As Wren examined Clara's injury, he asked about her pain. After confirming that Clara had only sprained her ankle and hadn't damaged the bone, he sighed, relieved. "It's just a sprain and no bone damage," he said.

Wren stood up and looked at her soaked appearance, his worry mixed with a hint of heartache.

His voice carried a touch of reproach as he said, "The rain was pouring, and it was dangerous outside. Why didn't you ask me for help instead of going out there by yourself?"

Clara hadn't expected something like this to happen. When Wren scolded her in his usual tone, she instinctively lowered her head like a child caught in the wrong.

But then, she reminded herself that this wasn't the past.

"If you weren't here, I'd still have to handle things myself.

"Didn't you say I'm an adult now, and I shouldn't depend on you for everything? That I need to grow and be independent?" she shot back.

Wren was taken aback by her response, almost laughing in frustration. "You've really grown, haven't you? Using my own words against me."

"I'm just stating the facts," Clara said, meeting his gaze. "Coming here was my choice. I'll have to deal with unexpected situations sooner or later and learn to adapt. If I ask for your help now, who will I turn to next time?" "Then, come back with me to Phoypolis. None of this would have happened!" Wren's voice was laced with anger, and his brows furrowed deeply.

Thankfully, he hadn't left. If he had, what would Clara have done after injuring herself tonight?

Luckily, it was just a sprain. But if it had been more serious... He couldn't even imagine what might have happened to her.

Clara was silent for a moment. "You know that's not possible."

Wren's expression darkened. He instinctively wanted to argue, but seeing her in such a pitiful state, he suppressed his frustration. He scooped her up from the couch and strode toward the staircase. "Put me down. I can walk on my own," Clara said with a frown.

Wren held her firmly, giving her no chance to struggle. "If you want your ankle to swell even more and be unable to walk tomorrow, feel free to try and struggle."

That stopped Clara from arguing. She still had class the next day.

Wren carried her upstairs after she finally quieted down. He was about to take her to the bedroom when Clara stopped him.

"I need to clean up first."

She was covered in mud and water-it was unbearable.

After a brief hesitation, Wren carried her to the bathroom instead.

"Your foot..." he started.

But Clara quickly interrupted, "It's already much better. I can handle it. You should change into dry clothes and get some rest." Wren's clothes were soaked again.noveldrama

"Alright. Go ahead and wash up. Just call me if you need anything," he

said, carefully setting her down lines

before closing the bathroom door behind him.

He quickly changed into dry clothes in his room, grabbed two fresh towels and went downstairs. As he reached the bottom, he ran into

Alexander, who was just coming in.

"How is she?" Alexander asked immediately.

"She sprained her ankle," Wren replied, pausing before asking, "Is there a pharmacy nearby?"

"No," Alexander responded curtly. "There's only a hospital and a small clinic in town, but they're both closed at night."

Wren's expression tightened as he prepared to head upstairs to grab his phone and figure out how to get some medicine. Alexander stopped him and handed over two bottles of pain relief spray from his pocket.

"This is all I've got, but it should work."