Chapter 134 - 133: Cold Concern
Joanna Kennedy froze for a moment before she snapped out of it, raising her eyes to glare at him in annoyance.
But the corners of her eyes were red, a faint pearlescent shimmer gracing her eyelids. Her eyes were glistening and bright, so her glare looked more like she had just been crying. It held no menace at all.
Instead, she looked like she was pouting at a family member after being wronged.
Simon Lockwood’s expression was unchanged as he gently pressed the pad of his thumb to the corner of her eye. His tone was neutral. "What are you crying for?"
"You’re the one who’s crying!" Joanna Kennedy shot back, slapping his hand away in a fit of pique. "I have makeup on. Don’t touch me."
Simon Lockwood: "..."
Joanna Kennedy turned to walk around him, but was caught off guard when a pair of strong arms suddenly scooped her up by the waist. She cried out in surprise, her hands instinctively moving to wrap around his neck.
But his hand caught her wrists. He glanced down. "Don’t move."
"Doesn’t your hand hurt?" Simon Lockwood’s voice was cool.
Joanna Kennedy, however, felt an inexplicable pang of guilt. She mumbled noncommittally and fell silent.
A beautiful Dreslandic nurse was the one who treated her wound. She spoke to Joanna Kennedy in Dreslandic, and her expression suggested she was asking a question.
Joanna Kennedy couldn’t understand a word, her face a mask of confusion. Just as she was about to pull out her phone for a translation app, she heard the deep voice of the man beside her.
He answered the nurse’s question in fluent Dreslandic. The nurse nodded and jotted something down on her notepad.
Joanna Kennedy, however, was still reeling. This was the first time she had ever heard Simon Lockwood speak Dreslandic, and he sounded different from usual.
Simon Lockwood’s voice was inherently pleasant—deep and steady—but when he spoke Dreslandic, it took on a unique, cold quality. It was like breathing in the winter air of Berlyn: crisp and detached...
Beneath the white gauze, the wound had partially split open, with thin lines of blood seeping out. The five-centimeter-long gash stretched across the back of her fair, smooth hand, a shocking sight.
Simon Lockwood’s lips pressed into a thin line. His face was cold, but his movements couldn’t have been more gentle.
Joanna Kennedy stole a cautious glance at him, then braced herself and said, "It’s fine, just let the nurse do it. You—"
Before she could finish, her words were cut short as her gaze met his cold, somber eyes. Joanna Kennedy wisely shut her mouth.
Simon Lockwood’s movements were delicate. He first used a cotton swab to clean away the blood, bit by bit, before disinfecting the wound. His expression was impassive from start to finish.
Joanna Kennedy bore the pain in silence, feeling strangely nervous. She wished she could hide the wound away that very second. She racked her brain, trying to figure out what to say if Simon Lockwood asked how it happened.
But even after the wound was treated, wrapped in fresh medical gauze, and they had collected some anti-inflammatory medication and scar cream, the man didn’t say a single word to her, much less ask how she’d gotten hurt.
Joanna Kennedy didn’t feel relieved in the slightest. In fact, she grew even more anxious.
The agonizing suspense reached its peak the moment they walked out of the hospital and settled into the car.
Simon Lockwood placed the medicine on the back seat. The car’s interior lights were off, and it was utterly silent. Joanna Kennedy couldn’t stand it any longer. "Simon Lockwood, why aren’t you saying anything..."
"What is there to say?" the man’s voice was frigid.
"..." Joanna Kennedy was taken aback and felt a sting of hurt. Her voice was laced with grievance. "You’re being so harsh..."
One of her words must have struck a nerve. Simon Lockwood’s hand froze as he was about to start the car, and his face instantly darkened.
Joanna Kennedy didn’t notice. Head down, she continued to grumble, "I haven’t seen you in so many days, and the moment I do, you’re this harsh to me. And to think I even wanted to give you a surprise..."
