Chapter 409: Chapter 409

Chapter 409 Replaced Two days later, Xavier returned to the country safely.

After the plane landed, he was brought to the hospital immediately.

Winnie had arrived in advance and waited outside while Xavier received a thorough examination.

Rufus, Louis, and the rest also waited along with her.

As Rufus was present, Josiah kept them company and didn’t enter the examination room.

Three hours later, Xavier was wheeled out in a wheelchair after completing all the necessary examinations.

Seeing him, Beatrice quickly helped Rufus over.

Josiah served as Winnie’s eyes. “He has been pushed out and seems to be in good spirits. You can ask Mary to bring you to him. I’m going to talk to his doctor to get a full understanding of his current situation so I can provide you with all the necessary information later on.”

“Sure!” Winnie nodded with a smile. Despite her calm appearance, she was inwardly excited.

She took huge strides and soon came to a stop beside Xavier’s wheelchair.

Seeing her, Rufus told Xavier, “Here she is. I heard that she hasn’t been eating much in the past few days, so it’s obvious she’s worried about you. You should talk while I ask Josiah about your current situation.”

With that, Rufus left with Beatrice. Mary also retreated a few steps so the couple could talk.

Xavier had yet to speak until now, so Winnie couldn’t be sure about his exact position. Hence, she reached her hand out tentatively.

To her astonishment, she waited with her hand outstretched in the air for what felt like an eternity, yet he still didn’t take it.

In the past, Xavier would take her hand instantly, especially after she lost her eyesight.

Her brows furrowed as she asked, “Where are you, Xavier? Did you hurt your hand?”

Xavier lifted his head and glanced at Winnie before rising to his feet slowly.

He was a little taller than Winnie and had to lower his head to look at her when standing.

Staring at her for several moments, he suddenly flashed a smile before pulling her into his embrace.

Instead of answering her question, he asked cheerfully, “Did you miss me?”

Winnie was surprised. “Xavier, what happened to your voice?”

His voice was so rough and gravelly that it had lost the clarity and resonance it once possessed.

“My vocal cords were damaged. That’s why my voice changed,” Xavier explained. He tightened his arms around her and said, “When we were apart, I couldn’t sleep at all as I missed you so much. Was it the same for you? Did you miss me?”

“Of course!” His hug was so tight that Winnie couldn’t help but tighten her arms around his waist.

She embraced him enthusiastically, overjoyed that he had returned to her.

However, Xavier embraced her with all of his strength, squeezing her so tightly that it almost felt as though she were being deprived of oxygen.

She didn’t mind, though. After all, he was still alive, and they had been reunited again.

Xavier’s examination results showed that he was normal, save for two injuries.

He wasn’t diagnosed with any terminal illnesses, so Josiah didn’t keep his condition a secret from anyone, including Xavier himself, who was present when Josiah explained his report.

“Based on Xavier’s current condition, it appears that the damage to his vocal cords is not reversible. He is already lucky enough to still be able to talk. However, he won’t be able to gain back his voice. His hands were burned, and the skin isn’t healing, so skin grafting is an option that he can consider in the future. Fortunately, I’ve taken Xavier’s fingerprints before, so I’m confident he can regain at least eighty percent of them. This is not a major issue as he should be able to record his fingerprints in the same places he did before.”

“Okay,” Xavier replied. He chuckled and added, “I trust that you’ll do your best to treat me.”

Josiah nodded, but he couldn’t stop himself from frowning.

For some reason, he felt that Xavier’s gaze was a little strange, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Xavier’s voice was so different now that it felt like Josiah was talking to another person.

He soon discarded that thought.

Xavier’s voice would most probably remain this way forever, so he knew he should get used to it quickly.

Xavier didn’t talk much on the way home.

When Winnie asked him about what exactly happened back in the cave, he told her his throat hurt, so he didn’t feel like talking.

Taken by surprise, Winnie knitted her brows.

Xavier had never acted this way, so it was the first time he told her he didn’t feel like talking.

Nevertheless, Winnie didn’t take it to heart. After all, Xavier had been brought straight to the hospital to undergo a complete checkup after he landed. With his injuries, she assumed he was simply exhausted.

“Okay, you don’t have to tell me now. I’ll wait until your throat feels better.” Winnie took his bandaged hand and assured him, “You should rest well today. Don’t think about anything else.”

“Yeah,” Xavier rasped out as he narrowed his eyes to get a closer look at Winnie.

He stared at Winnie for some time before raising one hand to wave it in front of her.

Winnie might not be able to see anything, but her senses were sharp enough for her to detect the air movement in front of her.

Frowning, she asked curiously, “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.” Xavier’s lips curled. “I just wanted to touch you.”

With that, he reached out to caress her cheek.

Winnie took his hand. “You were injured, right? Doesn’t it hurt?”

“No,” Xavier replied, his gaze never wavering from her. “Compared to my previous experience, this is nothing.”

Hearing that, Winnie felt sorry for him. She stroked his cheek and told him softly, “You must’ve gone through a lot.”

“Not really.” Xavier pinned her hand and raked his gaze over her. “I did everything for you, so it was worth it.”

Winnie was now his woman, so he could do anything he wanted to her. His efforts were worth it.

I didn’t undertake this long and arduous journey to the remote Alendor for nothing. Back when I first arrived, I was still unclear on how to proceed, yet the blundering fools miscalculated the number of explosives and inadvertently trapped themselves in a cave. As I searched the ruins, I eventually uncovered Xavier and was able to deal with him personally.

A sneer flitted across the man’s lips.

Yes, this man wasn’t Xavier.

He was Harold.

Nevertheless, he would never use the name “Harold” from now onward.