Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 257

Phoenix and Pierce arrived safely at Starlight Heights.

The Veneno's engine cut off, and silence reclaimed the underground parking garage. The dim, yellow lighting cast long, sweeping shadows over their figures.

“Can you walk?” Phoenix unbuckled her seatbelt and glanced over at the passenger seat. Pierce's face was terrifyingly pale. His usual domineering aura was entirely masked by weakness, leaving him looking unusually fragile.

“Don't underestimate me,” Pierce scoffed coldly, using the door to pull himself up.

However, the movement aggravated his wound, and a violent stab of pain tore through his ribs. His legs gave out, and his tall frame slumped heavily back into the seat.

“Enough. Stop acting tough.” Phoenix sighed, stepping out and walking around to the passenger side. She opened his door and expertly slung his arm over her shoulder. “You're only human. You're not actually the Reaper.”

Pierce leaned heavily into her, letting her support most of his weight. As he did, the crisp, icy scent unique to Phoenix filled his lungs, cutting through the heavy stench of his own blood.

He turned his head, his lips hovering mere inches from her ear as he spoke in a raspy, shameless tone, “Phoenix, I took a hit for you. You're going to have to take responsibility for this.”

“Take responsibility?”

Phoenix paused and shot him a sideways glance, her lips twitching with amusement. “What? You want me to devote my life to you? Too late for that. We're already legally married, remember?”

Pierce's eyes gleamed with mischief, looking exactly like a fox whose trap had just snapped shut. “Since we're married, and your husband is currently severely injured, I obviously can't bathe myself...”

Phoenix pinched the bridge of her nose, genuinely amused by the man's sheer audacity. “You planned this, didn't you? I can just call your assistant to come help you.”

Pierce's expression instantly turned icy as he argued back with complete self-righteousness, “What? You don't want to take responsibility? Besides, do you really think I'd let a subordinate see me looking this pathetic?”

Phoenix looked up, her gaze locking onto his deep, dark eyes.

She suddenly realized that underneath his usual ruthless exterior, Pierce was actually showing a trace of... childish stubbornness.

The realization made her heart give a strange, unprompted flutter.

“Fine, you win.” Phoenix looked away, her tone cool but her grip on him remaining steady. “But let me make one thing clear—if I accidentally hurt you, don't start whining.”

Pierce's lips curled up, a satisfied smirk blooming in his eyes.

...

Back inside the apartment.

Phoenix helped Pierce settle onto the sofa before turning to pour him a glass of warm water.

“Drink this.” Her voice was flat, yet it carried an undeniable trace of concern. “I'm going to run the bath. I'll help you wash up in a minute.”

Pierce held the glass, the warmth seeping into his fingertips and spreading to his chest. Watching her slender figure move between the bathroom and the living room, a long-forgotten warmth flooded his heart.

The last time he had felt this kind of meticulous, undivided care was when his mother was still alive.

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