"There's nothing in this world that I want to do but can't do."
How dare this woman defend Lucas? He walked away without even casting her a glance.
Ayla propped herself up.
'What am I supposed to do?' In school, running into Lucas was inevitable.
The following day, Ayla took the initiative to meet with him.
"You rarely make an appointment with me.Does this mean you're agreeing to be my girlfriend?"
Lucas flashed her a bright smile.His pleasant expression made it difficult for her to respond.
After a long silence, Ayla indifferently said, "We can't see each other anymore."
Lucas' smile quickly disappeared.
"Are you joking?"
He stared at her intently.
"I'm not," she answered sternly.
The reason she did this was because she didn't want anyone else to suffer what Toby went through
because of her.
And so, the best way to prevent that was to stop seeing each other.
"Is it because Brian won't allow you to hang out with me?"
Lucas couldn't imagine that Ayla would be this obedient.Perhaps she was forced into doing this?
"The reason doesn't matter." She shook her head in dismissal.
"But what if I refuse?" Lucas was persistent.
"Mr.Collins, we can't even be friends anymore," said Ayla.
Since Brian had said something like that, it only meant that he was going to do whatever he pleased.
"I want to be more than just friends with you."
The expression on Lucas' face implied that he was determined to marry her.
Ayla looked him in the eye and thought, '’Lucas, you stubborn fool.”
"I'm not as good a woman as you think I am.Ask Mrs.Brown, she should know that.I'm a vixen who
entices men, and I've slept with many men.Knowing that, would you still want to marry a woman like
me?"
Ayla degraded herself in front of him.
She knew that she wasn't a woman worthy of Lucas' love.
"And so what? I don't care about any of that!"
He held her hands as if he was never letting them go.
Ayla looked at him, and realized that he was more stubborn than she had initially thought.
"No, you do.How can any man marry a woman like me?"
Suddenly, she withdrew her hands, accidentally knocking down the hot teapot beside her.
When the hot water spilled, Lucas managed to pull her away and cover her with his body.
As a consequence, he was the one that got scalded.
The hot water seeped into this thin layer of shirt and onto his back.
Ayla was too startled to scream.
She didn't even react until a waiter came in upon hearing the loud noise.
"Mr.Collins."
"I...I'm fine."
Lucas' forehead was sweating.He hadn't removed his hand from Ayla's waist.
"Let me look at your back."
She was so frightened that she was having a hard time standing firmly.Her hands trembled as they
covered his hands.The waiter immediately called an ambulance to send Lucas to the hospital.
"Let me accompany him."
Ayla stopped the doctor.
She noticed that his shirt was covered in tea, and she figured that he must've suffered first degree
burns.Loosening his grip on her, Lucas said, "I'm fine, Lala.Just wait for me outside."
His voice was breaking, and his back was so painful.
Teary-eyed, Ayla shook her head.
"Let me stay with you."
It was all her fault.
Upon seeing her tearful eyes, Lucas nodded.
"Lala, you don't have to cry."He hadn't planned on using any gimmick to win her heart, but since this
accident had already happened, he might be able to use it to his advantage.
She might feel heartbroken if she saw his operation, and it could make her feel so guilty that she would
no longer leave his side.
Their conversation today led to no avail.
Perhaps it would only throw her into another unwanted situation.
In the operating room, Ayla held Lucas' hand tightly.
After receiving anesthetic, he lost consciousness.
She watched as the doctor cut off his shirt.
The original skin on his back had been burnt away, and it turned completely red.
Silently, she started crying again.She watched as the doctor dealt with his burns.
The anesthetic's effects hadn't dissipated yet, and he was still unconscious.
Ayla had been sitting next to him in his ward, patiently waiting for him to wake up.
As she looked at Lucas, who could only lie prone on the bed, she said, "I'm sorry.This is all my fault."
Her insistence, stubbornness, and her concessions.
No matter what she did, he would end up getting hurt.
When Lucas opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Ayla crying beside his bed.
"Lala."
"You're awake! Does it hurt?" she asked with concern, ignoring the fact that she was just crying.
"I'd be lying if I said that it didn't hurt.But your tears hurt me more."
Lucas wiped away the tears on her face.
Ayla continued sobbing.
"I'm sorry.If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten injured and you wouldn't be lying in a hospital
bed."
The heavy sense of guilt in her heart caused her to blame herself.
"No, no, this didn't happen because of you.It's because I love you, and I didn't want you to get hurt."
Lucas' love for her left her dumbfounded.
Never had she felt the feeling of being taken care of.
But Lucas, someone she had only known for a short time, had already done so much for her, and it
touched her heart.
However, she would much rather see herself get hurt than let someone else suffer.
On the other hand, he would rather lie bedridden in the hospital than see her get hurt.
"Why are you still crying? I'm fine, aren't I?"
He hardly cared about his injuries.
The Collins family's downfall was much more painful than this.
But if it hadn't been so painful, he wouldn't have been this numb today.
Ayla pressed her lips, preventing herself from bursting into tears again.
"But the doctor said that you were seriously scalded."
"I'm strong enough to take it.It's not a big deal! I would be much more worried if you were the one who
got burned."
He smiled weakly at her.Ayla stared at him in a daze.Why wasn't he taking his injuries seriously?
"Lala, can you please stay with me today?"
Lucas looked at her with pleading eyes.
"Do you still have the heart to refuse me again? I'm a patient now." He was easily able to grasp her soft
spot because based on Ayla's personality, she wasn't going to leave him alone like this.
‘'He wants me to stay with him? After a moment of hesitation, Ayla nodded.
"Fine. I'll stay."
Whatever he ate, she fed him herself.
"What about during the night?"
She couldn't accompany him at night.
"Aren't you gonna stay with me?"
When Lucas saw the hesitation in Ayla's eyes, he believed that he could win her over this time.
No matter who owned her heart right now, whether it was Toby or Brian, she would surely be his in the
future.
"I'll come back tomorrow."
Although Ayla was worried about Lucas, she was more worried that if Brian found out that they were
together at night, he might inflict a far worse injury on Lucas.
At last, Lucas agreed to employ a nurse to take care of him.
Lost in thought, Ayla went back to the villa.
To her surprise, Brian, Anna, and Jaime were all there.
They had never talked about business within the premises of the villa before.
Jaime stared at Ayla.
He was aware that she was with Lucas today, so he thought that she would feel guilty about it.
However, he could only see the worries and anxiety in her eyes; she didn't seem to have any nuances
of guilt.
Anna sat next to Brian, holding onto his arm.Upon seeing this, Ayla quickly felt uncomfortable.
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