When She Walks Away (Teresa) novel Chapter 192

Chapter 192

Naomi was lost in thought when Charles suddenly opened his eyes.

“Naomi,” Charles called out, his voice gentle.

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Charles sat up and turned to face Naomi, unable to hold back when he saw how troubled she looked.

Naomi snapped back to reality at the sound of his voice. She looked up at Charles, her tone soft. “Charles, what’s wrong?”

Charles looked at her with concern, his tone soft with a hint of affection. “Are you tired?”

Naomi shook her head, giving him a gentle smile. “No, I’m not tired,” she said softly.

Charles reached out, gently patting Naomi on the head, his tone doting. “I’ll walk you back.”

Naomi shook her head softly. “No need, I’ll stay here with you–and with Yolanda.”

Charles furrowed his brows, speaking with gentle firmness. “Yolanda’s got me here. You should go and rest up, you’ve got your experiments tomorrow.”

Seeing how determined he was, Naomi finally gave in. “Alright, then.”

Charles stood up, then reached out his hand to Naomi. “Come on, I’ll walk you back.”

Naomi stared at his big outstretched hand, spacing out for a second. For some reason, she couldn’t help but recall the way Troy had just wrapped Teresa in his arms.

‘Maybe this is a really good chance, Naomi thought to herself.

‘If Troy’s misunderstood me, now would be the best time to explain,‘ she mused internally.

After thinking it through, Naomi gave a gentle smile. “Charles, you’re already exhausted, no need to make a special trip just for me. I can just catch a cab myself.”

Charles still looked uneasy, insisting, “That won’t do. I’ll feel better if I walk you back myself.”

Seeing his stubbornness, Naomi changed tactics, “Yolanda’s still here anyway. Go keep her company. I’m really okay–I got here just fine by myself, remember?”

Charles hesitated for a moment.

At the mention of Yolanda, Charles finally relented. “Alright, I’ll have Liam come walk

you back.”

Naomi couldn’t help but feel a rush of unexpected happiness at how much Charles cared. But she still had to go see Troy, so she smiled and insisted, “Seriously, don’t worry. I’ll keep you updated all the time, so stop stressing over me.”

Charles didn’t say anything else, but he stubbornly waited until Naomi had gotten into the cab. It was only after he watched the taxi disappear into the distance that he finally turned and walked back into the hospital.

Once inside the cab, Naomi leaned forward and said to the driver, “Hey, just pull over up ahead. I’ll give you a hundred bucks.”

The driver, hearing such a good deal, happily agreed right away.

After getting out, Naomi pulled out her phone and opened WhatsApp. She typed a message to Troy: [Mr. Hamilton, are you free to come out and chat for a bit?]

Once the message was sent, Naomi made her way toward the hospital,

It was already late, and Naomi knew it wasn’t exactly safe for a girl to be out walking alone at this hour.

So, heading back to the hospital was clearly the most sensible option.

Instead of returning to the inpatient wing, Naomi settled down on a bench in the hospital courtyard and waited for Troy’s reply. Meanwhile, after Troy had carried Teresa back to her hospital room, he was all set to comfort her and maybe spoil her a little.

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Chapter 192

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But before he even had a chance to speak. Teresa beat him to it. “Troy, I want to take a shower.”

Hearing that, Troy was caught off guard. He just stared at Teresa, searching her face for any sign that something was off.

But there was a smile in Teresa’s eyes, as if she wasn’t the least bit bothered by what had just happened between Charles and Naomi. Troy didn’t ask any more questions. He quickly got up and said, “Alright, I’ll get some hot water ready for you.”

Once the water was running, he went to fetch her pajamas and some clean underwear.

After everything was set, Troy came back to the bedside and said, “Let me carry you to the bathroom.”

Teresa watched Troy running around, taking care of everything for her. She couldn’t deny how much it moved her–she felt something warm flutter in her chest.

And when he tried to pick her up, her face grew hot. “Troy, I can go by myself,” she murmured, cheeks pink.

Troy paused for a second, then quietly let his hand drop.

He didn’t push her. If Teresa didn’t want to be carried, he’d respect that he’d let her be.

Teresa slowly made her way into the bathroom, then slid the bolt shut behind her.

smile.

Not long after, Troy came back with a basin of warm water and set it down by Teresa’s feet. “Soaking your feet when you’ve got a cold helps–or so they say. Get some sweat going tonight, and maybe you’ll feel better quicker,” he said softly, the care in his voice obvious.

Teresa was just about to remind him that there wasn’t any real science behind it, but Troy cut in first, “Honestly, I’ve only heard it works.

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Chapter 192

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ers

You’re the doctor here–I’m probably just playing doctor. Still, even if it doesn’t kick the cold, a nice soak should help you sleep better.

With that, Troy pulled a small stool out from under the bed and sat down in front of her, reaching out to gently lift Teresa’s foot.

Seeing this, Teresa’s heart was thrown into chaos. She pulled her feet back, flustered, her voice low and uncertain. “Troy, please, you don’t have to–I can do it myself, really.”

But Troy gave her no chance to refuse. With gentle insistence, he picked up her foot and settled it into the basin of warm water.

Without missing a beat, he began to massage her foot–hesitant and a bit clumsy, but determined to care for her.

His movements were far from expert, heavy–handed even, yet something about the way he tried made Teresa’s eyes sting unexpectedly.

Teresa watched Troy fuss over her and couldn’t help thinking, ‘He’s doing all this, and for what? If he was just out for his own benefit, he wouldn’t go to such lengths–there’d be no reason for all this.

Teresa couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Maybe he really does like me?‘

She tried several times to pull her foot away, even offered to do it herself, but Troy just gently but firmly kept hold of her foot. “I’m your lover–taking care of you like this is my job. You just relax and let me spoil you,” he said, his tone soft but matter–of–fact.

Hearing that, Teresa fell quiet, her heart stirred even further by his words.

Teresa looked down at Troy, crouched at her feet, awkwardly kneading the sole of her foot–as if he was worried he might hurt her, clumsy but painstakingly gentle all the same.

If his strikingly handsome face weren’t so unmistakable, Teresa would’ve almost wondered if someone was impersonating Troy just to treat her like this.

After the foot soak, Troy let Teresa get into bed.

When he came back from emptying the basin, he leaned over and gently tucked the blanket around her.

As he did, he asked softly, “Baby, I need to step out for a bit. Is that okay?”

Teresa was tucked in tight, her head the only thing peeking out.

She looked up at Troy, and couldn’t help but think, ‘Did he really see himself as my lover?‘

But deep down, Teresa wondered, ‘What makes me worthy of having him as my lover?‘

Still, she kept those words to herself. Instead, she said softly to Troy, “You’re free. You can go wherever you want–you don’t need to tell me.”

Troy immediately picked up on Teresa’s attempt to wriggle out of things and quickly replied, “No, I’m only free when it comes to the things you’ve agreed to, remember?”