Facade of Love

Chapter 358 I’ll Rub It for You

I bit my lip, my hand instinctively going to my hot check. It was not very painful, but it sure did not feel good. My angst suddenly seemed kind of silly now.

I looked at her, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, “Do you even see me as your daughter anymore? You’ve been camped out at the hospital all week. Did you even pay attention to your own daughter? Did you see me fall and come home limping? Or did you only see a daughter who always defies you, leaving without your blessing, not listening to a word you say?”

Mom’s face said it all–she was floored. Her mouth hung open as she finally seemed to really see me, maybe for the first time in days.

My heart was pounding as I lugged my suitcase out to the front yard. Idris’s car was waiting just outside, and he was heading my way when he caught sight of my ghostly expression. His eyebrows pinched together in concern. “What’s up?”

“It’s nothing!” I grumbled, my rear end throbbing. He grabbed my bag, and I awkwardly climbed into the car.

Mom stayed back, just watching from the yard. Idris stowed the luggage and went inside for a moment. Left in the car, I was clueless about what he and Mom were discussing.

Soon after, he hopped back in, and we hit the road, both of us wrapped up in our own silent worlds.

At the airport, Madam Young and a bunch of the Young family’s aunts, as well as Liam and his folks, were all there gabbing away in the VIP lounge.

Madam Young caught sight of us and beamed. “There you are!” Then she paused, eyeing my limp. “Yvette, is something wrong?”

shook my head and made the

we knew it, boarding time rolled around.

I settled into our cushy business–class seats. Normally, I would be out like a light the second

stared out the window at the clouds below, feeling a heavy sadness I could not shake.

find Idris with a tube of Icy Hot in his hand. “Let me help with that,”

blinked, confused for

not saying a word. Then, it clicked. I had taken a nasty fall, and

got it, I quickly brushed him off. “No need, I’m

a word I said, squeezing a dollop of Icy Hot into his hand and warming it

getting the ointment on my clothes, along with other things. As I hesitated, a warm, solid sensation spread

of unexpected relief washed over me, making my cheeks flush with heat, and

move,” he murmured close to my ear, “or you’ll get it on your clothes.”

low voice, “Relax. No one is paying attention

that with every breath, I could catch

could even hear the soft sound of his breathing.

unease. Since I could not escape, I steeled myself and let him continue. Thankfully, when my breathing got a little choppy, he stopped, screwed the cap back on the Icy Hot,

my head, my face feeling like it was on