Chapter 9

Casey Hathaway helped Brent Haines sit down carefully on the bench by the roadside. Her eyes were filled with concern. From time to time, she touched his cheek to check on his condition. “Are you really okay? Maybe we should go to the hospital anyway. Although hypoglycemia isn’t serious, it can’t be taken lightly.”

Brent Haines shook his head gently, leaning closer to him. His voice was soft. “I’m really fine. I just need to rest for a while. I don’t want to go to the hospital. Ever since I injured my eye, I’ve been terrified of going there.”

Seeing the resistance and fear in her eyes, Case Hathaway’s heart softened. He stopped insisting and simply took her hand, speaking in a tone that was both helpless and affectionate: “You really are impossible to deal with. Let’s sit here for a while. Once you feel better, I’ll take you upstairs.”

“Case.”

“Hmm? I’m here.”

“Case.”

“I’m here, always have been.”

Brent Haines kept calling her name over and over again, like a child would. With each call, she leaned closer to him. Case Hathaway responded patiently, gently patting her back in a wonderfully tender manner.

Just then, Brent Haines’s phone rang, breaking the silence. She took her phone out of her bag and saw that the caller was “Mom”. Her cheeks instantly turned red, and she quickly answered the call.

“Hey, Mom.” Her voice was soft, with a hint of barely noticeable shyness.

“Brent, when are you coming back? It’s already so late. Did something happen?” Mrs. Haines’s voice sounded worried on the other end of the line.

“Mom, I’m fine. I’ll be upstairs in a moment. Someone brought me back. Don’t worry.” Brent Haines glanced at Case Hathaway secretly, his cheeks turning even redder. “Okay, Mom. We’ll talk about this when we get home. I’m hanging up now.”

After hanging up the phone, Brent Haines didn’t dare look Kayce Hathaway in the eyes. His gaze darted from side to side, and his fingers unconsciously twisted at the hem of his shirt.

Casey Hathaway watched her shy expression and guessed most of it already. He teased her on purpose, “Brent, did Auntie ask who brought you home?”

Brent Haines’s face turned red instantly. He quickly shook his head. “No, that’s not it. My mom just asked me when I’d be coming home.”

Case Hathaway smiled and didn’t expose her lie. Instead, he said, “Since we’re now boyfriend and girlfriend, and it’s all proper and honest, I should take you downstairs. But maybe we should also go up and meet your uncle and aunt. That would be polite, don’t you think?”

“No! Absolutely not!” Brent Haines became immediately agitated. He waved his hands frantically, his voice tinged with panic. “My parents aren’t ready mentally yet. Let’s talk about it another time, okay?”

In truth, Brent Haines was lying. It wasn’t that her parents weren’t prepared, but rather that she herself wasn’t ready. This was her first love affair. Case Hathaway was her first boyfriend. She was afraid that her parents wouldn’t like Case Hathaway, that Case Hathaway would be questioned too much by her parents and reveal details about his family background. Most of all, she feared that her parents would bring up the incident with her injured eye—that was the deepest scar in her heart.

She was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to notice that the smile on Case Hathaway’s face gradually faded, replaced by a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

“Brent Haines.” Case Hathaway’s voice grew softer, with a hint of barely detectable resentment. “Am I really so unwelcome to my uncle and aunt? Or do you simply not want them to know I exist at all?”

“No! That’s not what I meant!” Brent Haines hurriedly explained, his eyes slightly reddening. He still couldn’t meet his gaze. “I just… I thought it was too sudden. We’ve just started dating. Let’s wait until things are more stable before I introduce you to them, okay?”

Casey Hathaway watched her timid demeanor, and a growing sense of disappointment filled his heart. He wasn’t angry that she wouldn’t let him meet her parents, but rather angry at her avoidance and secrecy. They had just started dating, and yet she was already hiding things from him. This made him worry that their future might be filled with secrecy and distance.

“Brent,” his voice softened, with a hint of fatigue, “I’m not forcing you. If you don’t want to, then it’s okay. But I hope that between us, there are no secrets, no things hidden from each other.”

Brent Haines watched his disappointed expression, and his heart ached as if pierced by needles. She knew that if she didn’t tell the truth now, there would definitely be a rift between them. Taking a deep breath, she mustered her courage, looked up, and shouted, “It’s not that I don’t want to bring you to meet my parents. I’m just too embarrassed! This is the first time I’ve brought a boy home. I’m nervous, I’m afraid my parents won’t like you. I’m afraid of… everything going wrong!”

Casey Hathaway was stunned. Looking at her reddened eyes and the way she clutched the hem of her dress nervously, he immediately understood what she was thinking. All the disappointment and hurt from earlier vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming concern and joy.

After saying that, Brent Haines felt extremely embarrassed. He stamped his foot, covered his face, and ran down the hallway. “I’m going upstairs now. You should head back early too!”

Casey Hathaway watched her flustered figure disappear into the distance, then couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer. His hearty laughter echoed across the night sky.

Brent Haines, hiding behind the hallway door, heard his laughter. His cheeks turned even redder. He cursed himself for being such a weakling, yet couldn’t help but peek at him through the crack in the door.

Casey Hathaway laughed for a while before gradually calming down. Then, he shouted toward the hallway, “Brent, I’m waiting for you to take me to see my uncles and aunts! Get some rest early. Good night!”

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Upon hearing his words, Brent Haines couldn’t help but smile. He took out his phone and, as expected, saw a message from Case Hathaway: “Get some rest early. Stop overthinking things. I’ll always be with you. Good night, my girlfriend.”

She looked at the message, a sweet smile on her face as her fingertips gently touched the screen. But this sweetness didn’t last long. She remembered Ilona Finch’s threats, remembered the truth behind her own eye injury. Unease once again overwhelmed her.

She took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. In the living room, Mr. and Mrs. Haines were sitting on the sofa, waiting for her. Mr. Haines had a cold expression on his face, while Mrs. Haines leaned in, clearly curious. “Brent, you’re back? Tell us, who’s the boy who brought you home? Is he your boyfriend? When can we meet him?”

Brent Haines’ cheeks turned red instantly. He protested playfully, “Mom, please stop asking. We’ve just started dating. I’ll bring him home when things get more stable.”

Mr. Haines snorted coldly, his tone serious: “It’s fine to date, but it shouldn’t interfere with your painting. And you mustn’t sacrifice yourself for the sake of a relationship. What’s that guy’s character like? What’s his family background like? You can’t let yourself get deceived.”

Brent Haines felt his heart tighten. He quickly said, “Dad, he’s fine. He’s a good person and treats me well. You don’t need to worry.”

She didn’t dare tell Mr. and Mrs. Haines that Case Hathaway was the son of a wealthy family. Nor did she dare tell them that Ilona Finch had set her eyes on her. All she could do was pray in her heart, hoping that this hard-earned happiness would remain stable, just a little longer. But what she didn’t know was that an even greater crisis was quietly approaching.