The Heiress's Comeback-Chapter 228: [ Volume 1] Chaper -Broken bones.

Esme’s face softened, and she gently placed her hand over Helga’s, offering a rare glimpse of vulnerability. "Helga, I can’t stop. Not while there are people depending on me... and threats that need to be dealt with. This life—it’s what I chose. I have to be ready for anything."

Helga sighed, shaking her head with a faint smile. "You’re impossible. Just... try to remember there are people here who would prefer if you didn’t act like a stuntman every other day."

Esme chuckled softly and then, without warning, clamped a hand over Helga’s mouth. "Enough. I swear, Aaron’s right—you act like my mother sometimes. Don’t you think there’s a limit to mothering your friend?"

Helga’s eyes sparkled as she pulled Esme’s hand away, a grin breaking through. "Oh, believe me, I know there’s no changing you. Just... don’t make me regret caring, okay?"

For a moment, the exhaustion in Esme’s eyes softened, replaced by gratitude and trust.

As the banter between Helga and Esme faded, the door swung open, and Rayn walked in, his expression focused, a small medical kit in hand. The sight of him silenced Helga’s laughter instantly, her usual lightheartedness replaced by a mask of quiet composure. Without a word, Rayn crossed the room, settling by Esme’s side with a purposeful calm.

Just then, Jay appeared as well, carrying a warm tub of water and a pristine white cloth. He set it down, dipping the cloth into the water before handing it to Rayn, who began gently wiping away the grime and dried blood from Esme’s face. Each stroke was precise, his touch surprisingly tender, though his gaze betrayed a quiet fury upon seeing the extent of her injuries. Every bruise and cut on her cheek, every scrape hidden under her tangled hair, only added to the tension in his eyes.

Lifting a handful of her hair to inspect the damage beneath, Rayn’s mouth tightened. "We’ll need to cut her hair," he stated flatly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Both Esme and Helga looked at him, stunned. Esme’s hand instinctively reached up to her hair, the beautiful, flowing locks that had always been her pride. Her lips parted in a silent protest, but Rayn’s unyielding gaze met hers, and she hesitated.

"It’s too long," he explained briskly. "With the wounds on your scalp, it’ll just make things worse if it snags or tangles. Not to mention the risk of infection. It’s either that or..." He looked at her, deadpan. "I could shave it all off."

Esme shuddered at the idea, a reluctant smile forming as she muttered, "I suppose a shorter cut is the better option then."

Ryan took the scissors from the kit and, with deft hands, began to trim away her locks. Silence filled the room, broken only by the soft snipping sound. When he finished, he handed her a mirror. Esme’s fingers reached up, brushing through the shorter, uneven strands, feeling the unfamiliar lightness. A small smile curved her lips—though different, it suited her. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Not bad," she murmured, admiring her reflection. She turned to Ryan, a hint of playful skepticism in her gaze. "You’re a doctor, not a barber, right?"

Ryan gave her a steady look, his hand still gripping the scissors. "Do you doubt me?"

Seeing the small blade glint in his grip, Esme put her hands up in mock surrender. "No, no, just saying you’re surprisingly good at this," she replied, a grin breaking through.

Ryan shrugged, a faint smirk touching his lips. "I used to cut Jay’s hair. He was a worse patient than you."

Jay chuckled from the corner, a teasing glint in his eye as he looked at Ryan. "You weren’t exactly gentle back then, either."

Jay’s cheeky grin faded instantly under Ryan’s stern glare, and he quickly averted his eyes, pretending intense interest in the floor. Esme caught this small exchange and nearly laughed, but as Ryan’s eyes shifted to her, she swallowed it back, pressing her lips together like she’d never even considered it.

After finishing with the bandages, Ryan carefully assessed her injuries. Beneath his calm facade, a storm brewed; he was counting more fractures and bruises than he had anticipated.

One of her ribs was fractured, and her foot—while not entirely broken—had a hairline crack that had almost severed the bone. Ryan wrapped her foot in a cast, his movements controlled but precise. When he was done, he set her up on IV fluids, and even arranged for a blood transfusion, his attention to detail leaving no room for error.

Straightening up, Ryan glanced at the medical report he’d been holding, and then turned back to Esme, his face deadpan. "Tell me," he began, "have you donated your body to science?"

Esme blinked, visibly confused. "No... why?"

Without missing a beat, Ryan pulled a paper from his bag and held it out to her, his tone as dry as desert air. "Then sign here. If you’re intent on pulling stunts like this, I might as well lay claim to your remains now."

For a split second, she gaped at him in shock, and then an amused smile crept across her face as she leaned back, clutching her ribs with a painful chuckle. "You’re hilarious, Rayn. Are you trying to take ownership of me even after I’m gone?"

He arched an eyebrow, the faintest smirk flickering at the corner of his mouth. "Well, I’ve already spent too much time patching you up. I’m simply protecting my investment."

Jay, watching the entire exchange, couldn’t resist a laugh and chimed in, "At this rate, you’ll need a whole cemetery plot just for Esme’s broken bones."

Ryan shot Jay a half-amused, half-warning look, while Esme merely rolled her eyes, clutching the pen and scrawling her signature on the paper with dramatic flourish. "Fine," she sighed. "But only because I trust you’ll make good use of my bones."

As she lay back down, she couldn’t help but feel the warmth of her friends’ presence surrounding her, each quip and sarcastic comment bringing her a strange kind of comfort.