Derek clung to Tabitha like a koala to a tree trunk, refusing to let go.
His voice was urgent and filled with longing as he declared, "Tabitha, you have no idea how long I've been searching for you! Every day, every night, your image haunted my thoughts. I was such a fool. If I had known you would vanish completely, I never would have let you go."
Tabitha's heart skipped a beat at his words.
Recalling her departure, she realized how strange it had been—how smoothly she had left.
Back then, Tabitha had barely left when someone came chasing after her. Had Derek known of her plan from the start?
If he had wanted to stop her, he could have nipped her plan in the bud.
"Why did you let me go, then?" she asked.
Derek, lost in the joy of their reunion, poured out his feelings unreservedly. "I've always felt guilty for the wrongs I did you. I wanted to make amends."
Tabitha gazed into Derek's eyes, noticing the red marks on his face.
Despite his usual handsomeness, these marks added an air of mystery, like a villain in a film.
She knew he still couldn't see and was oblivious to the complex emotions in her eyes.
"You used to fight tooth and nail to keep me," she pressed.
Derek's voice wavered. "I realized that forcing you to stay would be like keeping a potted plant without water or sunlight—you would wither away. I didn't want to see you like that. I thought long and hard, and finally, I let go. But I never expected you to disappear completely, like a kite with a severed string."
As he spoke, Derek lowered his head and kissed Tabitha's neck passionately, as if to reclaim the scent of her he had missed.
"I regret it every night," he murmured. "Without you, every day is torture."
Tabitha broke free from his kiss, flustered. "Stop this," she said.
Derek reached out, gently touching her face as if afraid it was all an illusion.
He whispered, "Tabitha, do you know? I nearly died a few days ago. I wasn't afraid—I even thought, if I die, I could be with you and protect you and the children."
"You..." Tabitha was astonished. Over the years, Derek's once-sharp edges seemed to have been completely smoothed.
His current demeanor was almost unrecognizable to her.
Despite his blindness, he appeared like a child who had regained his most cherished toy, overjoyed.
" Why haven't you visited me in my dreams?" he continued. "Do you know how much I've missed you? Without you, I feel like I can't hold on much longer..."
Tabitha was touched by his words, but she didn't forget her purpose here.
Alvin had gone to fetch herbs and would return soon. Time was limited, and she needed to check Derek's condition quickly.
In a soothing tone, she said, "Alright, I understand. Just behave, and I won't leave. I just want to see how you're doing."
For the anxious Derek, her words were a command that instantly calmed him.
His mind, dulled by the medicine and the poison's effects, became unusually docile.
"Really? If I behave, you won't leave?" he confirmed eagerly.
"Yes, just lie still and do nothing," Tabitha said with relief, glad to have placated him.
Derek lay down as stiffly as a soldier obeying orders, motionless.
Tabitha took a deep breath and gently pulled back the towel covering Derek's body.
The sight of his muscular physique struck her with unexpected force, quickening her pulse.
She had glanced at him before, but her focus had been entirely on the red marks on his body. This time, the intense visual impact made her heart race.
Forcing her gaze away from his defined abs, she focused on the examination.
With careful hands, she retrieved her stethoscope and placed it on his chest, listening intently to his heartbeat.
The cold metal of the stethoscope against Derek's skin made him murmur, "What's this cool thing, Tabitha? Why does this dream feel so real?"