The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 464

Dawn broke, leaving a pale crescent moon hanging on the horizon before it was finally swallowed by heavy storm clouds.

When Petty woke up, it took endless coaxing from Hans just to get her to take a single sip of water. But moments later, she violently wretched, throwing it right back up.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

Aaron walked over and opened it, revealing a man in a black baseball cap and mask, leaning heavily on a crutch. Aaron wasn't surprised in the slightest. Malcom's injuries were still healing, meaning he couldn't take any mercenary jobs, so he was stuck in Cabinda for now.

Before he left yesterday, Malcom had explicitly said he would come back.

"Miss Petty, J is here."

Petty slumped weakly against the headboard, her gaze shifting to the imposing man standing in the doorway. The violent dry heaving had left her throat raw and her eyes brimming with tears, stripping away whatever life was left in her gaze.

She turned slightly to Hans, her voice barely a whisper. "Aren't you supposed to go visit your grandpa at the rehab center today?"

"I can go see Grandpa any day. Today, I'm staying with you," Hans replied without a second of hesitation.

The doctor had explicitly warned him that she was completely uncooperative with her treatment. How could he possibly leave her side now?

Petty pressed her cracked lips together. She reached for the glass on the table, took a tiny, deliberate sip of water to soothe her throat, and looked at him. "When you come back, bring me a savory meat pie. I'm craving one today."

Watching her willingly pick up the glass and drink without immediately throwing up brought a massive wave of relief to Hans, though he was still deeply hesitant to leave. "I'll just have one of my men go buy it for you right now."

"What are you so worried about? Aaron and Malcom are here, and Amy will be dropping by later. I'll have plenty of company."

Hans glanced over his shoulder at the towering man leaning on the crutch. He hadn't ever really interacted with Malcom up close before; this was the nearest they had ever been.

Aaron had met Malcom back during his mercenary days. Men from that world typically carried a heavy, suffocating aura of violence. Malcom's wasn't overtly aggressive, but it was absolutely impossible to ignore.

For some inexplicable reason, Malcom gave him a bizarre sense of familiarity. Standing this close, Hans felt a strange, almost magnetic pull, as if they were operating on the exact same wavelength.

He gave Malcom a brief, polite nod before finally walking out of the room.

The second the door clicked shut behind Hans, Petty collapsed over the edge of the bed. Gripping the mattress with one hand, she wretched violently into the trash can.

She had been using every last ounce of her willpower to hold it back, desperate not to worry Hans so she could finally convince him to leave.

"Miss Petty!" Aaron panicked, rushing over to rub her back in terrified concern. Once the agonizing dry heaving finally subsided, he asked frantically, "Are you feeling any better? Should I go grab the doctor?"

Petty weakly waved him off, her head hanging in sheer exhaustion. But just as she tried to pull herself back up to lean against the headboard, her hand slipped off the mattress. Her entire body pitched forward, tumbling off the side of the bed.

Aaron moved with lightning speed, snatching her arm to break her fall. At the exact same moment, a firm, black-gloved hand shot out from the other side, securely catching her by the shoulder.