Chapter 55: Choose To Be There

Lumi instantly froze.

"What do you mean by married?"

She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry from the unexpected words that had just dropped from the mouth of the man in front of her.

Evan scratched his temple, even though there was clearly nothing there to scratch.

Just moments ago, when the words had slipped out of his mouth, his own heart had nearly jumped out of his chest. He had thought about it before, but saying it aloud had made the idea feel much more real than he expected.

"I mean..." Evan paused, gathering his thoughts. "I’m interested in you, and I would really like to take you as my life partner."

He looked straight into her eyes, carefully watching every little change in her expression. "But... the choice is still yours."

Lumi stared at him. Her mind had completely stopped working.

’Interested in me? As in... interested?’

Her cheeks slowly turned red, "But... Why me?"

Evan’s expression softened slightly. "Because you’re you."

Lumi blinked. That answer somehow made her even more confused. "I don’t understand..."

"I know." He leaned back slightly, giving her enough space to breathe. "I’ve had time to think about it while you were unconscious."

Lumi quietly listened.

"You’re my Fated Guide, but I don’t want to marry you simply because of that connection. Being Fated doesn’t mean either of us has to become the other’s partner."

His voice remained calm. "If we were only going to work together as Sentinel and Guide, I would accept that. But after everything that happened..." His gaze lingered on her. "I realized I don’t want our relationship to stay that way."

Lumi’s heart began beating faster.

Evan continued, "I want to know you properly. I want you beside me, not because the Fated Connection says you belong there, but because you choose to be there."

Lumi’s eyes widened slightly.

For someone who had spent her entire life being told what she should do, where she should belong, and which choices were supposedly better for her, those words felt strangely unfamiliar.

’Because I choose to be there...’

Her fingers slowly curled into the blanket.

She was silent for almost a minute, gazing at Evan’s face before lowering her eyes back to the blanket.

"Just so you know... I can’t hear your inner thoughts at this moment." Evan pressed his lips together anxiously. "And it really makes me nervous when you stay this quiet."

Lumi blinked and looked up at him. "I’m sorry..."

"No, you don’t have to apologize." Evan straightened. "I’m just saying..." He smiled awkwardly, as though he suddenly realized he had made the situation more difficult than it needed to be.

"I don’t expect you to give me an answer right away. Take your time and think about it properly. I’d rather hear an answer you’re certain about than one you give me because you feel pressured."

Lumi stared at him quietly for a moment.

"But... you really mean it?" she asked softly.

Evan’s smile faded into something gentler.

"I do."

Her fingers tightened slightly around the blanket.

"Even though... I’m not a Guide like Celestine?"

Evan frowned faintly.

"That has nothing to do with it."

"But you need a Guide."

"I do."

His answer came without hesitation, and Lumi’s gaze dropped again.

Evan noticed the change in her expression and quickly continued, "But needing a Guide and wanting you are two different things, Lumi."

She looked up at him again, clearly caught off guard by his words.

"I wouldn’t ask you to marry me just because you can help me when I lose control." His voice softened. "If that were all I wanted, there would be much easier ways to solve my problem."

Lumi’s heart gave a small, unfamiliar flutter.

Then why me?

She almost asked aloud, but the words stayed inside her.

Evan watched her for another moment before giving a quiet sigh.

"So, take your time."

Lumi nodded slowly.

"Okay..."

Then, after a brief hesitation, she added in an almost inaudible voice, "I’ll think about it seriously."

An awkward silence filled the room.

Neither of them seemed to know what to say after that, and eventually, Evan cleared his throat.

"I can be discharged already."

Lumi blinked. "Really?"

Evan nodded, "The doctor said my condition is stable enough."

"Oh..." She hesitated for a moment before looking at him again. "Then... What about me? I asked the doctor earlier, but he said he still needs some time to monitor me." She looked down at herself, then added almost pleadingly, "But I really feel all right now..."

Before Evan could respond, Lumi suddenly pushed herself upright on the bed.

"See? I feel all right now." She turned around and pulled up the sleeves of her hospital gown, showing him her arms. "There aren’t any wounds anymore."

Evan stared at her for a moment.

Lumi seemed determined to prove her point. She pulled the collar of her hospital gown aside to show him her neck, then, as if that still wasn’t enough, she was already reaching toward the front of her gown.

"I don’t even have any pain here anymore, so if I show you—"

"Ah." Evan immediately reached out and stopped her hand. "I understand."

Lumi froze. "I will ask the doctor for you, okay?"

"But—"

"No." His answer was gentle but firm. "I know you feel all right already, but we still need to ask for the doctor’s approval."

Lumi’s face slowly turned red.

"I just feel too bored here..." she mumbled. "There’s nothing to do."

"I know." Evan sighed, then carefully wrapped an arm around her waist before she could make another attempt to demonstrate her miraculous recovery. "Come down first."

"Huh?"

He lifted her from the bed and placed her gently on the floor, keeping one hand at her waist until he was sure she was steady.

"You could fall."

The moment their eyes met again, Lumi’s face turned even redder.

She instantly looked away and cleared her throat. "So... Can you ask the doctor now? I don’t want to stay here any longer."

Evan nodded his head and smiled. "Wait here..."

Lumi nodded obediently.

She watched Evan’s back as he walked toward the door, and once he disappeared from the room, a small smile slowly appeared on her lips.

For some reason, just watching him leave made her feel strangely happy.

She quietly hopped toward the door and peeked outside, intending to see him for a little longer before he went to find the doctor.

However, her smile instantly faded when she heard several nurses talking about a metre away from her room.