Chapter 735

Stewart's hands needed immediate medical attention.

No one spoke in the car. The file folder from Xenia Cooper remained in Briony's bag.

They arrived at the hospital shortly after nine in the evening. Briony told Crystal to park the car while she took Stewart straight to the emergency room.

A nurse began cleaning his wounds. Once the mud was washed away, the full extent of the damage was visible. Nine of his fingers were covered in deep cuts and scrapes. Several of his nails were torn and bleeding profusely.

The nurse winced just looking at them.

Briony's gaze drifted to Stewart's left hand, to the missing little finger, and her brow tightened.

Sensing her stare, Stewart lowered his eyes. "The prosthetic fell off. I'll get a new one made, it won't take long."

Briony looked up from his hand to his face. He kept his gaze downcast, his expression unreadable, but she guessed he was ashamed for her to see him this way.

She looked away, her voice soft. "I'm going to make a phone call."

"Okay," he replied.

The doctor explained that Stewart's wounds were full of dirt and would need to be thoroughly debrided to prevent infection. The procedure would be painful, but at least there was local anesthetic.

Briony called Carl and asked him to bring a change of clean clothes to the hospital.

By the time she finished the call, Stewart's debridement was done. The doctor had applied medicine, and a nurse was bandaging his hands.

Briony walked over, her expression calm and gentle. "I called Carl. He'll be here soon."

Stewart looked up at her. "Are you leaving?"

His question made her pause. She looked at him, at the intense, almost nervous heat in his eyes.

Briony sighed softly. "Stewart, I know everything now. I know you and Xenia never got a marriage license and I know how much you sacrificed for me. I also know that tonight was a test deliberately set up by Xenia to help you."

५

Stewart stared at her, stunned.

"What you've done for me... I'm moved," Briony continued, her eyes reflecting his pale, handsome face "Focus on getting better for now. We can talk about everything else later, when you've had time to heal."

A light sparked in Stewart's eyes. "Okay."

"I need to go check on Star now," Briony said. "You wait here for Carl. With your wounds and the IV dúp for the inflammation, you won't be able to go home for a while."

"Okay," Stewart agreed.

Briony turned to leave, but his hand shot out and gripped her wrist.

"Hey!" the nurse exclaimed. "I'm not done wrapping that!"

Briony turned back, frowning. "Stewart, let go. Your wound is bleeding again..."

"Are you with Maynard?"

Briony froze.

Stewart's dark eyes bored into hers. "Tell me, Bryn. Tell me you two aren't together. You're not, are you?"

She looked at the raw emotion in his reddened eyes and felt a wave of helplessness. He had become so much more emotionally vulnerable.

"Don't be ridiculous," she said gently. "Maynard and I are just friends."

A wave of relief washed over Stewart. A warmth spread through his chest, and he could feel his heart beating strong and fast.

His eyes grew misty. His voice was low, deeper and more resolute than ever before. "Bryn, I'm never letting go again. No matter what happens, I will never let you go."