Cocking her head to see his face, Lily held onto his hand. "Were you hit?" Her voice carried shock and anger.
Unable to hide it from her, Dominic looked away. "I'm fine."
"How is it fine? You were hit!" Having just regained consciousness, Lily struggled to sit up, and her breathing became rapid. "Who hit you? Was it Fred?"
"Do you think he could do it if I hadn't let him?" Dominic said as he waved dismissively.
"How dare he!" Lily gritted her teeth.
Enraged, she was oblivious to what Dominic said. Although she seldom treated him courteously, she regarded him as her grandfather. He had taught her a lot, so to her, he was both an elder and a benefactor.
Furthermore, he had spent his whole life treating people and was well-respected, even among the rich and powerful. It was unimaginable that anyone would beat him, let alone because of her.
Lily was so angry that she blamed herself. "This is all my fault."
"No, it's not. Don't think like that. I… " At a loss for words, Dominic exploded, "Just drop it, will you? It has nothing to do with you. I wanted to come here and get beaten up, all right? Besides, I'm fine! I had never been beaten by anyone before, and I got a kick out of it!" he said arrogantly, arms akimbo.
Lily was stumped.
Dominic continued calmly, "I really am fine. I’ve been bitten by poisonous insects and chased by forest people. This is nothing compared to what I went through back in the day."
Lily was amused. He always compared to the past, but he was a young man then. Besides, this was different because he was assaulted. However, knowing that Dominic would get upset if she dwelled on it, she decided to settle the score with Fred in the future.
"It'll be hard for you to leave now that you've come here," Lily said solemnly.
Dominic said indifferently, "I wasn’t planning to leave in the first place."
"What are you talking about? I’m counting on you to take care of my children," Lily countered.
With widened eyes, Dominic waved his hands. "Hell no! You have three children now, not just one. I'd rather stay here than take care of them.”
"Well, I'm getting rid of you no matter what," Lily said half-jokingly, knowing that she had to get him out of this place.
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