The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 342

Victoria didn’t have time to react. She could only squeeze her eyes shut and pray that it wouldn’t hurt too much when it hit.

A dull thud echoed as the basketball hit someone. Victoria’s body tensed involuntarily, bracing for the pain to come.

One second, three seconds, ten seconds passed…

The expected pain never arrived. Victoria frowned and slowly opened her eyes. A shadow fell over her, and the faint, cool scent of woodsmoke filled the air.

The basketball that had been in mid-air was now bouncing on the rubber court before rolling away.

“Hiss!”

The students who had been shooting the ball rushed over, anxious to see if anyone was hurt. As they got closer, they saw the profile of the person shielding Victoria and their faces paled in unison, sucking in a sharp breath.

“Elias, are… are you okay?” one of them dared to ask cautiously.

“I’m fine.”

Hearing the voice, Victoria snapped out of her daze and suddenly realized she was in someone’s arms. And it was a boy!

Victoria’s heart lurched. She immediately tried to step back, completely forgetting about her ankle, which was swollen to the size of a pig’s trotter. The moment she moved, she lost her balance and fell to the ground with a thump.

A sharp, unbearable pain shot through her ankle, so intense that she couldn’t help but cry out, her face turning pale.

Everyone’s attention had been on the boy. Her cry of pain reminded them that there was another injured person.

Just as they were about to step forward to check on her, the boy standing in front of Victoria extended a hand. His cold, deep voice betrayed no emotion. “Can you get up?”

Victoria quickly grabbed Grady’s arm, afraid he was about to start a fight. “It wasn’t him, Grady! I wasn’t paying attention and lost my balance.”

At that moment, the younger students who had been playing basketball stepped forward and admitted their mistake. “He’s right, Grady. It wasn’t Elias who knocked your sister down. If you’re going to be angry at someone, be angry at us. We didn’t see your sister, and the ball slipped when we threw it. It almost hit her. If Elias hadn’t been passing by and blocked it for her, I’m afraid…”

Grady’s brow furrowed. He looked at Victoria, who met his questioning gaze with a series of nods, confirming their story.

“How do you feel now? Does it hurt? Never mind, I’m taking you to the infirmary.” With that, Grady moved to scoop her up in his arms.

Victoria, who had been watching the boy who protected her out of the corner of her eye, shook her head at Grady and gently tugged his sleeve. “I’m fine, Grady. You misunderstood him earlier…”

She was reminding him to apologize.