He Took Me For Weak And Helpless Chapter 13

He Took Me For Weak And Helpless Chapter 13

A week later, Summer completed her discharge paperwork without any trouble.

Ethan stood waiting outside the rehab center, her small bag already in his hand.

“All set?” he asked naturally, taking the rest of her things from her.

“Yeah. No more rehab after this.”

Summer smiled, her legs fully healed now, all the old weakness gone from her body.

As promised, Ethan drove her out to the wildflower-covered hills beyond town.

Little flowers rippled in the wind across the slopes, and the air was sweet with their scent.

It was so quiet there that the only sound was the wind, exactly the kind of place Summer loved.

The two of them walked side by side through the flowers. Neither of them tried too hard to fill the silence, yet

there was an easy understanding in every step they took.

When they reached a bench in the middle of the flower fields, Ethan stopped and turned to look at her

seriously.

“Summer, I’ve been really happy being with you these past few weeks.” The warmth in his eyes was no longer

hidden. “I don’t want to be just your doctor anymore. I want to stay by your side as a man, to protect you and

take care of you.”

Summer’s heartbeat caught, and warmth rose faintly into her cheeks.

The companionship, respect, and gentleness of those days had already taken root in her heart.

The darkness Adrian had left behind was fading little by little, and the man standing in front of her had given

her the courage to love again.

She nodded gently.

“I do.”

Love lit up Ethan’s eyes at once, and he carefully took her hand.

By the time evening came, the sunset had painted the sky in shades of orange and gold.

Ethan drove her to a small villa by the sea.

The Carter patriarch had arranged it for her ahead of time. The house was in her name, quiet and safe.

Ethan opened the door for her. “Get some rest tonight. I’ll come see you tomorrow.”

Summer was just about to answer when a voice rang out behind her, familiar enough to freeze her blood.

“So this is your little home?”

Her whole body went rigid.

Slowly, she turned around, her pupils shrinking.

Adrian was standing beneath a streetlamp not far away. His eyes were bloodshot, and even in his disheveled state, he still carried that same suffocating pressure with him.

How had he found her here?

Ethan reacted at once, stepping in front of Summer and shielding her behind him, his brows tightening.

“Who are you? This is private property. You need to leave.”

Adrian ignored him completely. His gaze locked onto Summer, then dropped to their clasped hands.

Jealousy and fury nearly swallowed him whole.

“You’ve got some nerve, Summer.” His voice was rough and hoarse. “You run from me, and the next thing I know, you’re here playing house with another man?”

Summer tightened her grip on Ethan’s hand and lifted her eyes to meet Adrian’s. “Adrian, it’s over between us. You have no right to interfere in my life anymore.”

“I never said it was over, so it isn’t.” His voice hardened. “I exposed Lola’s lies. She deceived me and hurt you,

and I made her pay for it. So why the hell won’t you come back?”

“Because I refuse to be controlled by you ever again. What you gave me was never love. It was a cage. I’m doing fine now, so leave.”

Adrian’s gaze cut viciously toward Ethan. “Is this because of him? Some doctor who came out of nowhere, and suddenly that’s all it takes to steal you away?”

“Show some respect.” Ethan stepped forward, shielding Summer even more firmly. “She’s my girlfriend now, and I’m not going to let you hurt her. If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police.”

“She’s mine,” Adrian said darkly. “She’ll always be mine.”

He reached out to grab Summer, and she shrank back behind Ethan, feigning calm.

She had fought so hard to get away.

There was no way she was letting him drag her back.

The streetlight stretched the shadows of all three of them across the ground as the cold sea wind came in

off the water.

“I’m not going with you,” Summer said, her voice steady. “This is my home, and I’m never going anywhere with you again.”