Chapter 482

"I didn't hear it," Melody said, avoiding his eyes. "You did it on purpose," Jeremy said quietly but firmly. "You knew I'd be worried. You ignored me on purpose, didn't you?" Melody paused. Jeremy's eyes were filled with something unreadable, as if he was barely holding back a storm of emotion. But then, he reached for her hand and said in a calm voice, "I've been waiting for you for a long time. Let's go back." When she tried to hand him the crutch, he wrapped his arm around her waist instead and whispered into her ear, "Help me walk." After dinner, the two of them sat in silence. Neither said a word, but they both understood the things that were unspoken. That night, Melody didn't go home because Jeremy had caught another fever from the wind earlier in the day. She stayed by his side, watching over him through the night while he received IV fluids. Exhausted, she eventually fell asleep at his bedside. Sometime in the middle of the night, she stirred awake and saw that Jer