Chapter 1283

Madeline wondered if she was missing Jeremy so much that she was hallucinating him, but the silhouette before her grew clear in her eyes.

She reached out to touch the approaching man, but the mere act of raising her arm tugged the wound on her shoulder.

“Mmph.” She made a muffled sound at the pain.

Jeremy strode over to sit by the bed and pull her into his arms.

“Linnie.”

Feeling the solid warmth against her, the corners of Madeline’s eyes burned. She raised her haggard and small face, her expression filled with heartache.

“Does it still hurt? Did the poison torment you again? You still have six doses. Promise me you’ll remember to take them on time.” She reminded in all seriousness, her clear eyes filled with worry and care for the man.

Jeremy held Madeline’s hand. “Don’t worry about me, silly. I’m okay.”

“How am I supposed to not worry about you?” Madeline met the man’s passionate gaze with a concerned one of her own. With difficulty, she raised her hand to caress his face. “I don’t want anything to happen to you again, Jeremy. I don’t want us to be separated again.”

Jeremy cupped her face and leaned down to seal her lips with his before he softly promised, “I swear.

We will never need to part again.”

He wrapped his arms around her to carry her. “I’ll bring you away now, Linnie.”

Madeline leaned against Jeremy’s chest, fully planning to leave with him until a thought flashed through her mind.

“Wait. Ryan still has my parents.”

“I just want to be with you, Linnie.”

“No, no. We can’t…” Madeline rejected. “Quick, leave first. You’re not safe here. If Ryan finds you, then —”

Bang!

Gun in hand, Ryan kicked the door down and entered, interrupting Madeline.

Anger engulfed the man as he raised the gun and aimed it at Jeremy’s heart without hesitation.

“If you’re so willing to die, Jeremy, then let me grant your wish.”

The gun was fired and the bullet shot through Jeremy’s chest.

Madeline felt her heart getting shot with his.

“Jeremy!” she shouted. The feeling of her heart being torn apart seeped into her bones.

Madeline’s eyes snapped open and they were met with a bright ray of sunlight that shone from the window to the side of the bed. It dawned on her that it was merely a bad dream.

Jeremy had not come over, nor did he die by Ryan’s hand.

Whew…

Madeline let out a silent sigh of relief as the erratic beat of her heart settled.

Madeline felt her heart shake through the aftershocks as she thought about what happened before she got shot.

The only thing that the dream had gotten right was that she was brought back to Ryan’s home again.

She remembered being held in Jeremy’s arms before she fell unconscious, so why was she back again?

Madeline slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. Her brows furrowed slightly when the wound on her shoulder was tugged, but she did not pay much attention to it.

She had already lost count of how much blood she lost and how many wounds she got across the years.

Click.

The room door was suddenly pushed open to reveal Ryan, who entered the room carefreely with a hand in his pocket.

Seeing Madeline awake, a smile graced his attractive features.

He made his way to the bed and quirked the corner of his lips at her pale and hollow complexion. “We’ll see if you dare to meet him again.”

His threatening words also served to warn Madeline to stop trying to meet Jeremy.

Madeline’s clear eyes stared coldly at Ryan, her pretty pink lips parting to say, “If getting hurt and bleeding is the price to pay for one of his hugs or a gaze from him, then so be it.”