Lucas turned to Coco. "You don't always have to thank me," he said. "Do you have anything planned for later?"Coco shook her head. "Nope. I have nothing planned for today.""Then accompany me to a place," he said."Where?" she asked."You'll see," he said, checking the time. "If we leave now, we can have lunch there."The two got back into the car, and Lucas drove off in a northward direction. After half an hour of driving, Coco's face contorted with discomfort. She recognized this road and remembered it correctly. It was the road to Grelin Valley. This was where the tragic accident had happened. The road to the north of the city had appeared hundreds of times in her dream! "Lucas… Where are you taking me?" Coco murmured, her face so pale."Grelin Valley."When she heard the answer, her face turned ashen. "No! I don't want to go!" Grelin Valley was a nightmare for her. It was where she had committed the unforgivable sin. She had insisted on going there as a kid and cried c
"Don't... Don't... Don't die, don't die..." Coco cried out like she was broken inside. The next moment, a pair of arms pulled her in a warm embrace."I'm sorry. I didn't realize you'd react so strongly. Sorry!" A familiar voice rang in her ears.Who was holding her? Was it mother?"Don't be afraid, Coco. You'll be fine. I'm right here, and it's gonna be okay. So don't be afraid…" The familiar voice continued to ring in her ears.Warmth flooded through her, and she glanced up to see a handsome face. He was usually cold and stern, but this time, he had a mixture of worry and anxiety across his face.It was Lucas.Coco stared at him blankly and wondered to herself. Who was he so worried and anxious about?"Coco? Coco?!"Lucas anxiously called out her name. He had brought her to Grelin Valley, hoping it would help her grieve her parents' death, but he never realized the true extent of her trauma. Halfway through the drive, Coco began to show trauma responses and reacted adversely.
Lucas grabbed some tissues and gently wiped away the tears from Coco’s face. "I had no idea you would react like this. It seems that I was too presumptuous to bring you here. Let me take you back now," he said, starting to make a U-turn. "Don't." Coco placed her hand on Lucas’s hand, which was on the gear shift. Taking a deep breath, she looked straight ahead and decided. "I... I want to go to Grelin Valley." She wanted to finish her vacation that had ended abruptly years ago.She had never dared to come here for so many years. She still hadn’t moved on from the ghost of her past. She knew Lucas wanted her to let go of this burden, and she knew that it was time for her to move on.Her parents in heaven might be happier to see her being happy too. Lucas looked at Coco’s red and swollen eyes. "Are you sure you want to go there?""Yes. I want to see Grelin Valley, and I want to see it for my parents," Coco said.His eyes flickered slightly, and he agreed after a moment of contemplati
Soon, the family of three walked off in another direction. It was such a heartwarming scene.Coco stared at them blankly, remembering how her father had used to carry her on his shoulders when she was little. She always felt so tall when he did that!Suddenly, a small fish swam past Coco's feet. Instinctively, she bent down to catch it but lost her balance and fell forward.Just as she was about to plunge face-first into the water, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her up.Lucas sounded exasperated, "What are you doing?"Startled, Coco turned to see Lucas’s slightly pale face. "I-I just wanted... to catch a fish.""Catch a fish?" He looked down at the little fish swimming in the creek and then noticed others around them also bending down to catch the fish. Then, he realized what was going on. "Did you think that I was trying to drown myself?" Coco asked. "Don’t worry, I wouldn’t do that. My parents fought hard to keep me alive. I should live happily so that their effor
Lucas booked a luxurious suite that had a picturesque view of Grelin Valley. The room had several sections, including two bathrooms."The bathrobes are in the bathroom. A staff member will come to collect your wet clothes and shoes for cleaning and drying. We should be able to return to the city by tonight," Lucas said."Okay," Coco replied. "I'm sorry for dragging you here and causing you to get all wet.""It's not your fault. You don't need to apologize to me," Lucas said. "Go take a shower quickly or you'll catch a cold."Coco then walked into one of the bathrooms.Lucas felt complicated. He didn’t know what had happened to him. His mind had gone blank when Coco almost fell into the creek just now, and he had instinctively rushed into the water to catch her.He knew that the creek was shallow and that she wouldn't be seriously injured even if she did fall. Yet, his body reacted differently on its own. He wondered if he was starting to care about Coco. He had indeed had a good imp
“It’s only a small cut, don’t fret over it,” Lucas said. Coco ignored what he said and continued checking his body for injuries. “Are you hurt elsewhere?”"I don’t think so," Lucas replied."Didn't you check your body when you showered?" Coco asked anxiously. "You need to check again to make sure nothing was missed.""How should I check for injuries?" He asked."You need to take off your bathrobe obviously…." Coco trailed off as her face turned crimson. She scolded herself in her heart for saying that. Lucas probably wasn't wearing anything underneath. Thinking about this, she subconsciously looked at his chest, which was partially visible underneath the bathrobe."Do you want me to take off my bathrobe?" Unlike Coco, whose face was burning, Lucas was completely calm, almost as if Coco had said something very ordinary.Coco was suddenly at a loss for words.Just then, the doorbell rang. Coco quickly stood up. "I... I'll get the door!"The hotel staff member soon delivered the first
Coco wanted to push Lucas down, kiss him, and…‘Stop it!’ She quickly reminded herself."All good, then," Lucas said while pulling his bathrobe back up. "Do you need to check my lower body?" He added suddenly.Coco's face turned even redder. She quickly turned around and stammered, “No... You... you can do it yourself. If there's any injury, you should apply the ointment."Coco’s voice was shaky as she tried not to let her thoughts wander. If she did, she might really end up doing what she wanted."Sure," he replied.Coco was relieved when Lucas didn’t notice any injuries on himself.They spent the next few hours in the hotel room. Lucas was browsing his phone, checking messages and emails. Coco, having nothing to do, found some blank paper and a pen, and she started sketching a portrait of Lucas.Usually, she could draw him swiftly, but today, she kept pausing. Whenever she tried to draw something below his neck, the image of him letting his bathrobe slide off his body kept popping
That mere physical contact made Coco’s heart race and set her skin on fire."I... I’m going to take a rest first!” Coco pushed Lucas away and darted into the nearby bedroom after saying that.Lucas frowned slightly at the closed door.Coco leaned against the door, panting. Just a touch from Lucas made her feel like throwing herself at him.She wondered if it was because she had just seen his body or because her feelings for him were stronger now, so she desired to be closer to him. Coco tried to calm down by taking deep breaths.However, the intense beating of her heart seemed to tell her how much she loved him!Coco stayed in the room to avoid Lucas until there was a knock on the door.She was startled, unsure if she should open the door. "Coco, dinner is ready. Come out and join me," Lucas's voice came from outside.After a moment of hesitation, Coco replied, "Go ahead and have dinner first. I'll eat later.""Are you not feeling well?" he asked."A little.”"I'm coming in," Lucas s