Half-Hearted: Mr. Sinclair, Stop the Act!-Chapter 223: Seeking an Answer

After helping Sebastian Prescott wash the dishes and tidy up the kitchen, Sienna Monroe returned to the living room and saw Little Cheese sleeping sprawled out.

Completely without any image.

Sienna felt the urge to reach out and touch its soft belly.

But her hands had already been sprayed with disinfectant, and she would need to change Sebastian’s bandages later, so she refrained.

She had just sat down when Sebastian came over with a bag, sitting directly beside her.

The somewhat intense scent of cedar seemed unreasonable, forcefully invading her nostrils.

Whether she liked it or not.

Sienna pursed her lips, trying to ignore it, and focused her gaze on the bag in his hand.

Inside were disinfectant and some medicinal powders, along with gauze, bandages, and adhesive tape.

Tonight, he was still wearing a gray crew-neck sweatshirt, his sleeves rolled up, making it not very convenient for checking the wound or changing the bandage.

Sienna turned to the side, her eyes lowered, looking at the crooked gauze covering the wound, realizing this was his handiwork from a couple of days ago.

It’s really inconvenient with only one hand.

She said, "Take off your shirt."

Sebastian’s gaze on her face darkened slightly at her words, but he obediently nodded, pulling at the hem of his shirt, raising his arms, and effortlessly taking it off, tossing it aside.

Sienna’s peripheral vision caught a glimpse, lingering for two seconds on his slightly sculpted chest muscles, then naturally retracting.

Without a word, she untied the bandage on his arm, her movements gentle and slow.

A stitched wound was unlikely to look great; if it doesn’t look fierce, that’s already good enough.

The last time she checked, the wound was a menacing red.

Now it looked slightly better.

And there was no swelling.

She calculated the days until the stitches could be removed in her mind while fetching some disinfectant from the bag for a simple cleaning of the wound.

Then, remembering the doctor’s instructions from that day, she picked up some medicinal powders and sprinkled them on his wound in portions.

Sebastian remained still, cooperating very well with her treatment.

Her actions were gentle, with a hint of caution.

As if she was afraid of hurting him.

The faint fragrance of camellia on her also seemed unreasonable, clashing fiercely with the cedar scent on him, quickly mingling into a single aroma and drifting into his nostrils.

Sebastian observed her focused and attentive expression, unconsciously lifting the corners of his lips.

He gently brushed a loose strand of her hair from behind her ear, saying, "Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt."

Sienna was taken aback, "It really doesn’t hurt?"

"Yes," Sebastian nodded, "It’s much better than those first few days."

Sienna pressed her lips together, realizing it hadn’t even been a few days.

Such a big wound must hurt.

She gazed at the stitched wound, brushing it lightly with her fingertip.

Her eyes showed a mix of emotions.

But foremost was guilt, "This will most likely leave a scar. I remember the Scar Removal Cream you gave me last time, I haven’t finished it. Once the stitches come out and the wound is mostly healed, you can apply some, that stuff works pretty well."

Sebastian wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, that he could have a friend bring more Scar Removal Cream, but feeling the texture of her hair in his hand, he didn’t voice his thoughts.

He nodded, "Alright."

Afterwards, Sienna’s actions became a bit quicker, and the strands of hair that had fallen to his fingertips were ruthlessly withdrawn by their owner.

Compared to the last time when he bandaged himself, her handiwork today was much neater.

She even tied a small, delicate bow.

She said, "Put your shirt back on. Be careful not to get the wound wet, especially when showering, or it’ll easily get infected."

Sebastian acknowledged her warning, his eyes briefly scanning her face before falling on her slender fingers, obediently putting the sweatshirt back on.

Sienna stored the remaining medicine, intending to move slightly away from him, but as soon as she lifted her step, her hand was suddenly grasped by him.

It was still that warm, dry sensation.

She froze, the serene almond eyes slightly widened with surprise and confusion.

"What... what’s wrong?"

Sebastian smiled more than usual today, his deep, dark irises reflecting her exquisite face.

The fleeting cold light passing by seemed to rival the silver moon hanging outside the cyan curtain.

Upon closer inspection, there appeared to be a gentle warmth never seen before.

As if ripples were spreading across the lake’s surface under the moonlight.

Just when Sienna was about to be overwhelmed by his intense gaze, he finally spoke, "Have you thought about the thing I mentioned before?"

Sienna was taken aback once again.

The thing from before?

She tried hard to search her chaotic memories for what he referred to as "the thing," but after rummaging through twice, she still had no clue.

Perplexed, she asked, "What thing?"

Sebastian’s thin lips moved, his voice clear, his expression and gaze entirely focused and serious, "The day outside the courthouse, I mentioned borrowing you to heal."

Sienna’s heart skipped a beat the moment he finished speaking.

The scene outside the courthouse that day and his words flashed vividly in her mind.

The expression and gaze with which he said "borrow you to heal" were the same as now. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Not at all like he was pretending.

In a daze, she finally realized belatedly.

Oh, he’s waiting for her answer.

The answer...

She tried to clear away the heavy fog to glimpse the answer her heart had chosen.

Unfortunately, despite her efforts, she still couldn’t see that answer.

Sebastian watched her intensely, slightly pondering inwardly.

Was he being too hasty?

He considered saying, "If you haven’t decided yet, there’s no rush to answer me, I can wait."