The girl’s voice grew quieter and quieter, until it was almost inaudible by the end.
’A surprise? Oh, it’s a surprise, all right.’
Simon Lockwood suppressed the violent anger churning in his eyes. He squeezed them shut, and when he opened them again, they were filled with ice. "Joanna Kennedy, keep up the act."
’Insincere affection, sweet nothings disguised as complaints... just a way to change the subject.’
"..." Joanna Kennedy froze.
"What happened to your hand, hm?" Simon Lockwood suddenly let out a soft laugh, but his eyes were utterly cold. "Don’t want to tell me?"
"...It’s not that."
"Then what is it?"
’When she saw him at the back exit after the red carpet, her eyes had instinctively darted away. She’d hidden her hand behind her back. When he found out, she just played dumb and threw a tantrum, with no intention of explaining whatsoever.’
’Is she afraid of me, or does she just not care enough to tell me? Either way, Simon Lockwood found the answer unacceptable.’
’Simon Lockwood didn’t know how other people behaved in a relationship, but he knew with certainty that what Joanna Kennedy was doing was wrong.’
Joanna Kennedy’s throat was dry. "I didn’t want to make you worry..." she explained.
"No." Simon Lockwood stared into her reddened eyes, speaking slowly. "You just don’t trust me."
"If you didn’t want to talk about it, I wouldn’t have asked. But your first instinct was to hide it from me."
’In Joanna Kennedy’s mind, he was overbearing, someone who disregarded her wishes.’
’Only those who feel cherished can act without fear. Clearly, all he was making Joanna Kennedy feel right now was uncertainty.’
’Uncertain if he would be angry or hurt for her. Uncertain of his reaction.’
It was his fault, Simon Lockwood thought.
He spoke, his voice softening. "Joanna Kennedy, you can afford to be a little more reckless around me."
’Because he would always cherish her, both then and now.’
His tone was earnest, and though his dark eyes remained somewhat cool, his gaze on her was completely focused.
The days of pent-up frustration and the sorrow she had shouldered alone came flooding out. Joanna Kennedy’s eyes instantly reddened, a film of mist blurring her vision. She rubbed her eyes forcefully, still trying to sound tough. "I’m always reckless."
"Mhm." Simon Lockwood wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with his thumb. "You’re very tough."
"So, can you tell me now? How did you hurt your hand?"
The question brought them right back to the start. Joanna Kennedy’s choked sobs stopped. Staring into his intent, dark eyes, her voice still thick with tears, she cried, "But you said you wouldn’t ask!"
"You don’t want to tell me?" Simon Lockwood’s brows knitted together.
’Of course I don’t want to tell him!! Haven’t I made that painfully obvious?! Simon Lockwood is doing this on purpose!’
’First he wears me down, appealing to logic and emotion, and then as soon as I’m touched, he goes right back to being pushy! He doesn’t mean a word he says!’
Joanna Kennedy was determined not to fall for it. She turned her head away from him. "I don’t want to tell you."
’If I told him, there’s no telling what Simon Lockwood might do. Serena Sutton is the female lead, after all; she has a protagonist’s halo and the help of Charles Jennings’s high-level system.’
’A single "Emotional Reversal" was already this overwhelming. What if there were even more powerful skills?’
Joanna Kennedy didn’t dare to imagine it.
She had saved Serena Sutton on instinct; it didn’t matter who she was. Joanna Kennedy couldn’t just stand by and watch a young woman in the prime of her life be violated.
Simon Lockwood was silent for a moment, his frown deepening. He felt a pang of regret and finally relented, "Fine. Tell me when you’re ready."
Joanna Kennedy breathed a sigh of relief, a bittersweet warmth filling her heart. On a sudden impulse, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips.
By the time she realized what she had done, Simon Lockwood hadn’t even reacted, but her own face had already turned completely red. She pressed herself against the cool car window, pretending to be dead to the world.