Kneeling for a Second Chance Novel

---- Chapter 307 Out of the corner of his eye, Sebastian watched Valeria's gentle expression as she spoke softly on the phone. In that instant, he truly couldn't feel the pain in his body. All he felt was numbness. A wave of bitterness welled up inside of him. Even without him, Valeria and Selena were doing well. It was just like what Valeria said -all it took was time. She would one day forget all the unhappy memories. She neither hated him nor would remain hateful for a lifetime. Sebastian didn't want her to hate him. He was even more afraid that she would forget him.

At about 9:00 am, the doctor came on his rounds. This time, it wasn't the slightly older doctor from last night, but a young man instead. He gave Valeria a few instructions. Sebastian's throat and esophagus were injured. On top of that, he was suffering from acute gastritis and congestion of gastric mucus. His larynx was also swollen, so he would inevitably experience difficulties when swallowing, as well as pain and hoarseness. Valeria was told to stay alert and to call a doctor immediately ifhe had any trouble breathing. ---- Sitting by the bed, Valeria glanced down at her clothes.

She was still in her pink pajamas, but she was thankful that the style was simple and not too flashy. She often wore them outside for quick errands, like picking up packages or walking the dog. She hadn't brought a charger, so her phone was at 25%. Valeria's gaze shifted to the man lying on the bed. Sebastian's lips were dry and peeling. She recalled the nurse mentioning that he could start sipping on water after six hours. Looking around, she remembered how rushed everything had been the night before. She went over to the nurse's station and borrowed a disposable cup, filling it with water.

She took two cotton swabs as well. Valeria held the cup to his lips, and Sebastian cooperated, taking a small sip. However, as he swallowed, his expression changed noticeably. It was as if something clogged his throat, and the metallic tang of blood rose. It felt like a brick was stuck in his throat. That sip of water didn't feel like water, but like he was swallowing a stone. As such, the water lingered in his mouth. In the end, he tried to force himself to swallow it. Pain tore through Sebastian's throat. As the water slid down his esophagus, it felt like he was swallowing glass.

Even once ---- it finally went down, it was as if someone had stirred a knife inside his stomach. Sebastian's expression changed again. Valeria noticed and thought he wanted to spit the water out, so she moved the cup closer, ready to let him spit into it and grab him a fresh cup. But Sebastian shoved her away, quickly getting up and heading to the bathroom. There was nothing left in his stomach. He'd already vomited everything out last night and undergone gastric lavage. The only thing that came out was mucus streaked with blood. He flushed quickly and straightened up.

Bloodied mucus trailed messily from the corner of his lips in a thin crimson line. His expression hardened. He wiped the mucus away with the back of his trembling hand. Then, he rinsed his mouth, splashed water on his face, and steadied his breathing. Valeria stood silently outside the bathroom, holding the cup of warm water as she watched him. When Sebastian walked out, their eyes met. On the surface, he'd resumed his usual composure. Aside from being a little pale and thin, he looked somewhat fine. He even curved his lips into a faint smirk. "I was just acting.

I don't actually feel anything. If you're going to be fooled by me again, you might need to download an anti-fraud app." Sebastian stopped in front of her and lowered his head ---- slightly. "Feed me another sip. I'm thirsty." Valeria recalled how he was retching from just a sip of water just moments ago and frowned. She turned away, walked to the bedside, and set the cup on the nightstand. Then, she repeated, "Don't talk. You sound awful." His voice was as coarse as sandpaper . It was so harsh that it made her ears hurt. The doctor had told him to stay quiet and rest.

Why couldn't he just follow instructions? Sebastian said nothing more and lay back down on the bed. Truthfully , he had no strength left. That round of vomiting had utterly drained him, leaving him weak and sickly. Sebastian shut his eyes and rolled over. Lying flat made the sensation in his throat unbearable, but it was much easier on his side. He wanted to cough, but he was worried it would worsen. He wanted to play weak and win Valeria's pity so she would stay. Yet, showing her this ugly and pathetic side of him left him humiliated.

Suddenly , something cool and wet brushed against his lips. Sebastian opened his eyes to see Valeria moistening his lips with a cotton swab dipped in water.