Chapter 419

The doctor rambled on with numerous instructions. Stella Valentine listened attentively, while Adrian Roland's expression grew increasingly tense.

"I'll handle these matters. We have staff at home," he suddenly interjected.

He avoided Stella's gaze instinctively. Letting her help him bathe? Absolutely not. That secret—he'd rather die than let her discover it.

The examination room was eerily silent, the rustling of the assistant gathering bandages unnervingly clear. The doctor glanced between the young couple, baffled by how the atmosphere had turned so awkward in the brief time it took to retrieve medication.

"Did you two argue on the way here?" the doctor ventured.

"No," they answered in unison.

The doctor chuckled. "That level of coordination and you claim there was no argument? I get it—married couples bicker. What's fought at the head of the bed is made up at the foot."

Stella smiled bitterly. If only it were just a simple quarrel. She stole a glance at Adrian and found his brow deeply furrowed.

Unaware, the doctor continued, "Men should be more magnanimous. What's wrong with indulging your wife? You didn't even flinch during bone realignment, yet you're picking fights with her?"

Adrian lowered his eyes without responding.

Those dark days were memories he refused to revisit. Stella, misunderstanding his silence as lingering resentment, pretended not to hear and focused on asking the doctor for detailed care instructions.

Whether he forgave her or not was his choice. Her only concern was fulfilling her duty to ensure he suffered no unnecessary pain.

"Just explain everything to me," Stella said decisively. "He can't move right now anyway, so bathing arrangements are my call."

"What kind of logic is that?" Adrian blurted out, momentarily transported back to their old bantering dynamic.

They both froze.

The doctor mediated with a laugh, "Listen to me—family assistance is mandatory for bathing. Even the most familiar male attendant is still an outsider. Two grown men bathing naked together? That's hardly proper."

Adrian opened his mouth to retort when sudden giggles erupted from the nurses. They stole glances at the strikingly handsome man, their imaginations running wild as they doubled over in laughter.

Stella suppressed her own amusement and earnestly consulted the doctor. As she bent to take notes, her serene profile radiated quiet focus—so reminiscent of the bright, quick-witted girl she'd been at twenty.

Adrian stared at her hungrily. What fault was there in her seeking revenge? Six months in prison paled in comparison to the suffering she'd endured. Vincent Atlante's crimes were insignificant next to her pain.

When Julian Valois had asked about his plans after release, what could he say? He couldn't let go, but her love for him had long since faded. Their current relationship—awkward and distant—was a tangled knot they both chose to avoid.

At least in this, they were perfectly synchronized.

Cowards all around.

"I've noted everything down," Stella said, tucking away her phone with a smile.

The doctor nodded approvingly. "With your care, your husband will recover splendidly. Last time, a patient secretly drank soy milk before his examination—drove me mad!"

Stella stifled a laugh. "I promise not to bathe him in soy milk."

"Once he's healed, you can bathe him however you like!" The doctor guffawed.

The door swung open abruptly. A nurse returned with three children, reluctant to part with them. "Your babies are absolutely adorable. I didn't want to give them back."

Ethan puffed out his chest. "Mom, I watched over the girls the whole time!"

Stella patted his shoulder. "Ethan, you're so dependable."

The nurse waved at the twins. "They've made me want daughters of my own—little angels!"

The doctor teased, "Should I transfer you to pediatrics? Plenty of children there." The nurse fled in mock terror.

The children clustered around the wheelchair. Luna produced her treasured chocolate. "Daddy, does it hurt?"

Adrian accepted it gently. "Not at all."

Celeste puffed her cheeks and blew on his injury. "Blow the pain away!"

Ethan declared proudly, "Daddy's a superhero! Teach me later!"

Adrian ruffled his hair. "Being yourself is heroic enough. But remember—" His voice dropped. "Never betray those who love you. No matter how shocking the truth seems, believe in them. Otherwise... you'll regret it forever."