Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 986

Chapter 986

Aaron led Lena out of the police station. He walked ahead, while she trailed behind, clutching the oversized coat he had draped over her shoulders.

His coat carried the faint scent of pinewood, and with every step she took, the fragrance seemed to weave its way into her senses. Maybe it was the alcohol fermenting in her system, but her head felt dizzy, her vision unsteady. Even Aaron, walking in front of her, seemed to sway.

However, the moment she stepped outside, the cold night air hit her like a slap, jolting her awake. She shivered and instinctively tightened the coat around her body–only then realizing that Aaron was left wearing nothing but a thin dress shirt.

“Uncle Aaron,” she called out, her voice laced with concert

But he kept walking, his long strides unfaltering. Whether he was ignoring her out of anger or simply hadn’t heard, she couldn’t tell.

Their figures–one leading, the other following–looked almost like a child who had done something wrong, chasing after an adult, afraid to walk too fast or too slow for fear of being left behind.

The night was freezing. If he didn’t put on more layers, he’d catch a cold. Lena quickened her pace, intending to return the coat to him, but her balance faltered.

Before she knew it, she was falling forward.

Thud!

She landed hard on the pavement, pain shooting through her knee. A sharp sting had her sucking in a breath.

A tall shadow loomed over her, and then, before she could react, a hand she knew all too well wrapped around her ankle.

expression unreadable. After a quick glance at her face, he tested the movement of her knee

hurt a lot. But

muttered, speaking

also came to the

up when he felt a tug on his

“Uncle Aaron.”

paused, his waist still bent. She sat on the ground, her face tilted upward. Their eyes met in

voice softer this time. “I can’t stand on

fine, but the raw scrape stung terribly. And to make

the alcohol was really kicking in now. If that

jaw tensed. “You’re an adult. Can’t even walk straight? Your mother taught

up an unpleasant memory from her childhood.

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Chapter 986

+25 BONUS

been the kind of kid who never walked only ran. Her mother used to say that Lena simply didn’t know how to walk properly. And yet, despite all that running, she had never been good

even a busted forehead–injuries were routine for

children were coddled when they got hurt. But Lena? She got scolded, sometimes even spanked. Instead of comfort, she received lectures

to smooth things over, sneaking her away to her grandmother’s house to clean her wounds. And if she was lucky, he’d slip her a

memory, her gaze softened as

if sensing something, his dark eyes–shrouded by the night–flashed

another word, he crouched down and