Madam Escaped Again, Sir (Lillian Hawkins and Eric Walker) novel Chapter 454

Toby gazed at her steadily as he answered, “I’m feeling okay.”

Even though he meant to reassure her, Sonia was regardlessly worried. “Are you sure? Do you feel lightheaded? And your arm—

“I’m fine, really. Stop worrying,” he interrupted as he insisted that he was alright.

She parted her lips, but she wasn’t sure what else to say.

At that moment, he asked, “How about you? Tom told me that you collapsed after you carried me down the mountain. Were you hurt?”

“I’m alright now.” She shook her head.

As she had only sprained her back, she would recover soon enough, but the same couldn’t be said for him. The injuries to his head and back aside, his arm would take at least half a year to be fully recovered. All in all, he was in far worse shape than her.

“That’s a relief,” he noted after he was sure that she was telling the truth. With a nod, he went on to say, “Thank you for carrying me out of the cave and down the mountain. If you hadn’t, then I might have turned delirious from the fever.”

Sonia met his gaze solemnly and pointed out, “I should be the one thanking you instead. If you hadn’t stepped in, Carl and I might not even be alive right now. I owe you one for this, not the other way round.” Then, she abruptly changed the subject by asking, “By the way, what are you craving for?”

“Craving?” Toby raised a brow.

“That’s right. You only landed in this sorry state because of me, so it’s only right for me to stay and take care of you until you’re back in good health. You can let me know everything that you’re craving for and I’ll whip them up in the kitchen for you as a token of my

gratitude,” she declared.

However, he shook his head in rejection. “No, you don’t have to take care of me. I have a caretaker.”

“This is different.” Sonia stood up and looked at him gravely. “I can’t just sit by and do nothing after you risked your life to save mine, or I’ll end up feeling guilty. Let me stay and take care of you, President Fuller. Think of it as easing my conscience.” After having said this, she bowed at him out of respect.

Upon seeing this, Toby frowned and reached out so he could prompt her to straighten up. His left arm was the closest to her, but unfortunately it was the same arm that he had injured. He could use his right arm, which was the only one at his disposal for the time being, but it required him to flip to his side just to reach her.

As things were, his body could barely move, let alone allow him to flip on his side. More importantly, he had seen the stubborn glint in her eyes and he knew that with her will of steel, she would not budge unless he agreed to her terms.

Ah, whatever, I’ll let her have her way, he told himself. As he pinched his brows in frustration, he asked glumly, “You really want to take care of me?”

“Yes.” Sonia straightened up to look at him. “You’re my responsibility now and if I just leave you on your own, that would make me a heartless monster, wouldn’t it?”

Upon hearing this, Toby broke into a low chuckle. Then, resuming his somber self once more, he said patiently, “Listen to me, Sonia. Taking care of me means having to spend an insane amount of time next to me for an indefinite period and last I checked, you hate my guts. Are you really serious about this? You can back out of it now; I’m giving you the privilege because I don’t want you reneging on this decision of yours.”

“I won’t regret it, much less renege on it,” she promised without any hesitation as she shook her head slightly to deny the possibility of her going back on her word. “Besides, I don’t hate your guts, at least

. 99

not anymore.

The hatred she felt toward him dissipated the moment he jumped off the cliff after her. His arm had already been badly injured, but he held onto her as tightly as he could and refused to let her go. That was enough to make her change her mind about him—respect him, even.

“I’m glad to hear this from you. The pain is worth it if it meant you’ve stopped hating me,” Toby said half-jokingly as he gazed at her. A comfortable silence was about to set in when he suddenly said, “Sonia.”

Sonia met his obsidian orbs. “What is it?”

“Can we start afresh as friends?” he asked slowly.

She frowned at this. Friends? He wants to be friends with his ex-wife? That makes for a rather awkward relationship, doesn’t it? As far as she was concerned, it was impossible for a formerly married couple

to remain friends after their divorce.