Chapter 144


    Rosalie kept deathly silent as if she were immersed in her own world. It wasn’t until the doctor


    attempted to extract the album from her that she suddenly returned to her senses and gripped it


    tightly with both hands. “Don’t!”


    “The doctor won’t be taking it away. He only wants to inspect the wound on your hand, Jonathan


    uttered softly. “Rosie, hand it to me and let the doctor thoroughly check the wound on your hand. All


    right?”


    His voice sessfully caught her attention, and she fixed her eyes on him. “J-Jon,” she mumbled.


    Tm right here. Tell me, what happened?”


    Her lips trembled, and the tears she held back began pouring down her face again. “The photo


    album containing photos of me and my mother was burnt.” she choked.


    It looked like more tears poured down her face every time her thick, curlyshes trembled.


    Jonathan was shocked. “So this charred booklet is Rosalie and her mother’s photo album?”


    It was clear enough to Jonathan how important her mother was to her during the time he and


    Rosalie lived together.,


    The doctor took advantage of the opportunity to inspect Rosalie’s hands. He immediately began


    treating the burns, cleaning and bandaging them up after taking a look at them.


    The bruise on the back of her hand hadn’t recovered yet and was now exacerbated. Her fingertips


    were all wrapped with


    gauze.


    Rosalie was mute throughout the process as if she couldn’t feel the pain. This made others feel


    even more sympathetic toward her.


    Jonathan reached for his handkerchief and used it to wipe the tears on Rosalie’s face. “Don’t cry…”


    He was at a loss when faced with her tears and state of distress. While he was all-powerful in


    Strico, he could do nothing about Rosalie and her mother’s photo album. He couldn’t recover it, no


    matter the amount of wealth he possessed.


    The only thing he was capable of at the moment was wiping her tears.


    “While there are several scald wounds, they aren’t too severe. All she needs to do is avoid contact


    with water and apply medicine once daily,” said the doctor.


    “Will there be any after-effects?” Jonathan asked.


    “All of them are just surface wounds. The nerves and muscles are unscathed, but I’m afraid it will


    leave some scars.”


    Jonathan couldn’t help frowning.


    Rosalie insisted on holding the half-charred photo album in her arms again as soon as her hand


    was bandaged as if she was clinging to her treasure.


    Jonathan pursed his thin lips. He lifted Rosalie again, strode out of the emergency room, and


    returned to the car,


    “Don’t worry about the scars. I will find an expert to remove them for you once your wounds get


    better,” he assured.


    Rosalie slowly raised her head, and her gazended on Jonathan’s face. Tears still hung on her


    lashes, but her eyes seemed to recover lucidity gradually. After a while, she apologized, Tm sorry


    for losing self-control just now.”


    She’d treated him as the Jon from the past while she was in agony and bawled her eyes out to


    him…


    “Was the anguish too much that my mind became muddled?” Rosalie questioned internally.


    “There’s nothing to be sorry for. You are always allowed to behave however you like with me.”


    Her nose twitched, and the tears she’d held back began to fall down her cheeks once again.


    “If you really feel like crying, let it all out, Rosie. His fingers gently swiped across the bottom of her


    eyes.


    Jonathan calling her by her nickname was like a key that unlocked the bitterness and sorrow she’d


    suppressed, letting them


    all out.


    Rosalie couldn’t restrain her emotions anymore and finally burst out wailing.


    Since when had shest cried her heart out? Despite how desperately she cried and how much she


    shed, they’d all been useless, as she only had herself to rely on. Tears were nothing but worthless


    things.


    When she heard Jonathan call her Rosie, it brought to mind her mother and her younger brother,


    who was already fully formed in the former’s belly, who never had the chance to call her name. ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    “Would I have been less lonely with true family by my side if Mom and my little brother had not


    passed on from the start?” she questioned herself.


    Jonathan was startled by Rosalie’s bawling. While he’d felt pity for h


    when she wept silently while biting her lip, he was now


    His entire body stiffened as he took in the tears flowing down her face unceasingly. He felt as if his


    blood and every single nerve had frozen.


    He had never experienced such helplessness in his life. Not when his mother abandoned him and


    his father, nor when his father froze to death in the snow. All he felt back then was detachment and


    a wry sense of tragedy.


    None of it came close to the powerlessness he felt now.


    In the face of the inconsble Rosie, he felt intensely conflicted.


    While he wished to alleviate her pain, his body refused toply and was so stiff that he couldn’t


    do anything.


    Just then, she threw herself into his arms, buried her face in his chest, and incessantly cried with all


    her might.


    Her tears soaked the clothing material on his chest and seemed to prate his body, entering his


    bloodstream to flow into his heart.


    After a long time, Jonathan raised his stiff hand and hugged her gingerly.


    She was free to let her tears out when she was in pain and depressed. But that was an exclusive


    privilege for him, and no other was allowed to witness her fragile side.


    His desire to have her for himself grew ever stronger as time passed.


    When the car arrived at the Youngblood residence, the driver got off respectfully. On the other hand,


    Jonathan remained seated in the same position where he held Rosalie in his arms so that she could


    cry as much as she needed.


    Rosalie’s cries finally stopped after a long time seemed to have passed. He looked down to


    discover that she’d fallen asleep.


    Her face was tear-streaked, her eyes were swollen, and her hands were bandaged with gauze.


    She was a heart-rending sight.


    All of a sudden, the phone in Rosalie’s pocket began ringing, Jonathan nced at the screen and


    saw Lillian’s name disyed as the caller ID. His brows furrowed, and he answered it.


    “Hello, Rosalie. Why weren’t you home today? Are you working overtime?” Lillian’s voice sounded


    from the other end of the


    line.


    “She’s not staying there at the moment and is now sleeping. If you need anything else, call her


    tomorrow,” Jonathan lowered his voice deliberately, lest he disturb Rosalie from her slumber.