My First Love Died, Now My Step Uncle Wants Me-Chapter 14: Is It Fun to Play Asleep?

She didn’t dare to look up, her entire body shrouded in his shadow. At that moment, she truly felt the immense disparity in size and strength between a man and a woman.

Caleb Rhodes wasn’t the brawny type. At six-foot-two, he was lean and athletic. He looked cool and distinguished in a shirt and suit, completely removed from the world of violence.

But Nina Wynn knew what a powerful, solid body lay hidden beneath his distinguished shirts. That afternoon three years ago, he had pinned her with just one hand, leaving her completely unable to escape.

But what she feared even more were Caleb Rhodes’s eyes from that afternoon.

Those bloodshot, unhinged eyes lurked in her dreams like a wild beast. The memory alone was enough to make her tremble uncontrollably.

Her fear of Caleb Rhodes, therefore, stemmed from both a physical memory and a psychological assault.

"I... I didn’t run..."

Nina Wynn said in a small voice.

Caleb Rhodes leaned down, planting both hands on the mattress and trapping Nina Wynn between the headboard and his body. He spoke slowly, enunciating every word. "Nina Wynn, running away from certain things will only make them worse."

The color drained from Nina Wynn’s face. Her body trembled slightly, and though her lips moved, not a single word came out.

Caleb Rhodes stared at her. "Do you know why I came back early?"

Nina Wynn lowered her head as far as it would go. She didn’t dare to speak or look at him, her teeth clamped down hard on her lip.

She bit the small mole on her lip until it turned pale, looking so pitiful, as if waiting to be rescued.

Caleb Rhodes’s eyes darkened. He reached out and cupped her jaw, forcing her to release her lip.

"Speak. Answer me."

Nina Wynn clutched the sheets beneath her, her posture impossibly low. "I... I don’t know..."

’I don’t want to know.’

As if he could see right through her, Caleb Rhodes’s gaze turned icy. "You don’t know, or you don’t *want* to know?"

Nina Wynn remained silent.

Caleb Rhodes tightened his grip on her jaw. "Answer me!"

The pain made Nina Wynn’s face turn even paler. Her lips moved. "You came back to get engaged to Miss Rosalind Lowell."

Caleb Rhodes released her. He stared at her for a few seconds, his voice cold. "There will be no engagement."

Nina Wynn couldn’t care less whether he was getting engaged or not. All she wanted was to get away from him, right now.

She said in a low voice, "Uncle, I need to use the restroom."

Caleb Rhodes reached out to help her, but she shied away from his touch. "I can go by myself."

But the moment her feet touched the floor, a sharp pain radiated from her stomach, and she collapsed back onto the bed.

Caleb Rhodes looked at her ashen face, his brow twitching almost imperceptibly. "Still in a lot of pain?"

Nina Wynn didn’t answer, simply keeping her eyes downcast.

Cold sweat broke out across her skin, and soon a fine sheen of perspiration covered her forehead.

Caleb Rhodes’s expression grew colder. "Nina Wynn, from now on when I ask you something, you will answer. If you don’t, I have my ways of making you."

Nina Wynn was in too much pain to speak. She looked up at Caleb Rhodes, her gaze weak.

Her face was ashen, her sweat-dampened hair clinging to her skin. Her once-bright eyes were now clouded over, clearly struggling to endure the pain.

The chill in Caleb Rhodes’s eyes deepened. He turned and walked out the door.

A moment later, a middle-aged male doctor entered.

He quickly examined Nina Wynn with his stethoscope, then said grimly, "There’s some more bleeding. You should not get out of bed for the next two days. You need to stay lying down."

He looked at Nina Wynn, his tone severe. "The test results are back. Young lady, how old are you? You’ve already reached the point of gastric bleeding, possibly even perforation. Do you know what comes next? Stomach cancer! If you continue to ruin your body like this, you won’t have many years left to live. Six to eight years at most, maybe only three to five at least!"

Nina Wynn’s mind went blank. ’Is it really that serious already?’

She had thought it was just a simple case of gastritis.

A crack appeared in Caleb Rhodes’s habitually detached expression. His face was grim as he frowned. "Didn’t you say earlier that it was caused by drinking?"

The doctor pushed up his glasses and said sternly, "That was a preliminary assessment. We have to go by the test results. Besides, this young lady’s stomach problems didn’t start yesterday. Based on my experience, she’s had this condition for at least ten years, and her stomach has suffered some kind of trauma in between. Otherwise, it’s impossible for someone so young to be on the verge of a perforation."

He paused before continuing. "Of course, it’s not a life-or-death situation right now. As long as she recuperates properly and has regular check-ups, she can make a full recovery. She is young, after all."

He glanced at Caleb Rhodes. "You’re her boyfriend, so you can’t let her drink alcohol or eat any spicy or irritating foods. Understand?"

’Boyfriend?’

Nina Wynn froze for a second, then immediately clarified, "He’s not my boyfriend."

As soon as the words were out, she realized her mistake and quickly clamped her mouth shut.

The doctor adjusted his glasses. "What you are isn’t important. Just remember what I said. Regular check-ups, no alcohol, and no irritating foods."

He looked at Caleb Rhodes. "Come with me. I’ll write a one-month prescription for her oral medication. After this, she needs to come back for monthly check-ups."

With that, the doctor hurried away.

Caleb Rhodes stared at Nina Wynn, his gaze heavy.

He couldn’t see a trace of pain on her face. She seemed completely indifferent to her own condition. Her reaction to denying he was her boyfriend, however, had been much stronger.

When Nina Wynn saw Caleb Rhodes looking at her, the tension that had just begun to ease returned in a rush. She pressed herself back against the bed, head down, silent.

Watching her silent form, Caleb Rhodes felt his patience wearing thin.

"Nina Wynn, you have about half an hour to get your story straight. You should know exactly what I’m going to ask you."

After speaking, he placed the medicine from the doctor and a glass of warm water on the bed, then turned and left without a backward glance.

The moment he was gone, Nina Wynn let out a sigh of relief. She took the medicine with the warm water, and her stomach began to feel a little better.

But the thought of how she would face Caleb Rhodes later made her anxious all over again.

After so many years in the Rhodes Family, she knew exactly what kind of person Caleb Rhodes was.

Cold, ruthless, and incredibly capable. He ruled with an iron fist, and once he made a decision, no one could change it.

That was how he had seized absolute authority over the Rhodes Family before he was even thirty.

And the Rhodes Family was one of the clans at the very top of the Capital Set, not only prominent in the political sphere but also controlling untold wealth in the world of business.

Caleb Rhodes had therefore been steeped in wealth and power from a young age.

A man like that was an expert at reading people and was ruthlessly decisive. When he held back, he was like a predator lying in wait. When he struck, it was often a single, fatal blow.

Nina Wynn would never dare to defy Caleb Rhodes, but she desperately wanted nothing to do with him. She just didn’t understand. She had already told him she’d forgotten, so why wouldn’t he just let it go?

She agonized over what to say, but nothing came to mind. Looking outside, she saw it was still dark. ’Maybe I should try to sneak away?’

The thought had barely formed when she heard footsteps outside the door.

Nina Wynn quickly turned to face the wall, pretending to be asleep.

The door opened, and the crisp scent of cedar filled the air. A moment later, the mattress beside her dipped significantly.

Nina Wynn was so nervous her palms began to sweat again.

Caleb Rhodes glanced at her, noticing the slight tremor in her long eyelashes. His voice was cold. "Nina Wynn, is pretending to be asleep fun?"