Chapter 38

After taking Aubree to the Turner family’s private hospital for a check-up, Bowen brought her back to Ellis Heights.

Squirming on Bowen’s back, Aubree protested, “Bowen, put me down. I can walk by myself.”

It was already late when the competition ended, and after another trip to the hospital, it was now deep into the night. Carol had taken the day off, and Hugh had gone to bed early, leaving the house unusually quiet.

Fortunately, Daxton’s blow hadn’t caused any serious damage, just a few minor injuries.

Bowen remained silent, his entire body radiating a chilling pressure. Even the usually oblivious Aubree sensed the impending storm and instantly froze on his back, not daring to move another inch.

She swallowed hard. ‘Did I do anything wrong?’ Aubree mentally replayed everything she’d done that day.

Feeling her go still on his back, Bowen snorted coldly. “Done complaining!”

At the hospital, when Bowen saw Aubree’s back covered in dark bruises, he was consumed with regret. He wished he’d done more than just throw a few punches at Daxton.

Bowen thought, “I always believed I could watch Aubree stumble through life’s challenges and grow, just as I did with Alvin, keeping my distance. But today, I realized I simply can’t.”

In that split second when something happened to Aubree, his mind went completely blank, nothing else mattered.

Bowen finally realized just how much he cared about Aubree, maybe even more than he should.

His brows frosted with a heavy chill, his gaze sharp as a freshly forged blade. Explosive rage surged within him, threatening to break free, yet when he carefully laid her on the bed and faced her, he forced it back, burying it deep within his eyes.

Aubree glanced at him cautiously and asked in a small voice, “Are you… angry? Is it because I caused you trouble today?”

That was the only reason Aubree could think of for Bowen’s anger.

‘I’ve dragged Alvin into danger,’ she thought, guilt weighing heavily on her.

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again,” Aubree apologized meekly. She’d already made up her mind, once the prize money came through, she would move out of Ellis Heights immediately.

Before Aubree could finish, she felt that familiar touch on her head; Bowen ruffled her hair, just as he’d done so many times before. “What nonsense are you thinking?” he said gently, “You could never be any trouble to me. Just don’t let yourself get hurt again. If you can’t win, run away. There’s no need to stand your ground stubbornly.”

Bowen’s words left Aubree stunned. She replayed his words in her mind, ‘Was Bowen telling me that his heart ached seeing me hurt? Bowen Turner…’

This realization made Aubree want to smile, but her lips refused to cooperate.

For the first time, someone told her she wasn’t trouble, that her own safety mattered above all else.

“Bowen… do you… have feelings for me?” she wondered, her thoughts tangled with hesitation.

She thought, ‘Just like the Wilson family couldn’t understand why Bowen was helping me, I didn’t get it either. Honestly, their suspicion that I might have traded myself for his help wasn’t unfounded. If I weren’t the one involved, I’d probably think the same!’

Aubree asked, “Why are you helping me so much?”

Clutching the blanket to her chest, she sat up in bed and watched with confusion as Bowen rummaged for the ointment.

Bowen held the medicine, a feeling flashing through his eyes, one she couldn’t read.

He chuckled lightly, returning to his usual gentle, refined self. “You’ve asked this before, and my answer remains unchanged.”

From the very beginning, Bowen never intended to let Aubree know he was her benefactor. He planned to keep his identity hidden since the sponsorship started, partly to avoid unnecessary complications, and partly because he worried Aubree might develop improper expectations if she knew his status.

After being reunited with her biological family, there was even less reason for him to say anything.

Even now, he had no intention of telling her, not because he feared she might use his identity. After spending time together, he knew she wasn’t that kind of person. Though she appeared aloof and independent, she treasured every kindness, keeping them close to her heart.

Bowen didn’t want Aubree to feel any burden because of him; he just wanted to help her, without making her feel indebted.

Aubree was about to press further when Bowen’s next words made her blush instantly. “Pull up your shirt and lie on your stomach. I’ll apply the medicine for you.”

“Wait, pull up what?” Aubree stammered, her voice tinged with embarrassment.

“Pull up your shirt!” Bowen ordered.

When she still didn’t move, Bowen closed the distance with the ointment in hand. “Changed your mind about the treatment?” he asked, his tone edged with impatience.

Aubree thought to herself, ‘That’s not even the issue here!’

Her wound was on her back, which meant she’d have to bare her upper body for treatment. Exposing her back wasn’t really the issue, the real awkwardness was her front.

“I can do it myself. No need to trouble you, Bowen,” Aubree said, reaching for the ointment. But Bowen swiftly pulled his hand away, keeping it out of her reach.

“Are you a contortionist?” Bowen shot her a disapproving look. “How exactly are you going to apply medicine to your own back?”

Aubree screamed internally, “But there’s no way I can let him do it!”

