Chapter 138
After applying the medication, Curtis gently removed the jacket wrapped around her, hist eyes darkening as they caught sight of her form blouse, revealing a patch of her shoulder. The sight made his blood run cold with rage, and he felt an almost uncontrollable urge to drag Derek back there and tear him apart to vent his fury.
He wanted to peel off Leanne’s soiled clothes. She instinctively recoiled, trying to protect herself.
Curtis took a deep breath to quell the anger inside and softened his voice in reassurance. “It’s just me. You don’t have to be scared. Your clothes are dirty. Let me help you out of them.”
Leanne relaxed her grip and obediently let him undress her. Curtis got a long-sleeved nightgown for her to wear and helped her into bed.
She was unusually docile and silent, lying there with her eyes open, not speaking or crying, like a lifeless doll.
Curtis’ phone rang with a call from Jeremy. Glancing at the caller ID, he picked up.
Jeremy’s voice was heavy with concern. “Curtis, have you seen Leanne today? Her phone’s off, and she wasn’t at the hospital when I checked. I’m worried something’s happened…”
He was on his way to a homecoming party when he heard from Joy, who just returned from a business trip, that she couldn’t reach Leanne, so he rushed to the hospital. Not finding her there and with one of the doctors mysteriously absent, Jeremy had hesitantly decided to call Curtis.
Despite the complicated nature of their current relationship, Curtis’ involvement could make things easier if Leanne was in danger..
Before Jeremy could finish, Curtis interrupted, She’s with me.”
There was a pause on the line as Jeremy processed the implications of “She’s with me.”
“You didn’t go to the homecoming party?”
“I did,” Curtis replied tersely and coldly.
Silence fell.
“Do I need to report to you? Who are you to her anyway?” Curtis thought, irked.
But perhaps how Leanne had cried in his arms earlier, her tears soaking through his s
shirt, leaving a patch still damp on his shoulder, softened him. The crimson stain of her blood mingled with her tears.
Jeremy was concerned for Leanne’s safety, and Curtis wasn’t unreasonable.
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“She’s fine. She ran into some trouble, but it’s handled now.”
Jeremy visibly relaxed. “Good to hear she’s okay.”
Curtis hung up without another word,
He intended to clean himself up, especially since Leanne was a clean freak and wouldn’t be thrilled with him getting into bed like this.
But seeing Leanne’s vacant stare, he couldn’t leave her alone.
If Leanne got mad, so what? It wouldn’t be the first time she scolded him, would it?
Sliding under the covers, Curtis pulled Leanne’s curled-up body into his embrace.
Her cheek bore a bruise from Derek’s grip, stark against her smooth skin.
“Does it hurt?” he asked softly, tracing the mark with his fingertip.
The warmth of his embrace thawed her rigid body, and his voice was gentle. When Leanne ought she had regained her composure, his kindness stirred her emotions like the calm a after a storm, waves beginning to churn again.
She took a shuddering breath, trying to hold her tears back.
“Cry.” Curtis said softly, “It’s okay to let it out.”
At his words, Leanne could no longer hold back the tears. At first, she tried to stifle her sobs, but soon, she couldn’t contain them any longer, burying her face in his chest and crying out loud.
Curtis was heartbroken. He kissed her hair, forehead, the corners of her eyes, murmuring consolations, the epitome of tenderness.
“Leanne, you’re killing me,” he whispered, kissing away the salty trails on her cheeks. “I promise he’ll never hurt you again.”
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