Chapter 363

Dylan stood motionless, his piercing gaze locked onto Nathan.

His lips parted slightly as if words were trapped in his throat, unable to escape.

Nathan didn't linger.

Without sparing a backward glance, he pushed through the hospital room door.

Dylan and the woman remained frozen in the corridor, shadows stretching long behind them.

Both understood with painful clarity—Serena needed Nathan more than anyone in this moment.

His presence alone could anchor her shattered soul.

Inside the sterile room, Serena lay like a porcelain doll against the stark white sheets.

Her hollow eyes stared blankly at the ceiling's fluorescent lights.

The rhythmic click of dress shoes made her head turn mechanically.

A spark ignited in her dulled irises at the sight of Nathan.

"Nathan," she whispered, the name cracking like thin ice.

Her fingers twitched toward him instinctively before recoiling as if burned.

She clutched the hospital blanket like armor, knuckles bleaching white.

Trembling lips parted. "Nathan... I'm... contaminated." A tear carved a path down her cheek. "Those men saw everything. How can you even look at me now?"

Nathan's expression remained an unreadable mask.

His voice came steady as bedrock. "They never touched you. Only removed your clothes. Don't give them power they didn't take."

Serena shook violently, fingernails digging into her palms. "You don't understand! Their eyes—like cockroaches crawling over my skin!" She began scrubbing her arms raw. "I can still feel them—"

"Enough." Nathan captured her wrists mid-motion.

Her breath hitched as their skin connected, searching his face like a drowning woman spotting land.

"The question remains," she pleaded, voice fracturing. "Am I still... worthy to you?"

The silence between them grew teeth.

Nathan's gaze dropped to their joined hands before gently tucking them beneath the blanket. "You need rest," he murmured, smoothing the sheets.

The light in Serena's eyes guttered out.

She collapsed into the pillows, turning her face toward the wall. Fresh tears darkened the fabric. "Just go," came the broken whisper. "I'll manage alone."

Nathan hesitated at the threshold. "They'll pay," he vowed, the words heavy as a tombstone sealing shut.