Chapter 35.
A strong, broad hand gripped Jovana’s arm, steadying her.
A low voice followed,”Are you okay?”
Jovana, suffering from low blood sugar, felt dizzy and weak, struggling to stand.
She leaned against him, in need of
support.
Harland’s gaze darkened as he hesitated for a moment, his hand sliding down her shoulder, lifting her knee, and pulling her securely into his arms. He walked toward a chair in the hallway, holding her carefully.
He looked down at her pale face and asked softly, “Do you have any candy or something in your bag?”
Jovana blinked her eyes in a daze, and as she focused, a flush of embarrassment rose within her.
She stammered, “M… Mr. Frasier, I… thank you… but please, put me down…”
Being held like this felt far too intimate.
Harland averted his gaze from her face, gently lowering her onto the chair. His hand hovered behind her back, steadying her.
“Lean against the wall. You’ll faint again if you don’t,” he reminded her softly.
The memory of the earlier moment made Jovana’s face flush even deeper. She bit her lip, feeling an unease she couldn’t shake.
Suddenly, a voice broke the tension from behind.
“Vana!”
Armando rushed toward her, and the moment he saw Jovana in the arms of another man, his expression darkened.
The sight of her being so intimately held stung him like a slap.
Without hesitation, he marched over, pulling Jovana into his embrace, his arm possessively around her waist, his eyes cold as he glared at Harland.
“Thanks for helping my wife,” he said, though his tone was far from gracious.
There was a sharp edge to his words, laced with hostility and an unmistakable warning.
Jovana’s face turned cold at his words.
Harland met his gaze, his eyes stern as he sized Armando up, exuding an equal amount of silent pressure.
Instead of responding to the gratitude, Harland coolly remarked, “Rather than thanking me, you should take better care of your wife, especially when you let her come to the hospital alone in the middle of the night.”
Armando froze, his face hardening for a moment.
Without waiting for a response, Harland turned on his heel, his tall figure exuding a silent, menacing
force.
11:34
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Chapter 35
Jovana frowned, shoving Armando away as she quickly moved to catch up with Harland, apologizing in a quiet voice.
Harland gave a slight nod of acknowledgment before he left.
“Mr. Frasier…”
Rhett, seeing Harland leave, hurried over but noticed his displeased expression.
He paused for a moment and thought, “Did it cause trouble when he returned the bunny keychain?”
Harland’s face remained as hard as stone as he walked past.
The small, soft bunny still in his pocket was left unreturned, and it seemed it would stay there, never finding its way back to her.
He hadn’t expected Jovana to be married….
In the car, Harland pulled the soft bunny keychain from his pocket, staring at it for a moment, lost in thought.
Back at the hospital, Jovana was filled with self-reproach.
Harland had helped her twice now, without asking for anything in return, but this time, it seemed like his kindness had only resulted in friction.
Armando approached from behind, gently taking her hand, his tone serious and unwavering.
“Vana, who was that man? What’s your relationship with him?”
It was a natural insecurity-perhaps a flaw in all men. He could enjoy his time out, but he would never tolerate Jovana stepping out of line.
Jovana couldn’t help but laugh bitterly, her eyes reddening.
She couldn’t understand how Armando still had the audacity to look down on her, questioning her as if she were the one at fault.
He spent his time celebrating with his mistress, leaving Jovana’s family to be ridiculed at the birthday party. He was the one who had done wrong, yet somehow, he remained blameless in his own eyes.
