Chapter 1206:
Nobody dared speak of it openly, not where Torin could hear, but the gossip spread fast. The news that Torin had proposed to the Healer was already trending on the Gaxora.
Back on the massive ship called the Gaxora, Cathy was deliberately wasting time and making excuses, desperately hoping Elena would leave before ever getting the chance to cross paths with Wesley. Just when her plan finally seemed to work, something completely unexpected happened that ruined everything.
Carola politely asked Wesley if he would like to have dinner with her in his room. The ship’s waitstaff brought the food and carefully arranged it on the small dining table.
Since Wesley needed to remain in his room to heal from his bullet wound—and because it was better to keep his injury hidden—he had been receiving all his meals there instead of going to the dining hall. From time to time, Carola would join him, keeping him company as they ate together.
Wesley stubbornly waved off anyone who tried to assist him and forced himself to walk to the dining table alone, even though the effort clearly caused him pain. Even injured, his strikingly handsome face and perfect gentlemanly manners were impossible to overlook.
Every time Carola looked at Wesley, she felt a motherly affection for him that she couldn’t quite explain. She and her husband had never been able to have children, but if they had, their son would probably have been around Wesley’s age.
Wesley had been confined to the small room for several days, and Carola worried he might be going stir-crazy. To distract him, she entertained him with gossip and stories she had picked up.
Remembering a particularly juicy bit of gossip she had heard earlier that day, Carola asked, “Since you fell into the sea near Yoswye, do you happen to know the Duke of Blackwood of Yoswye?”
The moment Torin’s name was spoken, Wesley’s hand froze. A flash of pure rage crossed his face before he managed to hide it. Forcing his voice into steadiness, he answered, “Yeah, I know him.”
Carola laughed and shook her head. “I heard some wild news today. Apparently, the Duke of Blackwood proposed to the Healer. Can you believe it? I met the Duke once, and he acted like women could never interest him. I never thought he’d find someone he actually cared about…”
Lɒtєѕτ ϲнαρτєrs ιn g𝒶l𝑛ovєls.𝓒𝓸𝓶
She kept smiling and chatting, completely missing the storm of tension building in Wesley across the table.
Wesley’s hand clenched around his fork so tightly that the veins in his arm stood out like ropes. A loud buzzing filled his ears, drowning out everything else Carola had said. His mind could focus on only one horrifying fact—Torin had actually asked Elena to marry him. Torin was begging for a death sentence.
After rambling for a while, Carola finally realized Wesley had gone completely silent, staring at his plate like he wanted to shatter it. Feeling confused and slightly worried, she asked, “Hey, what’s going on? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”
Fighting to keep his rage under control, Wesley’s demeanor turned cold. He set his fork and knife down on the table, dabbed his mouth with his napkin, and replied in an emotionless voice, “It’s nothing. I’m finished eating. You go ahead and enjoy the rest of your dinner, Mrs. Stanley.”
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