Arthur had no strength left to keep hitting him. Wind had been standing quietly by the door the entire time. He hadn’t stepped in to stop Arthur, nor had he tried to intervene. He knew—Arthur needed to let it out. In the midst of all this chaos, Arthur may not have been physically injured, but the pressure and grief weighing on his heart were no less than anyone else’s. One was the woman he loved. The other was his sworn brother. Two of the people he cared for most deeply—now both lying in a hospital bed. One crippled, paralyzed from the waist down. The other in a coma, unresponsive. Who could possibly endure something like that? Wind had seen all of Arthur’s pain with his own eyes. Just a few days ago, they were sipping tea on an aircraft carrier, laughing and enjoying the view. The next moment, everything had fallen apart. Wind couldn’t help blaming himself. If only he had been more alert, maybe he would’ve noticed the ambush sooner. But there are no “ifs” in this world. Arthur took a long time to catch his breath. Only then did Wind walk over. He extended a hand. Arthur grabbed it and stood up. Arthur looked down coldly at Solivair’s broken, battered body lying on the floor, then ordered Wind in a low voice, “Call the police. Make sure he rots in prison.” He paused, then added, “And Zane—since he’s so eager to follow Solivair, let him spend the rest of his life behind bars too.” “Yes, sir,” Wind answered solemnly. By the time Arthur returned to the hospital, he had changed into a clean outfit. The blood on his face and hands had all been wiped away. The Gibson family was keeping Ashley company, helping her with physical therapy. Taylor still lay peacefully in his hospital bed, like he was only asleep. Arthur stood at the doorway, watching Ashley try to lift her legs. His eyes stung.He took a deep breath, trying to settle his emotions. Only after forcing a smile and making sure no sadness showed on his face did he push the door open and step inside. The sound made everyone turn. Ashley looked up with a soft smile. “Arthur, you’re back.” Her smile was still just as warm and gentle as ever, as if nothing had changed. As if losing the use of her legs hadn’t affected her at all. But Arthur, with his sharp eyes, noticed the faint trace of sorrow behind that smile. He quickly walked over to her side and gently held her. “Yeah, I’m back.” “How are you feeling today? If you’re tired, take a break.” The rest of the Gibson family quietly stepped out, closing the door behind them to leave the couple alone. At the mention of her legs, Ashley’s expression dimmed. “They’re still the same. I can’t feel anything.” Arthur helped her sit at the edge of the bed. “Rest for now. We’re not in a rush. We’ll take it slow.” Ashley nodded, not forcing herself. More than the pain of physical therapy, what she feared most was letting Arthur see her in pain and feeling guilty because of it. She reached out and held his hand. Her eyes scanned his tired, gaunt face, and she reached up to gently stroke it with her fingers. This wasn’t the Arthur she wanted to see. She wanted to see him smiling, every day. To see his joy, his ease. After a moment, Ashley spoke again. “Arthur, do you feel guilty? Like it’s your fault my legs ended up like this?” Her question made Arthur’s eyes well up again. He lowered his head. The guilt and self-blame he’d tried so hard to suppress surged up all over again. Ashley squeezed his hand, looking serious. “But I’m happy.”Arthur looked at her, confused. Ashley went on. “If I hadn’t thrown myself in front of you to block that bullet… If something had happened to you…” She choked on the word die. She couldn’t bring herself to say it. Instead, she continued, “If something happened to you, can you imagine how devastated I’d be?” Tears welled in her eyes. “If you were really gone, I wouldn’t want to live either.” Ashley held back her tears and forced another smile. “So, Arthur… at the very least, we’re both still alive. We can still talk to each other. That’s already something to be grateful for, isn’t it?” Arthur stared at her in a daze. This silly girl… Still seeing that he hadn’t fully pulled himself together, Ashley reached up and pinched his cheek. “I’ve always believed that no matter how many hardships we go through, we’ll be together for the rest of our lives. So don’t blame yourself anymore, okay? Let’s just cherish what we have now, and live well.” Arthur’s eyes were damp. He nodded hard. “Okay.” Ashley smiled again. Her eyes were full of light, like there were stars shining in them. When she smiled, it always made people feel warm. She playfully pinched his cheek again. “That’s more like it.”