“I deal with it myself,” Elliot answered in a level-headed tone. “However, you may assist me if you’re
worried.”
Avery felt like she had just dug her own grave.
Of course, she would be concerned if Elliot were to take care of his hygiene needs on his own, but
what was the difference between her giving him a shower, and her taking a shower with him?
They entered the bedroom, and Avery shut the door behind them.
“Could you pass me the walking stick, please?” Elliot asked in a deep, low voice.
Avery was just about to ask him where the walking stick was when she spotted it and handed it over to
him.
Elliot held his walking stick and used it as a support as he struggled out of the wheelchair.
“Are you okay?” Avery asked in a panic.
“I’m fine. I’ve been taking a shower by myself for the past few days,” Elliot answered with a hint of
humor in his voice. “Did I scare you?”
Avery blushed, then said, “Were you messing with me on purpose?”
“I just wanted to see your reaction,” Elliot said, then made his way to the bathroom.
Avery was still worried and ended up trailing along behind him.
Elliot stopped, then asked, “Are you going to watch me?”
Avery shook her head at first, then frantically nodded and said, “I’m a little worried… Can you take your
pants off by yourself? Won’t you scrape your wounds?”
“These trousers are pretty loose, so they’re easier to take off,” Elliot explained.
Avery grunted in response.
As if to reassure her, Elliot unbuckled his belt and was about to take his pants off in front of her.
Avery’s face turned a feverish red.
She stumbled a few steps back, then said, “I – I better wait outside! Shout if you need help.”
She escaped the bathroom in a hurry and shut the door.
She sighed heavily and wanted to walk away, but she was afraid that he might call for help. At that
moment, Mrs. Cooper knocked on the bedroom door and entered with Avery’s clothes
in her arms.
“Is Master Elliot taking a shower, Madam?”
Avery nodded and took the clothes from Mrs. Cooper.
“Does she normally wash up by himself?”
“He does! He never wants any help.”
“He’s stubborn,” Avery muttered.
“Master Elliot is rather stubborn, isn’t he? It can be an unfortunate characteristic. He insists on dealing
with everything by himself no matter how difficult things are,” said Mrs. Cooper.
Avery agreed wholeheartedly, “I sometimes hate that about him.”
“Don’t hate him,” Mrs. Cooper said, then withdrew the smile on her face and added, “I don’t know what
Master Elliot went through in the past, but from what I can tell, he is an extremely kind man.”
Kind?
It was not exactly the most suitable word to describe Elliot Foster.
However, it would not be right to call him unkind either.
Mrs. Cooper continued, “The doctor said those who suffer from depression tend to be the kindest
people,”
“He was depressed?” Avery asked with raised brows.
Mrs. Cooper nodded and answered, “He was on antidepressants for a week.”
Avery’s heart turned heavy as she felt like she never truly got to know the real Elliot Foster.
He was cruel yet vulnerable, and heartless yet persistent.
After his shower, Elliot emerged from the bathroom in a white bathrobe with the help of his walking stick
When Avery walked over to help him, she noticed his wet hair and asked, “How do you wash your
hair?”
“Sitting down.”
“Oh, I’ll dry your hair for you,” Avery said, then grabbed the blow dryer from the bathroom.
While she dried his hair, Elliot sat down quietly and did not move a muscle.
Avery wanted time to stop at that moment.
Elliot’s hand suddenly grabbed onto her wrist.
“It’s dry,” he said.
“Oh, right,” Avery said as she snapped out of her daze and turned off the blow dryer.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed blood seeping through the bandages on his leg.
“You need to redress your wounds. I’ll get the first aid kit.”
Avery placed the blow dryer back in the bathroom, then hurried downstairs to ask Mrs. Cooper for the
first aid kit.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda