"How can someone who makes a complete mess of his own family affairs have the nerve to say he can take care of her?" Kaden Xavier’s deep voice was laced with sarcasm, his gaze at Shaun Quinn filled with undisguised contempt.

He clearly didn’t think Shaun was even worthy of being his rival.

After all, besides being Julian Hawthorne’s star student, Shaun had nothing on him.

"At least I wouldn’t two-time her and leave her hurt and miserable," Shaun Quinn replied calmly, his eyes dark.

The jab hit a nerve, and Kaden Xavier’s expression froze.

Suddenly, Wren Wynter shot up in bed with a terrified gasp, interrupting their confrontation.

"Wren."

"Junior!"

All three spoke at once.

"First Senior, Second Senior, why are you guys here?" Wren Wynter asked, turning her head stiffly to look at them.

"We were just in the area and thought we’d check on you. Are you all right? Does anything hurt?" Ho-ran Park asked with concern, pushing up his glasses.

"Don’t hide anything from us if something’s wrong," Shaun Quinn said, shooting a pointed glare at Kaden Xavier.

Kaden Xavier remained silent, his fervent gaze fixed on Wren Wynter’s pale face, his eyes filled with a deep, inconsolable ache.

’She’s lost so much weight,’ he thought. ’And she doesn’t smile anymore.’

"I’m fine. Sorry for making you worry." Wren Wynter forced a smile, not wanting her seniors to get the wrong idea about Kaden Xavier.

’Besides, if it hadn’t been for Kaden Xavier, I might not have escaped.’

"Are you really okay? What about your face?" Shaun Quinn was clearly unconvinced.

"I ran into some trouble in a cab, but it’s nothing serious now," Wren Wynter said, downplaying the incident.

Hearing this, Shaun Quinn silently clenched his fists.

"Be more careful from now on," Ho-ran Park said. "Have you put ointment on it?"

"Mhm." Wren Wynter could feel the sticky sensation on her face. ’Kaden must have put medicine on it while I was unconscious,’ she guessed.

"I’d like to rest a little longer. If there’s nothing else, maybe you guys should head back first?"

She was physically and mentally exhausted and didn’t feel like talking.

"Okay."

Shaun Quinn started to speak again, but Ho-ran Park held him back.

He shook his head at Shaun and all but dragged him from the room.

When Kaden Xavier still hadn’t left after a long while, Wren Wynter’s brow furrowed. "Kaden Xavier," she said coolly, "thank you for today. I’m sorry for taking up your time..."

Before she could finish, she was pulled into a warm, solid embrace.

"Wren, you never have to thank me," Kaden Xavier said, his voice hoarse. "Besides, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt in the first place."

’If I hadn’t been bringing her a nutritious meal, if I hadn’t insisted on following her, Wren would never have gotten into that taxi.’

’It was my fault!’

A prickle of emotion stung Wren Wynter’s nose. It was a lie to say she didn’t feel wronged.

The thought of nearly being violated, of never again seeing the people she cared about—it was impossible not to cry.

She pounded her fists against Kaden Xavier’s chest, sobbing loudly. "Why didn’t you get here sooner? Do you have any idea? I was almost... that man almost..."

Kaden Xavier soothed her in a low, gentle voice. "I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I never should have let you go back alone. It’s my fault."

But she knew it wasn’t his fault. It was her own stubbornness. It was her refusal to be entangled with him any longer that had led to this.

’And yet, who would have thought that he would be the one to save me in the end?’

Wren Wynter cried for a long time, eventually crying herself to sleep.

Kaden Xavier tucked her in and waited a while before leaving the room. He stayed at View Gardens the entire night, afraid Wren might be startled awake by a nightmare.

「The next morning.」

Wren Wynter came downstairs to find the living room empty.

"Uncle Chandler!"

Butler Chandler didn’t answer. Wren then realized that not only the butler was gone, but the cook was also missing. A flicker of worry sparked in her heart.

’Uncle Chandler would never leave without a word.’

Just then, Kaden Xavier’s voice came from the kitchen doorway. "Awake? Are you hungry?"

"You’re still here..." Wren Wynter mumbled.

After last night, things felt a little awkward with Kaden Xavier.

"Uncle Chandler had a family emergency and took a few days off. The cook went out for groceries and isn’t back yet. Come have some of this nutritious porridge to start."

Kaden Xavier emerged with a bowl of steaming hot vegetable porridge.

Wren Wynter was surprised.

She had never once seen Kaden Xavier cook.

Even when they were married, she had wheedled and pouted, asking him to cook for her, but he never had.

’Who would’ve thought I’d get to eat his cooking so easily after the divorce.’

’How ironic.’

"I thought you said you don’t cook."

"Is it too late to learn now?" Kaden Xavier asked, ignoring her question.

"For some things, it’s not too late. For others, it is," Wren Wynter replied, her heart as still as water.

’It wasn’t too late for him to learn how to cook. It was too late for them.’

Noticing the old burn and the fresh cut on the back of Kaden’s fair hand, Wren pursed her lips. She walked over to the TV stand and pulled out the first-aid kit.

"You should put some burn cream on that, so it doesn’t scar."

’Aside from his face, his hands were what she used to love most about him.’

’Slender and elegant.’

"You do it for me," Kaden Xavier said with a slight smirk, his tone making it sound like the most natural thing in the world.

"Can’t you do it yourself?" Wren refused to indulge his spoiled attitude.

"But I got these burns making porridge for you, Wren. You can’t be so heartless."

"I didn’t ask you to," Wren retorted with a cool snort.

Kaden Xavier sighed, a helpless, pitiful expression on his face, and lowered his head without another word.

"Kaden Xavier." Wren finally relented. She picked up the burn cream from the kit and said impassively, "This is the last time."

Her words were resolute and icy.

She was treating him like a stranger she knew all too well.

A chill seeped into Kaden Xavier’s bones.

As he watched Wren carefully tend to his burns, Kaden Xavier’s mind flashed back to the first year of their marriage.

He’d gotten into a conflict with a passenger over some issue and ended up with a minor injury.

When he’d gone to the medical office, he’d found Wren there, her face etched with anxiety.

Her brows had been knitted with worry as she’d gently cleaned his cheek, the concern in her eyes impossible to hide.

So unlike the placid mask she wore now.

"There," Wren said, letting go of his hand. "Try not to get it wet for a while."

After putting the first-aid kit away, Wren sat at the table. As she tasted the vegetable porridge, she was struck by a sudden realization: it tasted exactly like the porridge from yesterday.

’So, all those ’nutritious meals’ were made by Kaden?’

Surprised, Wren looked up, her eyes meeting Kaden Xavier’s gentle gaze.

"What is it?" Kaden Xavier asked.

"Nothing," Wren said, impassively looking away and focusing on her porridge.

After breakfast, Wren tried to leave for her shift at the hospital, but Kaden Xavier blocked her way.

"Are you really going to go to work with your face swollen like that?"

Uh...

’I really don’t,’ she thought.

But she didn’t want to be in the same space as Kaden Xavier, either.

"It’s getting late. You should go."

"Uncle Chandler is gone. I can’t rest easy leaving you here with no one to look after you."

"Don’t you have to go to the Xavier Group?"

Wren was about to argue further when the front door opened. The cook had returned, with Assistant Lynch trailing behind her.

"Mr. Xavier, I’ve brought all the documents."