Chapter 136: Can I...hug you?
Jessica felt rejuvenated. With Davis’s unsolicited help, she had been able to push through the whirlwind of emotions, regaining the composure she had always been known for.
Even so, her decision hadn’t changed—she would talk to him, openly, when she returned. That was the least he deserved. The more she thought about it, the more she understood why she hadn’t rejected his request to explain the tears—because deep down, she wanted to share it with him.
Sliding into her car, she retrieved the few essentials she had abandoned when Davis arrived earlier. Her ID card, stethoscope, a file she had received from Richard and the small box bearing her evidence for the fact she wants to travel—all were placed neatly in her backpack.
She took a moment to breathe in deeply, then stepped out once more, her posture regal and controlled, her head held high. Gone were the traces of vulnerability that had overwhelmed her in the earlier moments. Now, she stood tall, elegant, and composed—like a steadfast wall shielding others from the storm.
Davis watched her silently, his sharp eyes taking in every detail. The shift in her demeanor didn’t go unnoticed. She no longer appeared like the fragile woman whose tears had pierced through his chest like a blade.
No, this woman was the Jessica he knew—the one who had bore the light that illuminated his darkest world, the one who had protected and shielded him against the tidal waves.
She walked up to him and gave a confident nod. "I’m all set," she said, slinging the backpack over one shoulder. Her voice was calm and steady, layered with quiet strength.
Davis’s lips curved into a soft smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. "Wishing you success," he said, his tone gentle, warm, and filled with pride—like a spring breeze brushing against the heart.
Jessica paused, momentarily taken aback by how much that one sentence meant to her. It wasn’t just the words. It was the way he said it, the unspoken trust and faith behind it.