Chapter 240
His tear fell with a soft plop, landing squarely on the back of Riley’s hand.
Finished
She froze, a pang of sorrow twisting in her chest. In that instant, she thought—this man must have been starved of warmth for so long that even the smallest flicker of kindness from a stranger had bloomed into something vast and overwhelming inside him, enough to draw tears.
Riley took a deep breath, snatched the moldy bun from his grip, and tossed it into the garbage. Then she shoved the bread, water, and the bills into his arms.
From start to finish, the man never once lifted his head to look at her, never spoke a word.
Riley had been about to offer a few words of encouragement, but just then, the bus arrived.
“Miss, let’s get on,” Mia urged, gently tugging her.
Riley cast the man one last deep glance before boarding the bus with Mia.
It wasn’t until the bus had rumbled away from the stop that the man finally gathered the courage to raise his head. His face came into view–Maddox.
That night, battered and barely conscious, he’d been dragged to the hospital by Duke on Lucien Duskgrave’s orders. The Alpha Prince of Stormridge had commanded that Maddox’s legs be taken. But when the doctor saw him, they revealed the truth–both legs had already been smashed to pulp. His bones were shattered beyond repair, shards piercing through skin and muscle.
Even without Lucien’s order, amputation had been inevitable.
When Maddox was wheeled out of the operating room, both legs were gone from the thigh down. When the anesthetic wore off, he awoke to agony so raw it stole his breath. The moment he realized what had been done to him, the world went gray.
He had no coin to pay for his treatment. The hospital kept him one day before casting him out. Even his wheelchair vanished, leaving him to drag himself across the ground with what was left of his body.
By day, he scavenged in trash heaps. By night, he curled up on park benches. A life worse than a stray dog’s.
And yet nothing cut him deeper than seeing Riley again like this.
She hadn’t recognized him.
Spirits above, he wanted to reveal himself–wanted to tell her everything. But in this state? Legless, filthy, broken? How could
he?
He clutched the bag she’d given him to his chest, his eyes glued to the bus as it carried her away. Tears streamed unchecked down his gaunt face.
Riley… I was wrong.
When would she forgive him? When would she remember? When would she… take him home?
Curling into the shadow of the trash bin, Maddox whispered hoarsely to the empty air, “Riley… I failed you. I’m paying for it
now.”
Now he knew–what it meant to have your legs smashed. The white–hot agony.
Now he knew—what it felt like to be spat on, pitied, dismissed.
Now he knew–the hollow ache of hunger.
Back then, she had worked herself to the bone, competing in every tournament during the busiest season of her schooling just to win scholarships–just to hand all her money to him so he could study in peace.
And now… she was still the same. Giving him what little she had left.
Riley have you already forgiven me?
12:54 PM P p.
Chapter 240
Finished
Images flooded his mind–Riley trailing behind him like a shadow, eyes bright with trust. And him, swearing to protect her for life.
The tears came again, unbidden.
“If I’d known it would end like this,” he rasped, “I never would’ve gone into law. Maybe if I hadn’t become a lawyer, we wouldn’t be here now.”
He muttered to himself for a long while before tearing open the bread, devouring it in desperate bites.
Riley… even for you, I have to stand up again.
When Riley returned to the Duskgrave estate with Mia, Matriarch Duskgrave was arranging flowers on the sofa. The moment she saw Riley, she set them aside and beamed warmly.
“Riley, you’re back.”
By the time she stepped inside, Riley had already smoothed her expression into something bright and easy, hiding all trace of earlier pain.
“Grandmother,” she greeted with a smile.
But the old wolf’s joy faltered the moment her gaze fell on Riley’s reddened eyes. Concern deepened the lines on her face.
“Riley… your eyes–why are they so red? Have you been crying? Did someone hurt you? Tell me, and I’ll see to it myself.”
A rush of warmth swelled in Riley’s chest, so sharp it almost brought fresh tears.
Indeed–those who truly cared could read you with a single glance. Those who didn’t… never would,
Send Gifts
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