Chapter 524

Evelyn had no patience left for his teasing.

Dominic gestured weakly behind her, and Evelyn retrieved the medical supplies.

She helped him settle onto the bed, carefully dabbing alcohol-soaked cotton against his bloodied shoulder.

The wound wasn't fatal, thank God.

Though he must have been in excruciating pain from blood loss, Dominic remained eerily silent as she worked. Only the cold sweat beading on his forehead revealed his suffering.

There was something disturbingly attractive about him like this.

His bare torso tensed, every sculpted muscle standing in sharp relief.

The injury softened his usual predatory edge, transforming him into something vulnerable yet paradoxically more dangerous. The procedure took longer than anticipated.

As minutes stretched into hours, the night deepened around them.

Evelyn began by sterilizing the wound, then reached for the forceps.

The bullet remained lodged in Dominic's flesh, demanding extraction.

She studied his face. "Still refusing the hospital?"

Her experience with such matters was limited.

At twelve, she'd helped a neighbor remove a nail from his foot after a farming accident.

The principles might be similar, but this was entirely different.

Unlike a straightforward nail, bullets were treacherous. A single misstep could cause catastrophic damage.

Worse, the first aid kit lacked anesthesia.

Dominic would endure every second of agony raw.

The ultimate test of endurance.

His eyes remained closed. If not for the occasional twitch of his brows, Evelyn might have thought him asleep.

After an eternity, he murmured, "Just do it. Already dead anyway."

Evelyn hesitated. "There's no pain relief. You understand what that means?"

At this, Dominic's eyes snapped open.

His unfocused gaze found her face.

She knelt beside the bed, slightly hunched. A loose strand of hair framed her delicate features, softening her normally sharp appearance. Her petite form triggered something primal in him.

Dominic's breath hitched before he managed a lazy smirk. "Concerned about me, sweetheart?"

Evelyn rolled her eyes.

"How about I carve you up too? We can suffer together. Romantic, no?"

The man was clearly delirious.

Without ceremony, Evelyn located the bullet and plunged the forceps into torn flesh.

She may have twisted the instrument unnecessarily.

Dominic's entire body went rigid.

His hands fisted the sheets, veins standing out like cables beneath his skin. Sweat sheened his torso.

"Petty revenge?" He pressed his tongue against his cheek, the ghost of a smile tugging at bloodless lips. His voice emerged thready, barely audible.

Evelyn didn't pause. "You chose this. I warned you about the hospital."

The subtext was clear - his suffering was self-inflicted.

Dominic exhaled something between a laugh and a groan.

His smile widened as his gaze locked onto Evelyn with unsettling intensity.