Marrying A Secret Zillionaire: Happy Ever After Novel

Chapter 123: With this in mind, she reached for the ointment herself, saying, "I'll take care of it…"

Her abrupt movement aggravated the wound on her arm, causing her to wince in pain and inhale sharply.

The nurse intervened promptly. "We should apply the ointment now. She was too agitated earlier, which likely worsened it. Now that she's settled, the pain is more noticeable."

Dominic gave the nurse a discreet thumbs-up for her timely assistance. "We'll leave you two to it. If you need anything, just press the nurse button," Dominic advised, patting Collin on the shoulder as he led the nurse out and carefully closed the door behind him. The room suddenly felt more tense. Linsey glanced at Collin, who remained silent, then made another attempt to reach for the ointment. Collin noticed her gesture and shifted to block her hand. "I'll handle it. Don't move."

His face remained composed as he looked at her and said plainly, "Take off your hospital gown. I'll apply the ointment."

Linsey's cheeks turned a deep shade of red. She stuttered, "That's… not appropriate…"

Collin, his expression serious, countered, saying, "We're married. What's inappropriate about that?"

Linsey bit her lip, her mind wrestling with indecision. Finally, she turned away from him and slowly began to loosen her hospital gown. With a resigned sigh, she lay down on her stomach.

Collin's eyes briefly traced the curve of her slender waist, causing him to swallow hard for a moment.

However, the sight of the bruises across her back brought him back to reality. One deep wound, in particular, looked freshly aggravated, and her arm was visibly swollen and reddened.

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His expression turned grave as he picked up a sterile cotton swab and started to apply the ointment with careful precision.

Linsey felt the cool, tingling sensation of the ointment on her skin.

"Don't worry," Collin whispered softly, his tone low and soothing. His touch was gentle, each application of the ointment thoughtful and tender.

The room fell silent.

Linsey turned her head slightly, sneaking a glance at Collin's face. His serious expression held her gaze as he meticulously applied the ointment to her wounds, treating her with the precision reserved for precious objects.

Her heart skipped a beat.

"What's wrong?" Collin caught her looking and paused, cotton swab in hand. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, you didn't." She quickly looked away, her cheeks warming. After he finished applying the ointment, Linsey lay on her stomach, letting it dry.

With her back to Collin, the only sounds were him cleaning up, the faint scrape of his wheelchair moving across the floor as he went to the en suite bathroom to wash his hands. He returned shortly.

"The ointment has soaked in. You can put your clothes back on now," he announced. He hesitated, then added, "Don't worry. I'll look away." She responded with a murmur, cautiously dressing herself before lying back down.

Collin stayed by the bedside, his usually detached eyes now showing a rare warmth as they rested on her. "Get some sleep. I'm right here. No one can hurt you," he said in a soft tone.

Tucked under the warm blankets, she opened her mouth to say she wasn't sleepy.

Yet, it might have been Collin's reassuring presence that enveloped her in a sense of safety. This newfound security slowly drew her into slumber. Her eyelids fluttered a few times before finally closing.

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