Nicole continued, "You see, I'm strong enough to take care of Jay and myself."
Leaning against Kerr, Nicole felt unprecedentedly secure.
Kerr had indeed come into her life earlier than Baron. But she didn't speak out the truth yet. She simply
decided to hold off until Kerr proposed.
She would reveal Jay's identity to him as a gift. She believed there would be nothing better than that.
"I trust you. It's him I don't trust," Kerr announced.
Right on cue, there was a knock on the door. Kerr gripped Nicole's hand more tightly.
"Come in."
Nicole tried to break free of Kerr's tight embrace, but the man didn't budge a little as if he were a statue.
The door swung open and revealed a man standing in the doorway. With a bouquet of flowers on hand,
Baron walked in. Nicole in Kerr's arms was the first thing he noticed. Nicole seemed fine. She actually
looked happy.
He had finally and truly lost Nicole.
"Are you feeling better?"
Baron's face betrayed no emotion. He knew how much Kerr liked Nicole and had found out about
Nicole's feelings for Kerr, although he did not want to acknowledge it.
"Better. Are those for me? They're beautiful."
Nicole looked down on the purple flowers in Baron's hand as Baron handed them to her. Her face
shone with delight.
It was a bouquet of purple forget-me-not. It seemed that Baron had already understood Nicole's choice.
"Good. From now on, please remember to eat on time. You know your tummy hurts when you forget to
eat. But I think you don't have to work too hard anymore."
Baron looked at Kerr who was sitting beside Nicole with dispirited eyes.
Between him and Kerr, he was the loser. People said Kerr was a ruthless businessman who only cared
about making money, but it was Baron who gave Nicole up and chose his business this time.
"I'll keep an eye on her and make sure she eats on time. You don't have to worry," Kerr interjected.
Kerr turned and gently kissed Nicole on the forehead. He looked so proud to have her. He moved
around her as if he was marking his territory in front of Baron.
He did not want Baron to fantasize over Nicole. She only belonged to him.
The atmosphere in the ward suddenly became awkward. It was so quiet that Nicole did not know what
to do.
Fortunately, a nurse walked in.
"Mr. Gu, you need to come see Jay. He fell from the bed."
Worry instantly clouded Nicole's face. She immediately started out of bed to rush to Jay, but Kerr
stopped her.
"It's all right. I'll go check on him."
The bed in Jay's ward was customized to allow him to get up and down easily. There was also soft
carpet under his bed so that it would not hurt if he fell down.
Kerr left the room to attend to Jay.
"I see he treats you and Jay well,"
Baron said dryly as he watched Kerr leave.
"Yes. He doesn't know the truth yet, but he treats Jay like he was his own son. I'm very pleased."
Since Kerr was around her, Nicole had had an easier time taking care of Jay. Kerr was good to him.
"I guess I've failed then. You and Kerr are together now. That's just as well. I don't deserve you."
A bitter smile spread across Baron's face.
He was supposed to have better chances with Nicole than Kerr, but he missed it. The blame was on
him.
He had never felt so defeated in his life.
"Baron, we're good friends. I won't forget how you took care of Jay when we're in Manhattan. We'll be
good friends forever. No matter what happens, that won't change."
Nicole comforted Baron. She could give nothing to him but consolation and gratitude.
Since meeting Baron, Nicole had kept him at arm's length. She did not want to lead him on as that
would be unfair to him.
"I know. I respect your choice. Just know that I'll be around no matter what. As for the matter you've
been worried about, I'll help you look into it."
Baron stood up with a gentle smile, the same smile Nicole saw on his face when she first met him.
He opened his palm to Nicole, showing her a small key.
"Keep this with you, but don't let Kerr know about it. Should you decide that he really makes you happy,
you can throw it away. But if Kerr betrays you one day, come find me with the key."
Baron sincerely wished Nicole happiness with Kerr, even though he did not think that Kerr could truly
make her happy. Nevertheless, Nicole had decided. After all, love was not something that mixed well
with reason.
He knew that no matter what he said, it would not change Nicole's mind to his favor.
"You will find happiness, Baron."
She took the key from him.
Right then, Nicole knew that she had gotten Baron's blessing. She believed that she would eventually
forget about the key because she was sure that Kerr would not let her down.
At that time, never in Nicole's wildest imagination did she expect that someday in the future, this key
would make her give up on Kerr and be haunted by nightmares.
In the adjacent room, Jay sat on his bed.
He kept his eyes fixed on his laptop screen as Kerr's and the nurse's footsteps approached. Soon, Kerr
and the nurse were in his room.
"I didn't mean to lie to you, Mr. Gu," the nurse said.
Feeling Kerr's sharp stare, the nurse slowly stepped back and lowered her head, not daring to look at
him.
"It wasn't the nurse's fault. I asked her to lie."
Jay raised his head and looked at Kerr.
Feeling Kerr's sharp stare, the nurse slowly stepped back and lowered her head, not daring to look at
him.
"It wasn't the nurse's fault. | asked her to lie."
Jay raised his head and looked at Kerr.
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