At that moment, Ruby suddenly felt a sense of shared hardship with Sullivan.


    A dark glint crossed Sullivan’s eyes as he took in Ruby’s reddened gaze.


    He sighed and said, “Ruby, I have no ulterior motives. Helping you feels like helping the part of me that once feltpletely alone. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”


    Ruby bit her lip, feeling a twinge of emotion.


    However, she sensed that she and Sullivan were not on the same wavelength. While both of them faced disapproval from their families, she didn’t want to be someone slick and maniptive like him.


    She looked at Sullivan and spoke slowly. “Sullivan, I appreciate your help, but I think I’ll handle this on my own.”


    11


    Sullivan’s face fell, and he forced a wry smile. “You still don’t trust me, do you?”


    Ruby said nothing, her silence clearly confirming his suspicion.


    Disappointment flickered in Sullivan’s eyes as he lowered his head and said slowly, . Fine. If you don’t want my help, I won’t bother you again.”


    Watching him turn to leave, Ruby hesitated for a moment. After all, he didn’t seem to be faking his sadness. What if he really just wanted to help her?


    She dismissed that thought in an instant. Regardless of whether Sullivan wanted to help her or not, she didn’t want to get involved with him any further or owe him anything more.


    With that in mind, her previously restless heart gradually calmed, and her expression became moreposed. N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    After packing her things, Ruby turned off the lights, locked the door, and left.


    On her way home that night, the streets were crowded, which provided her with a bit of reassurance. Even if someone wanted to harm her, they wouldn’t dare do so in such a public ce.


    Despite this, she couldn’t keep living in fear of others. She needed a permanent solution to make her parents understand that they wouldn’t benefit from her anymore, so they would stop bothering her.


    While she was lost in thought, a panicked voice suddenly called out nearby, “Ruby,


    watch out!”


    Before Ruby could react<b>, </b>someone pushed her hard, and she stumbled to the side.


    In that split second, she watched in shock as a scooter crashed violently into Sullivan.


    Her eyes widened in disbelief, filled with confusion and panic.


    Why did Sullivan go out of his way to help her?


    After hitting Sullivan, the scooter rider quickly turned and sped away from the crowd.


    Just as it turned, Ruby caught a glimpse of the rider’s face—it was Alex from their vige!


    Alex had been orphaned since childhood and had no one to care for him. He had dropped out of school as a teenager and resorted to petty theft. He had even been jailed several times for stealing.


    To think that Margaret had sent him after her…


    Ruby couldn’t think about calling the police at that moment. She forced herself to ignore the pain in her body and rushed to Sullivan’s side. “Sullivan, are you okay? TM‘ll * take you to the hospital!”


    Sullivan’s left arm hung at an odd angle, likely broken. His face was pale, and cold sweat dotted his forehead, but he still managed to smile at Ruby.


    “I’m fine. Are you hurt? That scooter was too close to you. I didn’t have time to pull you back, so I pushed you away,” he said.


    Tears welled up in Ruby’s eyes as she shook her head, droplets spilling over, She choked out, “I’m fine… I’ll take you to the hospital right now.”


    When Sullivan saw the tears in her eyes, he froze for a moment. He instinctively reached out to wipe them away but stopped halfway.


    His expression returned to the gentle smile from before, “I’m fine. Don’t cry. It’s probably just a dislocated shoulder. I’m not seriously hurt anywhere else.”


    “You must be in so much pain,” Ruby said, looking at him with guilt.


    Her eyes were beautiful and clear, reflecting Sullivan’s face and revealing the darkness within him.