Her face had gone from red to purple. You ungrateful little-
Goodbye, Helen De take care of yourself. Though based on your own theories about women’s declining value, I suppose that ship has already sailed
She stormed ut without another wird, leaving me alone Mmy win with the lingsing scent of too much perfume and the satisfaction of having finally said what I really tough..
The afternoon surgery had lasted nearly four hours. I stripped off my surgical gloves and mask, feeling the familiar ache settling into my shoulders and lower back.
Walking down the corridor toward the break area, I spotted the vending machine at the far end of the hallway.
The vending machine accepted my coins with a mechanical click. I selected a chocolate bar and bottled water.
As I bent to retrieve my purchases, angry voices erupted from around the corner. A woman’s furious shouts mixed with a man’s crude cursing. The female voice sounded familiar, though I couldn’t place it through the distortion of rage.
I set down my snacks and water, curiosity overriding fatigue. Rounding the corner, I found Elena gripping a middle-aged man’s sleeve with white-knuckled determination.
“You perverted bastard!” Elena’s voice cracked with fury. “Groping women in broad daylight?!”
The greasy man’s face flushed red as he tried to twist away. “What groping? I barely brushed against you! Stop making up lies!”
“Barely brushed?” Elena’s grip tightened. “Your hand stayed on my ass for five whole seconds! That’s barely brushing?!”
His embarrassment morphed into rage. “You crazy bitch! Let go of me!”
The man yanked harder, but Elena held fast. When he realized he couldn’t break free, something vicious flashed in his eyes.
“Since you won’t take a hint, don’t blame me for what happens next!” His right hand rose high above his shoulder.
Elena’s eyes squeezed shut; her body tensed for the incoming blow.
The slap never came. A slender but strong hand locked around his wrist mid-swing.
“Stop. My voice cut through the tension.
Elena’s eyes fluttered open, landing on my profile. “Sable…? Is that really you?”
Shock and unexpected joy colored her whisper.
The perverted man whirled toward me. “Another busybody!”
He shoved at me with his left hand. I leaned back, dodging his clumsy attack, then drove my knee hard into his soft stomach.
‘I suggest you stop now,” I said evenly. “Unless you want to face the consequences.”
He doubled over, gasping, but fury made him reckless. His arms spread wide as he lunged at both of us simultaneously.
During the struggle, his fingernails raked across my forearm, leaving several bloody scratches.
“Stop right there! Everyone freeze!” Security guards’ voices boomed down the corridor.
Three uniformed men rushed forward and quickly subdued the attacker, dragging him away.
Elena grabbed my hands, her eyes shining with gratitude. “Sable, my God, that was incredible! I had no idea you could fight like that!”
She mimicked boxing moves with exaggerated enthusiasm. “Just like Black Widow!”
I shook my head dismissively. I only know some basic self-defense.”
Elena’s expression shifted to concern as she noticed the blood on my arm. “Oh no, you’re hurt!”
She dug through her purse and pulled out a band-aid, carefully tearing open the wrapper.
“Hold still, let me take care of this. Her voice became gentle. “It’s not deep, but we need to prevent infection.”
Her movements were impossibly tender as she applied the adhesive bandage. After smoothing it down, Elena blew softly on the surrounding skin.
“Does it still hurt?” Concern filled her eyes.
Watching Elena’s focused, caring expression stirred complex emotions in my chest. Her touch was so gentle, her gaze so sincere… no wonder Caelan was drawn to her. Any man would be captivated by such a kind, beautiful, tender woman.
Elena noticed my silence. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she adopted a casual tone.
“By the way, I actually came to the hospital today to see a gynecologist.”
She watched my face carefully as she spoke.
My body stiffened involuntarily. So soon… she’s already pregnant?
“Also,” Elena continued, sweetness coating her words, “Caelan and I have set our wedding date. Next month.”
She paused, a testing gleam in her eyes.
“Sable, you absolutely must come to our wedding. After all, you’re Caelan’s… old friend.”
“Plus, I need to thank you. You trained Caelan so well. They say men who’ve been in relationships make the best boyfriends because their previous girlfriends taught them how to be considerate.”
I took a deep breath and forced my features into a polite smile.
“Thank you for the invitation. I sincerely wish you both happiness.” I paused, my voice growing cooler. “But I’ll have to decline the wedding. I have surgery scheduled that day.”
Elena’s hand drifted to her flat stomach, her gaze turning distant.
“Every morning when I wake up, I feel so blissful. Life seems full of hope…”
Mid-sentence, she noticed additional scrapes on my hands from our earlier scuffle.
“Oh my, look at these little cuts. I only bandaged the obvious one.” She naturally took my hand to examine it more closely, checking for other injuries.
“Your hands are so warm,” she murmured while inspecting my skin. “And your skin is beautiful. What hand cream do you use?”
Even after confirming no other wounds, Elena didn’t release my hand. Instead, she stroked the back of it with her thumb.
“You know,” she said thoughtfully, “seeing you step in to help me today… there was something incredibly attractive about your courage.”
She reached up suddenly and smoothed my hair, which had become disheveled during the fight.
“Your hair feels like silk. No wonder Caelan used to…” Elena stopped mid-sentence, panic flickering across her features as if she’d revealed something she shouldn’t have.
Elena’s attention seems to cross normal boundaries, though her reasons make sense-she is checking for injuries. But that hair-touching gesture… isn’t that too intimate? As Caelan’s girlfriend, should she really be this affectionate with his ex?
I gently extracted my hand while maintaining my smile. “Thank you for your concern, but I think I’m fine now.”
Disappointment flashed in Elena’s eyes, quickly replaced by an even brighter smile.
“Sable, can I ask you something?” She seemed to gather courage.
“I just returned from abroad recently and don’t have many friends here yet. Meeting you today, seeing how wonderful and brave you are…”
Hope shone in her expression. “I know this might sound presumptuous, but… could we be friends?”
Her excitement grew. I mean, even though I’m with Caelan now, I’d really love to be your friend. We could go shopping together, watch movies, have afternoon tea…”
She clasped her hands like an eager child. “You know? I rarely meet someone who makes me feel this instant connection.”
Hearing this invitation stirred complicated feelings in my chest. She’s Caelan’s girlfriend… would it be appropriate for us to become friends?
“Elena, thank you for your kindness, truly. You’re a lovely person.” I paused, my voice becoming gentler. “But… considering our situation, I think maintaining some distance might be better for everyone.”
“This isn’t because I don’t like you,” I explained sincerely. “I just think this choice would be best for Caelan, for you, and for me.”
Elena’s smile stiffened momentarily before returning to normal.
“Oh… I understand. I was being inconsiderate. This might make Caelan uncomfortable.” She laughed it off. “No worries, I understand your thinking.”
As I stood to leave, Elena rose as well and opened her arms. “Sable, could I hug you? As a thank you-you really saved me today.”
I nodded and slowly opened my arms to accept the embrace.
Just as we were about to hug, a strong arm shot out from the side.
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