Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 37: I want to, but I’m afraid of the pain

“Go to sleep.” After Scarlett tucked him in, she turned off the ward light, lay back in the bed next to him, and turned her back to Ethan to sleep. The ward instantly fell silent.

Ethan lay in the hospital bed, turning his head to look at his aunt’s silhouette. In the dim light, a bit of moonlight shining through the window outlined the graceful curves beneath her thin blanket.

His mind was completely blank now, her words still echoing in his ears.

She had said she needed time to think, not that she had refused.

Why hadn’t she refused?

Ethan was in a strange predicament. If his aunt really agreed, although his lifelong wish would be fulfilled, he wouldn’t be able to complete his mission.

But if he really could be with his aunt…

Images of his aunt’s graceful, voluptuous figure and her pale, smooth skin flashed through Ethan’s mind.

It seemed like he could die happy.

That night, he dreamt of sleeping with his aunt for the first time in a long while.

The next day arrived.

Scarlett hid in the school’s gym equipment room at noon, biting into a sandwich. She looked around to make sure no one was there, then patted the dust off a mat and sat down cross-legged.

She worked at the school and often had to tally up gymnastics equipment orders, so she had the keys to this place.

After settling down, she scanned her surroundings again to make sure no students were hiding there during lunch, then pulled out her phone.

She opened a mysterious adult website, selected a movie, and hit play.

Scarlett watched intently, then, still holding her sandwich, started to mimic the actions.

Fear flickered in Scarlett’s eyes, her beautiful face twisted with conflict.

“Mom, what are you doing?” A cool voice sounded from behind her.

“Ah?!” Scarlett jumped back half a step, hiding her phone behind her, and when she saw it was Blair, she relaxed. Blair was dressed in a basketball outfit, holding a basketball, her eyes staring intently.

“Phew…” Scarlett breathed a sigh of relief, placing one hand on her hip and looking up at Blair, who was a head taller than her. “Outside, you should call me ‘sister’. Were you looking for me?”

The two were sisters, but because of the significant age difference, Blair had always insisted on calling her ‘mom’ when she was little. Scarlett simply let Blair call her ‘mom’, and as Blair grew older, it just never got corrected.

Their relationship was more like that of mother and daughter.

Although Blair was a member of the women’s basketball team, she usually had no reason to come to this equipment room.

“Yeah, I didn’t see you in the office.” Blair’s gaze was suspicious as she looked at the phone behind Scarlett.

Scarlett quietly turned down the volume on her phone behind her back, then casually put it away. “Is something up?”

“I’m thinking of quitting the basketball team,” Blair said.

“Why?” Scarlett’s eyebrows knitted together in concern. Blair was a key player on the school’s women’s basketball team. “You’re about to compete in the national women’s college basketball tournament, right? Why quit now? Winning the championship is your dream, isn’t it?”

“Ethan doesn’t have much time left,” Blair said calmly. “Even though he seems to be recovering, I asked the doctor, and his condition isn’t really improving. I want to spend more time with him in the end.”

Scarlett hesitated, then said, “I think he wouldn’t want you to give up your dreams for him. I can make more time to be with him.”

“It’s not about him,” Blair shook her head. “I want to spend more time with him myself.”

Silence fell between them.

Scarlett opened her mouth several times, then stopped, finally looking up at Blair with a resigned expression. “Blair, you’ve grown up, but don’t let yourself have regrets.”

She felt guilty, realizing that although Blair called her ‘mom’, she hadn’t fully lived up to the responsibilities of a mother.

“Yeah.” Blair nodded, then suddenly raised her hand, holding two beautifully packed lunch bags. “Mom, want something to eat?”

“Ah?” Scarlett, holding a sandwich, looked at the elegant lunch boxes in Blair’s hands. Guilt filled her heart; she should have been the one preparing lunch for Blair, but now Blair was taking care of it herself.

Thinking of how Blair, not skilled in cooking, still stubbornly prepared lunch for herself, Scarlett’s eyes suddenly reddened with emotion. This was all love.

Her child had grown up and was now taking care of her mother.

“I’m sorry…” Scarlett’s eyes welled up with tears, thinking about how she hadn’t prepared lunch for Blair since Ethan fell ill.

Sharing a meal at noon was an important social interaction among women.

Thinking of Blair’s friends eating lunch together and chatting, while Blair had to hide away, Scarlett felt a pang of heartache.

She watched as Blair opened the beautifully packed lunch box, revealing a spread of delicious food that seemed too lavish for a student’s lunch.

“Uh,” Scarlett was taken aback. “Blair, your cooking skills… have improved a lot.”

“Ah? These were given to me by friends.” Blair explained as she opened the lunch box. “They said they made an extra portion and it would be a waste to throw it away every day… Mom, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Scarlett raised her hand, holding back tears, clutching her sandwich. “Blair, you’ve really grown up.”

It turned out she was the one pitifully eating sandwiches every day.

As evening approached, Scarlett didn’t return to the hospital. Unsure of what face to show Ethan, she sat in a fast-food restaurant, resting her chin on her hands, watching the people outside the window.

The glass door of the fast-food restaurant was pushed open, and a woman in a suit walked in. “Hey, Scarlett, it’s been a while since we’ve caught up.”

“Yeah, long time no see.” Scarlett smiled, the woman in the suit was one of her few friends.

They exchanged updates about their lives.

“Calling me out suddenly today, you must have something on your mind?” The woman in the suit held her coffee, her gaze scanning Scarlett. “Let me guess, it must be about a man.”

“Ah?” Scarlett gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Pfft, I was just saying that randomly.” The woman in the suit covered her mouth, giggling. “Come on, if it’s about love, asking me won’t steer you wrong.”

“Well…” Scarlett looked around, choosing an angle where they wouldn’t be easily overheard. Two beautiful women sitting together would definitely attract attention.

To speak without worrying about being overheard, she lowered her voice and asked a question,”Does it hurt to have sex with a man?”

“?”The woman in the suit’s hand, holding the coffee, froze mid-air, her expression slowly turning amused, and then she burst into laughter.