‘There’s no way I can bare my back and let a grown man like Bowen apply medicine.’

Aubree was still hesitating, and Bowen lost patience. He pinned her face down onto the bed. She stiffened as a sudden chill hit her lower back; he had yanked her shirt up. “Stop fussing,” Bowen said gruffly, “I won’t look. Carol’s off today; I’ll leave right after finishing with the medicine.”

He understood exactly what Bree was worried about; being cautious was only natural. But given the circumstances, if it wasn’t him, the only alternatives were the family doctor or Hugh, and neither seemed right.

Deep down, he didn’t want any other man touching her.

There were no other options.

He thought, ‘Come to think of it, I’ve watched Bree grow up; I’m almost like a father to her. Applying some medicine isn’t really crossing a line, is it?’

“The only kid I’ve really been around is Alvin. Putting myself in that position, I don’t think this is anything inappropriate.”

“Wait a second!” Aubree stammered. But with Bowen being so insistent, she realized with a sinking heart there was no way she could avoid having the medicine applied tonight.

Her ears burning red, Aubree turned to face him with shy eyes, her voice softening noticeably as she pleaded, “Please turn around first. I’ll do it myself.”

Pinning her down with one hand, Bowen felt his heart skip a beat, an embarrassing realization of his own desire burning through him. He jerked his hand back as if scorched, turned away stiffly, and muttered, “Do it yourself.”

Bowen’s eyes darkened as he irritably fidgeted with his cufflinks. Damn, am I really becoming some kind of beast?” he thought, frustration and self-reproach washing over him.

“I’m ready,” Aubree’s timid, slightly trembling voice came from behind. Bowen turned around to see her back, smooth and fair as sculpted emerald, glowing with a porcelain-like radiance.

The patch of purplish bruises stood out starkly against her skin, paradoxically adding a strange allure.

Bowen’s gaze darkened. Had it been someone else, he might have found a perverse fascination in the sight, not that he’d feel guilty about it. He’d never claimed to be a good man by any definition.

But the moment Bowen saw those wounds on Aubree, his expression darkened instantly. His jaw clenched, his eyes turned glacial, his displeasure was written all over his face.

Bowen’s burning gaze prickled at Aubree’s back like needles. Unable to see him from her angle, she fidgeted uneasily, her hand giving an involuntary tremble. “What is it?” she asked, her voice uncertain.

“Nothing,” he replied, his tone giving nothing away. There was a rustling sound behind her, then a cool sensation spread across her back while the herbal scent of the ointment gradually permeated the room.

Aubree thought, ‘I have to admit, this ointment really works!’ The coolness soothed the burning pain of her wounds, and the relief almost made her let out a moan.

Clenching her jaw, the flush on her ears only deepened instead of fading.

Bowen’s calloused fingers glided slowly across her bare back, the touch lingering just a little too long. The sensation was so intimate, it sent waves of heat through Aubree’s body. ‘This is just too much for me to handle,’ she thought, her face burning.

The blush crept from her ears down her neck and then climbed up to her cheeks, until she was completely flushed from head to toe, red as a freshly boiled lobster, overwhelmed with embarrassment.

As Bowen leaned in to apply the ointment, he suddenly noticed that, aside from the fresh, purplish bruises left by Daxton, Aubree’s back was crisscrossed with countless faint scars, pale pink lines so subtle they were almost invisible unless you examined them closely.

After finishing applying the ointment, Bowen finally spoke up, his voice low and gentle, “How did you get these scars?”

As soon as the medicine was applied, Aubree hastily pulled her shirt down, “Back with the Wilson family,” she said with forced nonchalance, “any mistake meant disciplinary punishment. After too many rounds, even cosmetic treatments couldn’t erase the scars.”

“Did Bryan do this?” Bowen’s eyes darkened as he remembered Aubree confronting Bryan at the school gate.

“No, these marks on my back were from Ronald and Alice,” she replied.

She dismissed Bowen’s question as just casual curiosity.

Bowen adjusted her blanket, a faint smirk on his lips. Teasingly, he said, “How about I let you get back at them someday?”

When Aubree shot Bowen a searching look, he simply smiled, ruffled her hair affectionately, and dropped the subject, as if it were just an offhand remark.

“I’ve already taken care of what you asked. Just say the word, and we’ll expose Carmen for hiring a hitman.”

Aubree was taken aback, then snapped, “Do it. Right now!”

Aubree thought,

‘This time, Daxton has really pissed me off!

They can come after me all they want, but they have no right to hurt the people I care about. If you want to strike your enemy, you hit them where it hurts most, make them suffer. And with Daxton, his weak spot is painfully obvious.’

“Now that Carmen’s upset, you can bet Daxton won’t be happy either.”

Chapter 39