The True Heiress's Return

Shakira opened her eyes to a sea of white, with the strong smell of alcohol in the air.

"Shakira." Walter was right beside the bed. When he saw her awake, his blue, obsidian eyes were fixed on her, filled with clear delight. Shakira blinked and looked at him intently. Walter's heart tightened. "Are you feeling uncomfortable? Should I call a doctor-"

Suddenly, Shakira reached out and grabbed him. She felt like she was dreaming, dreaming that... Walter stood up, fearlessly throwing himself at her, and they rolled around together. There was still a trace of confusion in Shakira's eyes as if she couldn't quite believe it.

"Walter, your legs. You can stand, and they're healed, right?" She woke up and the first thing she cared about was this... Well, of course, she always cared so much about it and was so persistent. Walter stopped for a moment and then nodded firmly. "Yes."

"A while ago, I actually started regaining feeling in my legs. I could feel some pressure, especially when you were doing acupuncture on me."

Shakira was surprised. "You never mentioned it."

Regret flashed through Walter's eyes. "I didn't say anything because I didn't want to."

He took a deep breath, leaned over, and kissed the corner of Shakira's eye. Then he buried his face in her shoulder, hiding his unclear expression from her. "During that time, I often dreamed."

"It was the memory of my last mission before I got injured. My bros died because of my mistakes. I was lucky to fall into the open sea and survive, but they..." Walter spoke each word with such intensity, and every syllable was pronounced with force. "I only lost my legs, but they could never come back."

As she listened to his murmured words, Shakira deeply felt his pain, despite his attempts to suppress his emotions.

At that time, she was on the ship too. She witnessed the scenes he didn't want to talk about.

It wasn't Walter's fault. Those comrades sacrificed their lives for peace.

Yet he took all the blame on himself.

No wonder, no wonder she and her master were helpless. It wasn't his legs that were hard to treat, it was the wound in his heart.

Shakira didn't know what to say, so she just held him quietly, offering silent comfort.

After a while, Walter gently pushed her away, and his deep-set, blue eyes intensely focused on her.

"There was a time I thought it wouldn't be so bad to live like this for a lifetime. Even without my legs, I could still protect you."

"But when I saw you hanging off that rail and couldn't rush over like a normal person to catch you, I regretted it."

His eyes unknowingly turned red as he let out a sigh. "I was close to regretting it for a lifetime because of my foolish

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thoughts."

Shakira reached out, placing her palm against his cheek with her eyes slightly moist. "But you did catch me, didn't you? Walter, you've already done everything for me." Walter held her hand and kissed it tenderly.

Only he knew how wildly his heart was racing the moment he held her in his arms.

He said, "It's all thanks to you sticking with the acupuncture and herbal baths that I've recovered this much."

Shakira blinked and carefully observed his expression. "You're not upset that I kept the Dr. Lonely Bird secret from you?"

Walter was calm now. He picked up the bottle of warm water from the bedside table and offered the straw to her lips.

He raised an amused eyebrow at her words and asked, "Why don't you tell me you are Dr. Lonely Bird?"Content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

Shakira looked a bit embarrassed. "If I had said it from the start, wouldn't that have been embarrassing?" Walter's mouth twitched, "Embarrassing?"

"Yeah, I learned medicine from my master, but I'd never used it as a doctor. The very first time, because of you, I did... If word got out, wouldn't everyone think they had to bribe me with charm to get treated?" As Shakira spoke and thought about the scene, her expression became indescribable.

It wouldn't have been a big deal if she hadn't mentioned it, but as soon as she did, Walter's face turned terrifyingly dark.

"Who dared? I'd make him regret it." He gritted his teeth, with his eyes full of threat. "So if it were a normal person, you wouldn't keep it secret?"

Shakira drank several sips of warm water before looking at him speechlessly. "If it were someone else, I'd just pay them off and leave and would never to see them again."

This response barely managed to calm Walter's almost explosive mood.

Walter wiped her mouth casually and said, "You were lucky you didn't do that, otherwise you wouldn't even leave the Nelson residence alive, let alone come to Eastlake Valley to make a deal with me." Shakira was lost for words. The last words made her feel a delayed sense of fear.

To be honest, being stingy was a good habit, as it saved her life.

Walter couldn't help but chuckle at her slow reaction.

He leaned forward again and gave a gentle, lingering kiss between her pretty brows, softly and affectionately.

He said, "No matter what happens in the future, make sure I'm the first to know."

She replied, "Hmm... Fiona was watching me the whole time, so I couldn't send a message out. Sorry for making you worry."

He said, "It was my fault that you got hurt. No need to apologize to me."

His kisses moved from her cheeks to her nose and finally landed on her lips. His breathing became noticeably heavier as if he were cherishing a dearly recovered treasure. Shakira slightly tilted her face toward him, feeling a warmth spreading from her chest.

Benji thought, 'It's been quiet for so long. Is there something wrong inside-

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Benji suddenly pushed the door open, and a group of people flooded in behind him. Seeing the two of them cuddling on the bed, they all awkwardly turned their backs at once. "Uh-oh, we've interrupted Mr. Lopez's good time. Now we're in trouble." Gavin joked with a smile.

Walter, breathing a bit heavier, pulled the blanket up to cover Shakira's face, which had turned as red as a lobster, and glared at the unwelcome crowd in the ward. "Don't you knock before entering?" he asked coldly.

Benji raised his hands in defense. "Walter, I knocked several times. You and Shakira were just too focused to hear."

Earlier, they were lost in a heartfelt moment, only hearing each other's breathing and heartbeat. How could they possibly notice a knock on the door?

Walter, without changing his expression, calmly said, "The room's big. You should knock louder."

Calton chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll have the hospital install a doorbell for your room, okay?" Walter was lost for words.

So was Shakira.

The doctor came to change Shakira's bandages. She had lost a lot of blood, but luckily, they were mostly minor injuries. However, her leg was badly scraped and would need a few more days to heal.

Walter didn't let Benji and the others stay for long. He told them to leave the get-well-soon gifts and then sent them away Shakira had a bit of liquid food, still feeling the strong anesthetics. Soon, she was drifting off to sleep in Walter's arms. Late at night, a young woman in a nurse's uniform pushed a medical cart into the ward.

On the hospital bed lay a man with exceptionally handsome features. His face was flushed, and he was connected to advanced life support equipment. His eyes were tightly closed, his frame was thin, and he lay there quietly, almost like the living dead. Yvette looked at the steady rhythm of the heartbeat on the monitor. She shuffled closer, with her body trembling uncontrollably.