A Life Debt Repaid

Chapter 2

It seemed to have grown into a habit, but she was used to being alone—even if she had been dating Kyle for three years, she would never trouble or rely on Kyle too much. She suddenly felt lucky that she was like this, allowing her to persevere despite the prospect of facing troubled times ahead.  However, after it took her considerable effort to leave the washroom, Cordy stepped out and found that Richard’s daddy had returned. She was startled, and the man watched as her face turned pale. “Do I look that scary?” he asked with his deep, magnetic voice. “No.” Cordy shook her head. “I just didn’t expect someone else here.” She was just feeling fortunate that he was aloof—his abrupt visit left her slightly repulsed. Seeing the change of attitude in her eyes, the man pursed his lips ever so slightly. “The name’s John Levine. The venue where you held your wedding happened to be mine, Ms. Sachs.” Cordy realized with a start as John cut to the chase—as the owner of the venue, he certainly had a responsibility for the fire. “I’m sorry that you were caught in the fire and suffered a fracture in my premises,” John continued then, his tone as businesslike as it was solemn. “I hence offer to cover for all your expenditure while you’re staying here in this hospital, and that includes the fees for treatment, hospitality, rehabilitation, and the like. You may also seek damages for labor injury, emotional distress, as well as the cancellation of your wedding.” “No,” Cordy said flatly. “Just covering my medical fees would be enough.” John looked at her a little weirdly just then, whereas Cordy’s feet were getting numb from standing too long. Still, he obviously sensed that she had trouble moving around. He asked, “Would you like my help?” “No… Oh!” Cordy had barely finished when her crutches suddenly twitched. However, just as she was about to fall, John darted forward and caught her squarely in his arms. Despite her shock, Cordy smelled a clean minty scent and seemed to hear his heart pounding from his chest, loudly and a little too quickly. She quickly tried to get away from him because she was really uncomfortable with such intimacy. In the three years she spent together with Kyle, they at best held hands since Kyle learned that she was averse to intimacy with men due to past trauma. He used to care for and respect her… and yet. Truly, the heart is fickle. Still, as Cordy straightened herself with John’s help, her crutches were still on the floor. Without any support, she tried to stand on one foot. However, it proved unsteady—she started to teeter as she could not lean on anything. Startled, she quickly wrapped her arms around John’s neck… but as soon as she did so, she realized that she was being overly intimate and she quickly released him. Her cheeks, drained of color at first, were now blushing red. John could naturally tell everything Cordy was doing, but he remained silent as he saw the stubbornness in her eyes. She probably did not want anything further to do with him. After all, the ward was just that wide and it was just a few paces to her bed—all she had to do was bear with it for seconds. Pursing his lips, John eventually moved and carried her to her bed. “What are you doing?!” As the familiar voice of a man suddenly resounded in the ward, sounding obviously angry, Cordy felt her heart skip a beat and she bit