Chapter 232:

🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙

He turned to the slope instructor and asked him to look after Daisy. Then he bent down, sliding one arm beneath my knees and the other behind my back. Before I could protest, he lifted me into his arms with steady, practiced ease.

I gasped, my hands instinctively gripping his shoulders. His hold was secure and warm, his movements sure despite the slope.

“Uncle Cyrus! Is Aunt Corinne okay?” Daisy’s small voice piped up from behind us as she followed alongside the instructor.

Cyrus glanced down at me, then back at his niece. “She’s fine, Daisy. I’m taking her to the doctor. She’ll be okay soon.”

I kept my eyes fixed on the snow-covered path ahead, my pulse gradually steadying as he carried me down the mountain. The warmth of his chest through our ski jackets was grounding, and I let myself focus on the rhythm of his steps rather than the ache in my ankle.

Corinne POV

Cyrus laid me gently on the examination bed in the medical office, his movements careful and deliberate. The resort doctor examined my ankle, pressing lightly on the joint and rotating it with gentle precision.

“It’s a minor sprain,” the doctor confirmed, applying an ice pack and wrapping the ankle in a firm compression bandage. “Keep your weight off it for the next couple of days, and you should be fine.”

𝖱𝗈𝘮𝘢𝗇𝘤𝘦 𝗮𝘯𝖽 𝘱a𝘴𝗌i𝗈𝗇 𝗼𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝗅𝗻𝗼𝗏е𝘭s.𝖼𝗼𝗺

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. A sprain was manageable.

Cyrus stood beside the bed, his brow furrowed with concern. His jaw only relaxed once the doctor confirmed the injury wasn’t serious.

Daisy ran over and leaned against the bed, her small hands resting on the edge of the mattress. “Auntie, does it still hurt?”

I smiled and stroked her hair. “Not anymore. Thank you for asking, Daisy.”

Once the doctor had finished, Cyrus stepped outside briefly to take a call. When he came back, he handed me a cup of hot chocolate, steam curling from its surface.

“Drink this. It’ll help,” he said.

I took the cup, its warmth seeping into my palms. “Cyrus, thank you… for today.”

He looked at me, his grey eyes soft in the dim light. “I should be the one apologizing. If I hadn’t invited you out here…”

“It’s not your fault,” I interrupted. “I was just being careless.”

He was quiet for a moment, then turned to Daisy. “Daisy, let’s not tell anyone about what happened with Aunt Corinne today when we get home, okay? And especially when we’re out, we can’t just say her name.”

Daisy nodded solemnly, though she probably didn’t fully understand. “Okay, Uncle. It’s our secret.”

Cyrus stroked her head, then turned back to me, a flicker of apology in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Corinne. It’s just that your situation is a bit sensitive right now. The media loves to stir things up, and I don’t want to cause you any unnecessary trouble.”

“I understand,” I said. “Thank you for being so thoughtful.”

.

.

.