Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

Chapter 732

"It hurts?" Aaron asked, though the answer was beyond obvious.

Lena nodded, all obedient and small, which was so not her usual vibe. Normally, she was sharp and in control, but around Aaron? She turned into this quiet version of herself. It was weirdly funny, especially since she wasn't even that much younger than him. "Yeah, so stop moving my arm around," she said, trying to pull away.

Aaron, of course, ignored her and tightened his grip just enough to keep her still. "You need an X-ray."

Lena's eyes widened, practically screaming, 'An X-ray? For this? It's just a bruise!'

Her reaction was pure drama.

She sighed. "I'm fine. That's not necessary."

"If you were fine, it wouldn't hurt. Pain means something's wrong." His tone was all log, zero budging.

Standing in the doorway, I had to bite back a laugh. Watching Lena flail against Aaron's unrelenting CEO energy was a whole mood. I'd always thought Lena and Nate were a cute match, but now? Watching her and Aaron was... interesting. Total domineering-CEO-meets -flustered-bunny-girlfriend energy. I had to admit, it was fun to watch.

to something soft. "I just got punched. If I go get an X-ray and

softened, like she was trying to sweet-talk her way out of it, was next-level. Even I had a hard time resisting it, and it clearly hit Aaron too.

really okay?" Aaron

tried to demonstrate by moving her arm, but the second she did, pain flickered across her face, and she sucked in a

it," Aaron

obediently cradled her arm, gently massaging it. The silence that followed was thick, almost...

work to do? You can go," Lena said, clearly fishing for a polite way to shoo

shrugged but didn't budge. Instead, he said, "Families in cases like this act irrationally. Don't get involved again. And about the shift swap-this was between you and Dr. Dale. You're not responsible for the outcome, so stop blaming yourself."

+25 BONUS

was right. Even if this went to legal review, Lena wouldn't be held accountable. The guilt she carried?

She knew logically it wasn't her fault,

anything happens, call me," Aaron added, finally heading out. At the door, he gave me a quick nod-wordless but

tilting my head with a teasing grin. She rolled her eyes and halfheartedly tried to swat me, but the movement made her wince, sucking in a

seriously, are you good, or just pretending? If it gets worse, you need an X-ray. That arm's your scalpel MVP-you