"Then you should head back. But not alone in your state,

" Conrad paused before glancing at Dustin,

"Bro, take Felicia with you, okay?

" Dustin nodded,

"Sure.

", I wanted to refuse, but I knew it was futile; they would never let me go back alone given my condition.,

"What about you?

" I glanced at the bandage wrapped around Conrad's head.,

"I'll wait for Jefferson. We'll go back together once he's out,

" Conrad insisted, and it made sense., Jefferson, being bullied in a foreign land, would definitely feel worse if he found himself without a familiar face upon release., Yet, seeing Conrad like this, I feared Jefferson might feel even more guilty.,

"He's going to blame himself when he sees you like this,

" I warned Conrad.,

"It's fine, I'll come up with another excuse. Won't mention the accident,

" Conrad stood his ground., Realizing more arguing was pointless, I just asked,

"Can Jefferson still compete after this?

",

"That's still unclear. Depends on what his club decides and, of course, how Club Q handles this situation,

" Dustin chimed in., Deep down, I knew Ernest could smooth things over, but asking anyone else seemed pointless, especially since Ernest was avoiding me, perhaps even done with me. The thought choked me up, prompting me to immediately book a flight home on my phone.,

"And mine,

" Dustin interjected., His mention surprised me; I hadn't considered booking his ticket too. With nothing else to say, I just responded,

"Send me your details.

", Dustin pulled out his phone, and just when I thought he was sending his info, he said,

"Done, got us both tickets.

", Shocked, I heard him continue,

"Pack your bags, we're heading to the airport in an hour.

", I was speechless for a moment, before Dustin turned to Conrad,

"You might feel better, but take extra care. You're more precious now than ever.

" , It was a gentle nudge to Conrad, yet it reminded me of the blood I had donated to him., Dustin was subtly reminding Conrad that he now carried a part of me within him.,

"I understand,

" Conrad met my gaze as he spoke, his eyes complex. I broke the eye contact after a second, muttering,

"I'll go pack.

"

"I'll help,

" Conrad started to follow., But Dustin held him back,

"Rest up. I'll help Felicia pack.

", I didn't want to listen or be part of their brotherly squabble., I wasn't sure if Conrad was aware of Dustin's feelings for me, but Dustin's openness in front of Conrad made, me question if I had misread the, I, signs or if Dustin had simply moved, on , IMS, At this point, my focus wasn't on deciphering Dustin's feelings but on finding Ernest to clear the air., When Dustin found me, I hadn't started packing but was lost in thought., I packed light, just the essentials.,

"What's up? Still thinking about Ernest?

" Dustin broke the silence., I didn't reply but instead looked at him,

"Did you always know he was a universal donor?

",

"Yeah, my parents were always, protective because of his rare blood, type, making me step back for bis, sake, Dustin's lips curved into a wistful smile. én.swnovels.net, His words seemed to reflect reality. After joining the Wagner family, Dustin indeed always gave way to Conrad., I had thought it was out of kindness, letting his younger brother have his way., It turns out, it was all because of Conrad's unique blood type.,

"And me? Did you know I was a universal donor too?

" My question made Dustin's eyes flicker., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.