"Tristan?" Mae Lynch had arrived.

At the sound of her voice, Tristan turned around. Seeing Mae Lynch’s red, swollen eyes, he frowned and murmured, "Mom..."

"Tristan, let’s talk."

"Okay."

After closing the door to the room, Mae Lynch said coldly, "Tristan, I forbid you from getting involved in this business with the Avery and Jennings families!" She had just returned from downstairs. Seeing her dear friend crying her eyes out, she had ended up crying for ages herself.

’Amelia is still so little, so young...’

Hearing that she was talking about them, a chill came over Tristan’s face. "Mom, I know how to handle this. You don’t need to worry about it."

"I know you, Aiden, and Cassian are practically brothers and you’re all close. I’m fond of Cassian, too, but what he did to Amelia was just wrong. The Jennings family deserves to be taught a lesson."

"Alright, I understand, Mom. I’ll stay with Mika Summers tonight. You can go home."

Mae Lynch nodded and said, still concerned, "Tristan, once Mika Summers is well, we’ll bring her and the child home."

"Okay."

Having said her piece, Mae Lynch finally left, her mind at ease.

Tristan gazed down the empty hallway, sighing with a bitter smile.

Back in the room, Tristan looked at Mika Summers, his brow furrowing tightly once more. A sense of unreality flooded his heart. He reached out and stroked her face, feeling its warmth. His gaze grew complex, yet incredibly gentle.

"Mika Summers, can we ever go back to how things were?" ’Can you ever forgive me?’

Mika Summers’s eyelashes fluttered and her fingers twitched slightly. But when she tried to move, a pain like being torn to shreds shot through her. Forcing herself to stay still, she slowly, slowly opened her eyes...

The first thing she saw was Tristan’s handsome face, and her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly...

"You’re awake?" Seeing Mika Summers stir, Tristan’s breath caught in his chest. His voice was hoarse as he spoke.

"Mm..." Mika Summers’s eyes darted around before she answered softly.

Tristan asked urgently, "Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"

"—" Hearing the urgency in his voice, Mika Summers frowned again, her gaze fixed dazedly on Tristan.

’Is he worried about me? It’s just that I seem to...’

When she remained silent, merely staring at him, Tristan’s chest tightened again. A note of panic and fear entered his voice. "Why aren’t you saying anything? You’ve been unconscious for so long, are you hungry?"

"I..." As she spoke, Mika Summers realized her throat was aching terribly, and her eyes began to turn red.

Seeing this, Tristan felt a pang of heartache and fear. "Mika Summers, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?"

’—This man in front of me is really handsome. He seems to be worried about me?’ 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’But why does looking at him make my chest feel so tight, so painful...?’

Seeing that Mika Summers still wasn’t speaking, Tristan’s voice trembled as he said softly, "Mika Summers, I’m sorry. I was a bastard in the past. Can you forgive me?"

"Do... Do I know you?" Despite the raw pain in her throat, she forced herself to ask.

Those five simple words detonated inside Tristan’s head. He stared at Mika Summers, his expression a mixture of terror and dread...

"Mi... Mika Summers... you..."

"My head really hurts," Mika Summers said, suddenly closing her eyes in pain, her voice on the verge of tears.

"Mika Summers, don’t be scared. I’ll go get the doctor. Wait for me, don’t be afraid..."