Chapter 144

Suzy froze for a moment when she heard that.

Thomas lifted his gaze to her, and their eyes met for two lingering seconds.

"Yes," she said calmly, her tone steady and sincere. "It’s very precious."

After all, this was spiritual spring water produced from her space.

Spiritual spring water—calling it a miracle cure wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Only a tiny amount was produced each day, which made it all the more valuable. It could enhance beauty, strengthen the body, and even heal illnesses. In a peaceful era, a single bottle of this would fetch an astronomical price.

A flicker passed through Thomas’s eyes.

Of course, he already knew. No one understood the effects and value of the medicine in Suzy’s hands better than he did.

What he truly wanted to know was something else entirely.

Why would she be willing to use something so rare... on him?

He fell silent. Noticing the subtle change in his expression, Suzy’s heart tightened.

Oh no. Had she said too much?

She had only wanted him to understand how valuable it was, not to burden him with this knowledge.

"You don’t have to feel pressured," she said quickly. "Medicine exists to be used, doesn’t it? It’s only good if it actually helps someone."

"I know." Thomas’s voice was tight, restrained. "I just... want to understand why you’d be willing to use it on me."

Including that time abroad. Before she left, she had given him an entire bottle.

If he hadn’t been injured, he might never have realized just how precious the gift she gave him truly was.

Suzy’s fingertips brushed lightly against the corner of his lips as she countered softly, "What do you think?"

Explaining it herself would take all the meaning out of it.

It was better if Thomas drew his own conclusions. Who knew—he might arrive at something unexpected.

She felt she had already made it obvious enough. If it were anyone else, she would never have been so generous.

"What do I think..." he murmured, his gaze shifting away from her intense eyes to the window.

Rain continued to fall in a steady hush, each drop tapping softly against the glass.

At that moment, his heart seemed to echo that rhythm, struck again and again by something gentle yet insistent, leaving behind a strange, tingling ache.

A thought surged through his mind, fierce and undeniable.

Almost instinctively, he reached out and grabbed Suzy’s wrist, holding it tightly.

"You..."

Caught off guard by the sudden movement, Suzy blinked in surprise.

Just then, the door was pushed open at the worst possible moment.

"Suzy, I brought you some blankets—"

The words died abruptly on Gloria’s lips as she took in the scene before her.

On the sofa by the door, Suzy and Thomas sat facing each other, close enough to blur the line of personal space.

Suzy’s fingers were still resting against his lips, and Thomas was gripping her wrist.

No matter how one looked at it, the moment was unmistakably intimate.

Gloria wasn’t unfamiliar with romance dramas or novels. She immediately realized she had walked in on something she shouldn’t have. Her cheeks flushed bright red.

"I—I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to interrupt..." she stammered.

Both Suzy and Thomas had already turned to look at her.

Seeing Gloria so flustered, they instantly understood the misunderstanding and felt a wave of awkwardness.

Suzy quickly pulled her hand back. "N-no, it’s not what you think."

She stood up at once and walked over, explaining as naturally as she could, "We got caught in acid rain on the way here. I was applying medicine."

"Acid rain?"

The explanation immediately diverted Gloria’s attention.

Only then did she notice the faint red marks on Suzy’s face, like shallow burns.

"Suzy, are you okay?" she asked, worry filling her voice.

"I’m fine. I’ve already applied the medicine." Suzy reached out to her. "Thanks for the trouble. You can give me the blankets."

"No, no, it’s okay—I’ll carry them inside for you," Gloria said.

Quick and efficient, she crossed the room in just a few steps, bringing the blankets into the office and placing them neatly on the desk.

She had brought two blankets and two pillows.

There was a home goods store on the sixth floor of the mall that hadn’t been flooded, and that was where they had taken all their bedding from. Gloria had just gone there to pick these out for Suzy, deliberately choosing thicker blankets.

Ever since the place had been flooded, the air turned damp as soon as night fell. And with the constant rain lately, temperatures dropped easily after dark. Only heavier blankets could keep out the chill.

"Thank you, Gloria," Suzy said gratefully.

"It’s nothing, really. Just wait here—I’ll bring a mattress too."

Before Suzy could respond, Gloria had already dashed off, moving with remarkable speed.

A few minutes later, she returned.

This time, she came back with another person, the two of them carrying a thin mattress, about six feet wide.

After placing it inside the office, the other person left first.

Gloria wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "Suzy, I’ve brought everything over. I’ll come back later with some food. You two can stay here tonight."

As she spoke, she glanced at Thomas, giving an awkward smile. "I won’t disturb you any further."

With that, she hurried out of the room and gently closed the door behind her.

Suzy looked at the blankets piled on the desk, then at the mattress laid out on the floor.

Only one mattress.

She tried her best to push aside the unnecessary thoughts creeping into her mind and walked back to Thomas.

"I’ll sort those out later. Let me finish applying your medicine first," she said.

The areas exposed to the acid rain couldn’t be neglected. In just those few minutes, the untreated patches of Thomas’s skin had already begun to redden.

Suzy was worried. If this continued, the skin might start to break down.

"Alright."

Clearing her mind, she focused on tending to him. This time, her movements were noticeably quicker.

"All done."

She looked at her work with quiet satisfaction.

Every place affected by the acid rain had been carefully treated with the spiritual spring water. Between the repeated applications, they had used up more than half the bottle.

Just as Suzy was about to put it away, her gaze caught on Thomas’s damaged raincoat.

Looking closer, she realized there were several small holes in it—especially across his back.

Outside, Thomas had shielded her with his body, taking the brunt of the acid rain for her. The rain had eaten through his coat and seeped into his skin.

Earlier, inside the dimly lit mall and amid everything that had happened, she hadn’t noticed at all.

Now that she did, her hand paused mid-motion as she held the bottle.

"Thomas, take off your clothes."

Startled, he looked at her, eyebrows raised.

Seeing his reaction, Suzy immediately realized what he was thinking and quickly added, "I don’t mean anything else. Your raincoat is damaged—I think the acid rain got through it. It may have already reached your skin."

"Do you feel anything unusual?" she asked, her eyes fixed on him.

Thomas paused to assess himself, then shook his head. "Not really."

Suzy pointed at the torn sections of his coat. "But it’s broken here."

"I know," Thomas said quietly. "But it’s not convenient for me to undress right now. I’ll need your help."