine the consequences if he hadn’t arrived in time.
Owing someone a favor was hard to repay.
Martina splashed her face with cold water several times to calm her restless heart.
“Martina, you can do this,” she muttered to herself. “You and Benjamin are originally from different worlds. Maybe he has feelings for you now, but it’s only temporary, don’t take
it seriously.”
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