I Want a Divorce by Abigail Quinn

Chapter 33

Oliver’s eyes widened with excitement as he caught sight of it, his heart racing. Without delay, he scooped up a handful, scanning his surroundings only to find no available tools for grinding. After a brief moment of contemplation, he stuffed it into his mouth, chewing vigorously.

After chewing it into a pulpy mess, he spat it into his hand and grabbed another handful, chewing again.

With each bite, the bitter and unpleasant taste overwhelmed his senses.

After chewing two large mouthfuls, Oliver finally stopped. He turned around and carefully positioned Hailey’s right foot on the ground. Taking the crushed leaves, he gently applied them to her inflamed, reddened skin.

Hailey, who was in agony, dared not move, for even the slightest motion would result in excruciating pain.

Yet, as Oliver placed the crushed leaves on her foot, a refreshing coolness permeated her skin, offering instant relief from some of her sufferings. The pain noticeably diminished as Oliver proceeded to apply the leaves to the surrounding joints.

Inquisitively, Hailey asked Oliver, “What remedy is this? It has significantly alleviated my pain.”

With meticulous care, Oliver continued his task, explaining, “This is ground-ivy, a potent medicinal herb. When applied externally, it possesses remarkable properties such as reducing swelling, soothing inflammation, and relieving pain.”

“Can you even diagnose illnesses and identify herbs?” Hailey’s curiosity peaked, and she couldn’t help but wonder, “Is there anything this young store manager doesn’t know?”

Oliver vehemently shook his head and refuted, “No, no, I merely observed my father using it when I was young. He wasn’t a doctor, either. He possessed basic knowledge of a few herbs to alleviate stomachaches, reduce inflammation, and other common ailments, including this ground-ivy. Just some basic knowledge.”

“Oh…” Hailey dropped the subject, no longer pressing for more information. Once the medicine had been applied, she seemed to forget about the pain. Her gaze shifted towards Moulmore. Worry was etched on her face as she spoke, “Who exactly are those people? What should we do?”

Oliver didn’t know either. His eyes could discern myriad things in the world, but couldn’t identify people.

Thoughts of Julian crossed his mind when he contemplated those individuals.

only person we can rely on is Fabian. However, he’s most likely

With money as an incentive, there’s nothing in Manchernius that can’t

even a short while of sitting there resulted in bites and

the surroundings once again, and to his surprise, he stumbled upon several wormwood plants known for repelling mosquitoes. He swiftly plucked them, crushing them to extract their juice. Oliver then applied the juice onto Hailey’s beautiful face, hands, and exposed skin. He then proceeded to do the

the wormwood juice was applied, its scent became prominent, and the mosquitoes kept their

and potentially dangerous place, he feared the thugs might discover them or that venomous

as the sky began to brighten, that exhaustion finally overcame Oliver,

even more cozy spot. The cushion beneath him was soft and emitted a subtle

hotel?” Fabian murmured

the sound of chirping birds above abruptly jolted Oliver out of his tired musings. “No, this is the

instantly snapped him into full alertness. Opening his eyes, he discovered that he

a radiant apple in the

Ms. Fox, an untouchable woman far above my

recollected that she had rested her head on his leg the previous night, so how

her leg now?

didn’t have time to dwell on it. He swiftly sat up and moved to assist

but before she could steady herself, she cried out, “Ouch!” Her left leg

alarm, “Ms. Fox, are you… injured

just a little numb…” Hailey blushed and

head on her left leg for an hour or two, and it was

foot? Is it getting better?” Oliver helped her settle down and

and nodded. “It’s much better. The pain is manageable as long as I don’t exert too much pressure. I’m not sure if it will hurt when I

had mostly come off. Hailey’s delicate foot was

herbs to apply to it.” Oliver stood up, intending to find more ground-ivy, but his phone suddenly