Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl

Chapter 1330ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

The moment Pearl opened the door, Esther jumped out of her seat.

"How is he? Is he okay? Will he make it?"

Pearl sighed. "The disease is..."

Esther started crying, "Really? There's no cure?"

Pearl felt bad for leading Esther to believe things were worse than they were.

"I haven't even finished, and you're assuming the worst," Pearl said with a click of her tongue. "He's stable for now. I need to talk to Simon about his treatment. But don't worry, we've managed to keep your little Romeo out of danger for now."

Little Romeo? Esther thought it an odd nickname.

Still, relieved by Pearl's promise of treatment, she simply nodded and thanked her.

"You should go see him. Talk to him, help him stay positive. It will increase his chances of getting better."

After Pearl and Esther left, Esther went to see James.

Finding him sitting up but looking tired, Esther felt a twinge in her heart but smiled. "Feeling any better?" James wasn't feeling well after surgery and looked weak, so he avoided looking at her. "I'm fine."

Esther felt he was avoiding her, which saddened her. "Why won't you look at me?"

"I'm not avoiding you. Don't worry about it." James tried to keep his voice steady. He struggled to explain without admitting he was worried about his appearance.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I want you to know I'm here for you, no matter what." Esther's eyes were filled with determination and sincerity.

James realized he had underestimated how much Esther cared. He finally turned to face her.

Esther was surprised to see tears in the eyes of the usually stoic man. "Are you hurting?" she asked, realizing he had just had surgery. "The pain from surgery is normal once the anesthesia wears off. Hang in there."

James shook his head. "Pearl gave me something for the pain, it's not too bad now."

"Then why are you crying?"

James looked at her gently. "Because I've missed you."

Esther let go of her held-back emotions. She walked over, took his hand, and pressed it to her cheek. "You can't push me away anymore, okay?"

"Okay."