CHAPTER 208: CHAPTER 208

"Yes," Raymond nodded slowly, his voice reassuring. "You’ve been doing so much lately, running yourself to the ground. It finally caught up with you. That’s all. You just... needed rest."

Her eyes scanned his, as if trying to read between the lines. Trying to see if there was something he wasn’t saying.

But his calm expression didn’t crack, he didn’t want her to carry fear.

Not today.

"You’re okay now," he said softly. "That’s what matters."

At that moment, Valentina sat silently by the window, watching the raindrops tap gently against the glass. Her eyes didn’t blink as much, her fingers tightly gripped the edge of her seat, and her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t know what was happening to her anymore. Her body felt fine no aches, no fevers but her heart? Her heart was heavy in a way that no amount of rest or calm could fix.

It wasn’t the kind of worry that came from inside her. It was like something had seeped into the air around her, a creeping dread that wrapped around her skin like a cold blanket. And she wasn’t the only one who felt it. Remote—who always had a quiet strength about him—was acting strange. Too quiet. Too forced. His usual calm presence had turned stiff, like someone trying too hard to smile when everything inside them was falling apart.

Valentina noticed it right away. The way he avoided her gaze. The way he paused too long before answering her questions. The way his shoulders tensed when she touched him, as if he didn’t want her to feel the storm brewing underneath his skin. She wasn’t a fool. Even if he didn’t say it out loud, even if he tried to keep it hidden behind forced smiles and empty reassurances, Valentina knew—she felt—that something was deeply wrong.

She tried to ask him. Tried to reach him. But every time she got close, he pulled away. "I’m fine," he’d say. "It’s nothing." But it was something. And it wasn’t small. She could see it in his eyes, how they darted away when she looked at him too long. Hear it in his voice, how it shook slightly no matter how calm he tried to sound.

And that scared her. Because Remote didn’t scare easily. He didn’t panic or fumble, not even in the darkest times. So whatever this was—whatever had shaken him like this—it had to be serious.

But all in all, Valentina couldn’t deny one thing Raymond had never given her any reason to doubt. He was always calm, always in control. No matter how chaotic things got, he was the one person who never lost his grip, never let his emotions spill out in a way that could frighten her. And because of that—because of how steady he always was—she found herself holding on to that steadiness. It was like standing in a storm but trusting the one person who kept saying, "You’ll be alright." Even if the winds howled louder, even if her thoughts spun wildly, she clung to that one quiet voice.

So despite everything—despite the strange way her heart had been racing lately, despite the pounding headache that came without warning, despite the sudden heaviness in her chest—she was... a little relieved. Because if Raymond, the one who was always in charge of her well-being, hadn’t panicked, then maybe there was still hope. Maybe it wasn’t that serious. Maybe her mind was just playing tricks on her. Maybe, just maybe, nothing was going to happen to her—and nothing ever would.

Still, she couldn’t ignore the tension in his eyes, even though he tried to hide it behind half-smiles and vague reassurances. He was trying hard to mask something, but Valentina wasn’t foolish. She saw the cracks beneath the calm, the way his hands trembled when he thought she wasn’t looking. And yet, she chose not to speak on it. Not yet. She wasn’t ready for answers that might change everything.

At that moment, without wasting any more time, she turned to him and forced a small, tired smile. "Thank you," she said, her voice soft but sincere. "For everything you’ve done for me and everything you still do. I’m going to be fine, I know I will. I mean... I don’t really know what’s wrong with me, but if you say it’s just because of all the work and stress, then okay. That’s okay."

But even as the words left her lips, something inside her twisted. Deep down, she could tell that that was not it, that something is extremely wrong. The manner in which her head just suddenly just bashed, she could feel that something was wrong and it was not really good, it was not cool.

So at that moment, without wasting any more time, Remote made a choice—not out of deception, but out of desperation. He didn’t want to scare her, not when she was already overwhelmed, not when she looked so lost and fragile. His expression softened as he knelt beside her, placing a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Listen," he said calmly, meeting her eyes with a forced smile, "You don’t need to worry, okay? Nothing is going to be wrong with you. I’m very, very sure of that."

He tightened his grip slightly, as if trying to ground her with his touch.

"You’re going to be just fine. You hear me? I’ve got your back—always. I’ll take care of everything. You don’t need to be afraid, not even for a second. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, Valentina. I’m sure of it."

His voice was steady, warm, but there was something hidden just beneath it. A crack in his tone, a shadow in his eyes that she didn’t fully catch—but it was there.

"Don’t think about what might be wrong. Don’t let it bother you. You’re safe. You’re with me."

And just like that, Valentina felt the weight on her chest ease just a little. The air felt a little lighter. It wasn’t that the worry had disappeared completely—it was still there, lurking in the corners of her heart—but for a brief moment, she believed him. She believed that everything would truly be alright. Maybe not because the signs were reassuring, but because the man holding her hand had never let her down before.

She nodded slowly, her lips parting into a soft, grateful smile. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay."

So at that moment, Valentina was relieved—like extremely relieved. It wasn’t just his words, it was the way he said them, the way he looked at her like he would fight the world just to keep her safe. She felt protected, wrapped in a kind of warmth she hadn’t felt in days.

Raymond, standing behind them all this time, finally stepped forward. His voice was low and serious. "We’ll ask more questions and try to understand what’s really happening. But first, we’re going to get help."

He looked at Raymond briefly before turning back to Valentina. "I’ll call one of our best doctors. Someone we trust. They’ll come check on you and help you get yourself back, okay? You don’t have to do this alone."

Valentina gave another nod, holding tightly onto the hope that was offered to her like a lifeline.

However, Raymond was still very, very much angry. Because he knows that whatever this is, it wasn’t something that just happened all of a sudden.

It wasn’t just some random incident that happened out of nowhere. Raymond knew that. He had seen the signs, tracked the patterns, and this... this wasn’t the first time. It kept happening—again and again. The fainting spells, the headaches, the way her balance seemed to betray her sometimes. He had tried to write it off as exhaustion, stress, even poor diet. But now, with each passing day, the symptoms were growing stronger... and more dangerous.

What shook him the most was the moment earlier—when he had been helping her up and she stumbled so badly, he reflexively grabbed her arm to steady her. But in doing that, he accidentally gripped her too hard, and she let out a small cry. The sound still echoed in his ears.

He almost broke her arm.

That moment haunted him. It wasn’t who he was. It wasn’t the kind of man he ever wanted to be around her. His anger wasn’t even at her—it was at himself. At the situation. At the helplessness that crawled through his veins when he couldn’t fix what was happening.

So for that reason, Raymond took a breath, calmed his voice, and looked directly into her eyes. "Don’t worry about anything, alright?" he said softly, but firmly. "I’ll make the phone call. I’ll handle everything. You just need to rest. I’m going to give you everything you need—everything you should want. You don’t have to lift a finger."

There was something deeper in his tone now. A sense of urgency. A promise. He meant it.

Valentina, still sitting there quietly, nodded in agreement. She didn’t have the strength to argue. She didn’t even want to. Deep down, she appreciated that Remote was stepping in, because her body was starting to feel like it didn’t belong to her anymore.